JotCast | January 2024 Notre Dame men's basketball chat

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Thomas Noie

1:46

That will do it for today - for January. Many thanks for everyone who participated. We'll swing back around sometime in February - maybe Feb. 15 penciled in right now. If you have a question or comment that cannot wait, drop me a note at tnoie@sbtnfo.com. Thanks again everyone. Have a great rest of the week!

1:23

Todd: No idea about next year, though I get the feeling that a big role - a massive role - awaits Sir Mohammed.

Todd, Charlotte, NC

1:22

Good point. Since we barely knows these guys, there's a tendency to project past rosters onto them. Those rosters had the benefit of time together. But it seemed they also had some basketball IQ before they got to ND. Can you get a sense yet from this freshmen class or the '24 class, what Micah is looking for? I have been very surprised at how talented Markus is, and I am hoping his quiet leadership and talent can pull the rest up to him.

Thomas Noie

1:22

Jeff: You basically answered your own question. That's what it looks like. Might again be a little too ambitious with the MTE (multi-team event), the return game at Georgetown and the SEC/ACC Challenge game on the road. No word on how the league schedule will shake out, though the three repeats and 14 single games is the likely scheduling model.

Jeff from Schererville, IN

1:19

Tom, awesome job on the Brey features. Looking ahead to next year, what do you see the schedule looking like? We can all agree that this year's non-conference was too hard for this team, but should we feel good about next year being the event in San Diego (two hard games with Purdue, Arkansas and BYU), the return trip to Georgetown, the ACC-SEC Challenge (which should be at ND even though it's reportedly on the road again) and the rest all winnable games at home? Can they schedule a home and home with Dayton for you? :) Finally, any early intel on how the ACC slate will shape up now that it's an unruly 18 teams? I would assume ND would play 14 schools once and 3 twice but who knows. Thanks!

Thomas Noie

1:09

Todd: Maybe, but maybe too big off a leap for now. Both have similar career arcs - both barely played (and should've redshirted) as freshmen before sitting out their sophomore seasons. They became main guys as juniors, and that's where Abro has some separation. He averaged 16.1 points and 4.7 rebounds and shot .429 percent from 3 while playing 31.5 minutes per game. Konieczny currently is averaging 9.4 points and 5.7 rebounds, shooting .333 percent from 3 in 27.1 minutes. JR has a tendency to drift out of the mix in certain games - double doubles in some, not that involved in others. This season has been a step for JRK...next year has to be another.

Todd, Charlotte, NC

1:04

It seems at times JR has an Abromaitis game to him. But I also realized Abro had talent around him that JR does not, which can result in JR's inconsistency. Is that a bar he could reach with the right kind of roster?

Thomas Noie

12:53

Matty: That's a good list. Solid, Reachable? Ehhhh.....Love No. 3. Great call. My quick three: keep defending, keep competing and keep believing.

Matty

12:50

List of goals for the rest of the season, in order of difficulty: 1. Keep up competitive edge on defense 2. Find something, even if small, that is more efficient on offense (fewer turnovers, better shooting %) 3. Getting one more win in a game that no one gives them a chance beforehand 4. Win all of these games: BC, Pitt, GaTech, Louisville, 5. Reach goal: do not play on day 1 of the ACCT (a reach, I know!). What say you?

Thomas Noie

12:50

An absolute impossible exercise in every possible way. Seniors are out because they're out of eligibility, but juniors, sophomores and freshmen can also go pro. So where do you even start? Easiest thing to do is go to the NCAA stats and pick out a leader in scoring or rebounding or double doubles and say, yeah, that's my guy. But you gotta get under the hood and find a guy who's about more than just his own game. Give me two of those guys and Notre Dame already gets better.

San Diego Mike

12:47

Lets have some fun Tommy Boy, assuming every single player in D1 (who is returning to college hoops next season) enters the transfer portal.. what is a name you would want on this roster next season

Thomas Noie

12:26

Justin: Not sure. That will be an offseason topic for Micah Shrewsberry once he has a chance to decompress. Word was that John Paxson was next in line before Mike Brey left. Eventually it has to swing around to Pat Garrity and Chris Thomas, right?

Justin, Ft. Wayne

12:24

I knew it wasn’t going to happen this year, but do you think Shrewsberry has any plans to continue the ring of honor? I thought it was awesome and hope he continues it. Also, if it does continue next year or whenever it may be, who’s your best guest that goes in next?

Thomas Noie

12:20

Jim: I'll play along and go off the board here and say walk-on guard Raheem Braiton, who's about the only ready-to-play guy. Crazy athletic, endless energy, good locker room guy. Maybe someone should do something on Braiton, you say? Have a column on him coming Sunday. Shameless plug. Good kid. Great story.

Jim Tal, Valley Center CA.

12:19

Hey Tom, just a fun question. If Marcus Freeman was looking to recruit from the current ND basketball team in terms of strict athletic ability, who in your opinion would he select?

Thomas Noie

12:17

Mike: Good stuff. Somewhere Micah Shrewsberry nods. Hopefully.

San Diego Mike

12:17

I might be the only one, but I'm very happy the way this season has played out and the foundation that has been built on importance of defense and rebounding. Offense will be off on some nights in the near / distant future but defense and rebounding will be there 90% of the time. The turnovers will subside with experience and having more than 1 PG on the roster. Very excited for the future. Need to bring in 2 more scorers and we will be fine

Thomas Noie

12:16

Justin: They're not long enough or athletic enough or, at times, tough enough just to get up into you the way teams that force turnovers and get out and get down the floor with easy baskets. Notre Dame ranks 13th in the Atlantic Coast Conference and 327th nationally in turnovers forced (10.2). They're more position defenders than smother you defenders. That's OK if you can score, but we know how that goes...

Justin, Ft. Wayne

12:14

Hey Tom! For as good as this team’s defense has been this year, they generate very few turnovers. I can’t figure it out. Getting turnovers and getting out in the fast break could help get an easy bucket or 2. But it hasn’t been there at all this year. Why do you think that is?

Thomas Noie

12:13

Brian: Mike Brey pounded the table the last few years to expand his staff, give the program more resources, more voices to help with everything that needs help, but eventually gave up when nothing happened. Last year, Notre Dame men's basketball consisted of a head coach, three assistant coaches, a development and recruiting coordinator and a director of basketball operations. This year, Notre Dame men's basketball consists of a head coach, thee assistant coaches, an assistant to the head coach, a development and recruiting coordinator, a director of recruiting and a director of basketball operations. So the staff expanded by two. Both the development and recruiting coordinator (Grady Eifert) and assistant to the head coach (Tre Witted) help during practice, which, from what little we've seen, run nothing like they did under Mike Brey. How do they work together with Micah Shrewsberry? Can't say. Haven't seen enough of a sample size on the practice floor. In-game, the operation seems smooth.

Brian

12:09

It feels like Shrews got more as far as Assistants than Brey ever did. I imagine that was part of the initial negotiation for him. What does that staff look like? Who is doing what and responsible for what in practices and games? How do they work together and with Shrews?

Thomas Noie

12:08

Joe: In Indiana, it's Indiana and everyone else. It always will be Indiana. Always. Even with Matt Painter crushing it at Purdue, I'm sure Hoosiers are more worried about what's NOT happening in Bloomington as what is happening in West Lafayette. In a normal year, Notre Dame should be No. 2. Figure Indiana always will be No. 1. Purdue can be 1A with what the Boilers have done of late. Those schools are state schools, which means the resources offered their programs are way, way more than Notre Dame, which operates like a nice mom-and-pop shop up in South Bend. Notre Dame never will be Indiana, but there's no reason it can't be Purdue lite.

joe from the south side

12:05

Tom, Can you give us your perspective on ND relative to the other notable schools in Indiana. That is to say, Painter is killing it at Purdue. Woodson is kind of ho hum at IU and he is 65 years young. Butler and Matta are down this year. In your estimation, in a normal year (whatever that is), where are the Fighting Irish in that pecking order and why?

Thomas Noie

11:50

Brady: Cool, but who's very vocal in games? In huddles late in the second half when the Irish are missing free throws and not getting stops and can't get going offensively? Who's the one guy who takes everyone by the backs and their necks and says this #@&*$ stops right now? Who's taking control late in a close game and saying, I'll get across the finish line. That's also leadership. Not sure there's anyone doing that for this team, and this team really needs that.

Brady

11:48

Tom, I went and watched the full shoot around. I would actually say that roper and kebba are huge leaders to this team. They are very vocal during shootarounds.

Thomas Noie

11:46

Joe: The want-to always was there for Robby Carmody. It just wasn't going to happen at the Atlantic Coast Conference level for him. He needed to transfer down a level, to find a place where he could get minutes and a chance and feel better about his game. He's found that at Mercer. Quick recruiting story that involves Robby Carmody - Notre Dame was too far down the recruiting road with him that it had to turn away a prospect who wanted in. Wanted Notre Dame baaaaaad. That prospect's name? Saddiq Bey. NBA forward/one-and-done Saddiq Bey. True story.

joe from the south side

11:43

Tom, I'll give you the feel good story of the chat. Starling's name has come up, Elijah Morgan, PHUBB.....A few games ago, Robby Carmody had 20 points in a game for Mercer. 20 points! If you would have said Carmody and 20 points in the same sentence, I would have said entire output for 2023-24. A classic "what might have been" story.

Thomas Noie

11:43

Jim: Why is there hope for Notre Dame hoops? Look no further than about four hours due south of campus. To Louisville. Arguably a fringe blue-blood in the sport, where basketball, and winning basketball really matters, right? Louisville went through a coaching change last year and brought in Kenny Payne. The Cardinals then were promptly pounded early and often and time and again in non-league and league play. It looked like it set the program back decades. It doesn't look that much better this year. At Notre Dame, there also was a coaching change. The Irish were picked last in the league this year. But they're doing something Louisville didn't do last year - they're competing. They're in every game, they just don't know how to win those games. That will come. This is a complete rebuild, but the build continues. They'll get there.

Jim Tal, Valley Center CA.

11:40

Hi Tom, thanks much for taking the time to do these chats. Always very informative. Ignoring the disappointing play that has taken place at critical junctures of winnable games, what have you seen from Micah S. and specifically this team that would make you believe that ND can sometime relatively soon return to a place of prominence in college hoops?

Thomas Noie

11:36

...it's all about this these days my man. It's not college athletics. It's a development programs for the pros. Let's not kid oursevles.

joe from the south side

11:35

Tom, You are exactly correct about the ACC's Grant of Rights. Point being, no league is going to touch FSU until that issue is resolved. And, at least in theory, that right doesn't expire until 2036. Even if a judge was sympathetic to FSU, buying your way out of 12 years of TV rights won't come cheaply. And which point, FSU would certainly have to take partial shares of revenue in a new league. Rule No. 1 in today's college sports world: Follow the money.

Thomas Noie

11:35

Brady: Those are huge IFs. Penn State was a quick fix. This is not. It was easier for him to navigate the portal at Penn State than at Notre Dame. If the portal is not a legit option - and legit being getting proven, older, experienced guys - than that pushes this timeline back another year. It's not just roster management. It's everything - game experience, familiarity between players, culture, everything. You don't just roll into the portal and roll into the NCAA tournament at Notre Dame. The place isn't built that way. If the plan and the pieces fall into place, Year Three. If not, oooof.

Brady

11:32

Tom, you say four years but I have the feeling this could be 1-2. If Shrews hits the portal for what he needs I feel like he cld be there next year or year after. What makes you think 4? Also if we go back to what shrews did at penn state, it took him one year to rebuild and be back in the tourney.

Thomas Noie

11:32

We're portal guessing? I don't think there's any real guess. Tony Sanders and Matt Zona, if they want to max out their basketball experiences in terms of playing time and minutes, they'll need to look elsewhere. That's really it. All the others, they're there, or here, for the long haul.

Guest

11:31

Tom, if you had to predict who wld hit the portal after this year who would you say?

Thomas Noie

11:30

Brian: Alpha anyone? Anyone? Thought it might be Tae Davis. Or Julian Roper. It's not Markus Burton. Not yet. No, this team doesn't have a leader, a Prentiss Hubb (there's that name again), someone that when the going gets tough, he's just like forget this $#%@#&. We've got it. Nobody there like that.

Brian

11:29

Tom, always appreciate these chats. Does this team, as currently constructed, have a leader? Has it changed since the beginning of the season?

Thomas Noie

11:29

Tom: Follow this link. I expect a full report in the morning.

https://irishunited.com/

Guest

11:28

NIL - You said no one knows how NIL works. Is there some reference/link where we can educate ourselves, or list of NCAA rules? I would at least like to know if there are rules as to how the money gets distributed since it appears that although the player "earns" the money the school controls how much goes where. Thank you.

Thomas Noie

11:28

Joe: Thanks my man. One day we'll get together and share the stories that were off the record. Brey delivered on all levels.

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