JotCast | Late February ND Hoops Chat

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Thomas Noie

2:01

Thanks for everyone who participated today. Solid effort on a quick turnaround. Hopefully we can shoehorn one more of these in before THAT day. Stay tuned. Take care and have a great weekend!

1:53

There may be just as many "seniors" coming back as leaving. They're the best when the arena's full, but we've been down that road already. Would expect the place to be maybe half full for that one next week.

joe from the south side

1:52

Tom, I am not saying they don't play at all, I am saying this is where you give the real seniors, the guys who are leaving, their moment on the court. You know, where you substitute one-by-one so the crowd gets to honor and cheer their contributions. I love those moments in sports.

Thomas Noie

1:52

Paul: Good stuff. Hard to say, because I've unplugged a lot from high school this season because we have a designated high school reporter now (Justin Frommer) and Notre Dame has, well, been better than seasons past. As far as the future, the area hasn't produced an abundance of Division I talents. You mentioned Demetrius Jackson and Jaden Ivey and Devin Cannady. There's also been Blake Wesley and Damezi Anderson from Riley. And J.R. Konieczny from Saint Joe. Future guys might be few and far between, but have to keep an eye on Markus Burton at Penn. He might be next.

Paul, SB

1:50

I put 3 kids thru Mish Marian and was fortunate to see Demetrius, Devin, and then have my son be teammate w Jaden Ivey and play 4 yrs against Jr and Wesley. Some great BB talent has come out of N Indiana. Covering the HS BB beat, what potential D1 talent do you see in the near future locally?

Thomas Noie

1:50

What a weird, wild, wacky scenario if we get to the season finale at home against Pittsburgh and the game means nothing. That he sits his main guys. I've never seen that happen, and don't think it would.

joe from the south side

1:49

Tom, For those fans clamoring for the bench to play, it is extremely likely ND will lock up the 2 spot in the standings. One more win gets them to 14 in the league, thereby eliminating Wake and UVA. They own the tiebreakers with UNC and MIAMI. Duke owns the tiebreaker with them. So, they are almost a dead nut cinch to be the 2 seed by beating GTECH. If so, Brey will play hard against FSU. He needs a QUAD 2 win, which I think that will be. Once that game ends and ND is locked into the 2 spot, he may empty the bench against Pitt. I would. At least to protect the starters from injury. That said, you might see JR, Sanders, Big Zone, etc.......

Thomas Noie

1:35

Brendan: Problem with that game is they thought TOO MUCH about it. Collectively wet their pants when they saw a sellout crowd in their home for the first time in forever. They couldn't function. The moment got to them. I'd like see them get another chance in a couple weeks at Barclays. Might not win, but could be a lot of fun.

Brendan, TN

1:33

Do you get the sense that Brey and the team think about the stinker of the Duke game? Do they want another shot there?

Thomas Noie

1:33

Solid my man....

joe from the south side

1:33

Tom, I voted for Blake in the poll. One reason. ND has nothing close to replicating his athleticism. He is the one threat to take you of the bounce and create for himself. Not minimizing the others' contributions. Just saying Wesley's skill set is singular on this team. Atkinson a very close second. What people don't realize is his interior scoring presence and board work has opened the perimeter for shooting and movement. Other than Duke, you can't guard the ring with 4 guys and solo on Paul. Opened up the OFF for everybody else.

Thomas Noie

1:31

Joe: Trust me, you don't have to have the luck debate here. I know ALL about it. Bonzie doesn't sprain his ankle in 2017, they win the ACC tournament. One NCAA selection committee member feels differently in 2018, they aren't the first team out of the field. Bonzie and Matt Farrell don't get hurt within days of each other that season, maybe they chase down a top four league finish. The pieces finally look like they fit and Pflueger blows out his knee. So, yeah, luck whether it be good or bad is a key in every season. But how many times have you heard fans say, oh, if only Notre Dame had taken advantage of this situation or that....well, guess what? They're taking full advantage of it and the prevailing attitude seems to be.....pfffff....they're not that good. I don't get it. Enlighten me from a fan's perspective.

joe from the south side

1:27

Tom, Maybe you need to recruit a Ben H.. or a Pat C. or a Jerian or Bonzie kind of guy every once in a while. Not eve a 4star guy. Maybe a 2 star guy with attitude who empties the tank every time he steps on the court. Somebody with Slo's disposition. I am not saying this team doesn't have swagger. It does. 6 road wins. 'Nuff said. I am saying everything that went against them the last 3 years is kind of all going their way this year. And good for them. But they are in a down league. Their home and home league games were weak. And most importantly, a 7 man rotation with no real injuries or no lost time due to COVID. You don't think there is some luck involved in all of that?

Thomas Noie

1:27

Dan: None. I believe it's Ryan Humphrey and everyone else.

Dan - Chicago

1:27

Any thoughts about Billy Taylor joining the successor predictions with Humphrey, Inglesby, Quinn, etc?

Thomas Noie

1:27

Dan: All true and valid, but....I don't know about you, but four years in college for me was enough. Great time of my life and days and years I wouldn't trade for anything, but after that period, you're kind of ready for the next challenge. I can see Nate taking that route. Like, I've done this. It's time to do something else.

Dan - Chicago

1:26

I'm surprised Nate doesn't seem interested in another year. It seems he plays his best ball with him and four guards in the lineup. And with Atkinson most likely gone next year, it seems like it would really give him a chance to put up bigger numbers and also develop his inside game more. I know he is a longshot for the NBA, but it would make him even more valuable for international play where they already know about his outside shooting abilities. Improving his inside game with no Mooney, Durham, nor Atkinson would seem to make sense.

Thomas Noie

1:15

Perhaps, but do we really think they're "hanging on for dear life" or are just like, yeah, no sweat, we got this? Again, they're not a Top 25 team, but they're not exactly doing it with smoke and mirrors and a box where they saw somebody in half at halftime, only to have them come back and hit some free throws down the stretch. Step on the throat of somebody sure sounds nice, but is there anybody in the entire student body with that kind of attitude? Seriously...

joe from the south side

1:12

Tom, I'll give you you don't win 6 road games with hope and prayers. But if you are good, really good, and senior laden, you don't give up 100 points to BC. You don't run up double digit leads on just about everybody and then hang on for dear life. You don't score 40 points in your biggest game of the season, on national TV, on your home court. Really really good teams step on the throat of their opposition. This is a team that still relies on a bit of Irish luck.

Thomas Noie

1:08

POLL ALERT!!! POLL ALERT! Follow the rules of any good Chicagoan and vote early, vote often!

1:07

Who is the MVP this season?

Paul Atkinson, Jr. (34.8% | 8 votes)

Dane Goodwin (34.8% | 8 votes)

Prentiss Hubb (4.3% | 1 vote)

Blake Wesley (26.1% | 6 votes)

Other (0% | 0 votes)

Total Votes: 23

1:00

No, because there's a chance an 11 seed goes to Dayton for a First Four game. I'm all for any game at University of Dayton Arena, but this team shouldn't have to have anything to do with the First Four. Give 'em an 8-10 seed and let them go prove 'em wrong.

Rob (Boston)

12:59

Am I crazy, or would you rather be an #11 seed if you’re ND than anywhere in the 7-10 range? I don’t see us matching up well with any of the 1-2 seeds and yes I know we beat Kentucky earlier this year.

Thomas Noie

12:49

TIm: It's unique in that I've covered all of them when they were players. I've known Antoni Wyche for 25 years. Humphrey almost as long. Martin a decade less. Tone's in it for the long haul. Hump wants to be a head coach. Get the sense Scott Martin is still feeling his way through this whole business of college basketball. All have a really strong loyalty to the place. That matters.

Tim from Evanston

12:48

Tom - do you have a chance to interact with the assistant coaching staff much? It's such an interesting and important part of the team. Martin, Wyche, Humphrey are all former ND guys. Do they jump ship at the first good external promotion/position that is offered to them, or is there a sense of loyalty to ND and Brey?

Thomas Noie

12:42

Dave: Adjustments are always being made. Halftime? Not enough time for that. The game loves fast. You have to adjust. You don't say, yeah, we'll save that for halftime. What was the big adjustment on Wednesday? There really wasn't one. Once Syracuse started missing shots, the game changed. And they started missing because, in part, they were playing their third game in five nights. Stealing from my time on the football beat, but even Al Golden said last week, yeah, you don't wait until half to adjust. It's an ongoing process. Same for hoops. Never understood that belief - whoa, they adjusted at half. SO what did they try to do before half? Just wait for it?

Dave Garnett from West Covina, Ca.

12:39

Hi Tom! I have noticed that Notre Dame usually waits until halftime to make major adjustments. This is a general statement but is accurate. In your opinion why do you think they wait until halftime and not make the adjustment much earlier? I know halftime is around 15-20 minutes and is easier to speak with everyone at one time but can't a simple timeout do the trick?

Thomas Noie

12:39

Joe: Disagree on the miracle. And the hope. For the previous three seasons, sure, that was valid. But with this group, like in 2015 and 2016, you just have a certain calm that these guys are going to figure it out. For the most part, once 2022 arrived, they have. You don't win six road games through hope and prayers. You just don't.

joe from the south side

12:38

Tom, You have a valid point in there. Brey makes no bones about trying to outscore the opposition. Yes, they are better on DEF, but he builds teams from the perimeter in. That said, on the plus side, he could take down a better team with just an unreal shooting display. 10+ 3s go a long way. On the other hand, OFF generally doesn't travel as well, especially in strange BBL venues. On a bad night, they keep bad teams in the game or they get whooped badly by a superior team. That is what it is to be an ND hoop fan, you always hope for a miracle.......maybe even count on it.

Thomas Noie

12:38

Woof.

Joey from Highland IN

12:37

they have to get more out of Wertz. He’s in the dog house it seems.

Thomas Noie

12:37

Tom: Not really the fabric because that's more player-centric, but the staff reshuffle has been a major impact to this season. New voices, new perspective, new outlook. It was just time. Nothing against the guys who aren't here or are in different roles, but Mike Brey tried to go that route, and it didn't work. He knew that he had to make a change, or the next change would involve the head coach. Credit to him for recognizing it.

Tom from Gary, Indiana

12:36

How important are the change's in Coach Brey's staff to the success of this year's team? Is it part of that fabric you wrote about?

Thomas Noie

12:36

Yes. Keep in mind that the current sophomore class of Matt Zona, Tony Sanders and Elijah Taylor never had a traditional summer before their freshman seasons when they could work out, play pickup and learn about life as a Notre Dame men's basketball player. On a scale of 1 to 10 in terms of importance, it's about a 12. Seriously. They were thrown into impossible situations last year, as freshmen, during a pandemic, when none were ready to seriously contribute. Zona and Sanders were winging it. Taylor wasn't healthy. So this is really their first true understanding of Division I basketball. That's why they're not playing. Same goes for Konieczny. Talented in high school but this ain't the NIC. It's going to take time for all of them. Some will get there, but some may not. Notre Dame is 20-8 overall and 13-4. There's not been one single game - one single loss - that you can point to and say, if only player A, B or C played, it would've been different. Fans like to whine about the bench because, well, because.

Nick from South Bend (now Goshen)

Is it apart of the get old stay old plan ?

12:32

Tom, was curious to when/if guys like Zona, Sanders, JR, Taylor will make an impact?

Thomas Noie

12:29

Joe: Just fun to imagine, isn't it? Notre Dame's not one of the five best or 10 best or maybe 15 or 25 best teams in the country, but the Irish will want to take their best swing. Don't bet against them after what we've seen this season, right?

Joe

12:28

it May be better if we aren’t ranked. We are sneakily underrated. If we get the right matchup in the tourney vs a 1 or 2 seed in the second round, we will scare somebody. (Don’t like our odds against zags or Kentucky for a second time, and jabari smith would be an insane mismatch, but some teams we match up well against)

Thomas Noie

12:28

Mark: Riding that wave that was 2011 into the Big East tournament after Notre Dame ended the regular season by winning in Storrs against a UCONN team that would go on to win the national championship. Then 2017 when Notre Dame came within a Bonzie Colson sprained ankle of winning a second ACC tournament title in three seasons. Seeing Jayson Tatum play that final and thinking, that's the best player in the draft. Working the ACC tournament in Washington the previous year while staying in hotel across the street in Chinatown and just taking in the city on mornings before games. There's so many you forget or miss. As mentioned earlier, it adds a totally different element knowing you have to get back to Indiana for Selection Sunday instead of hoping that you don't have to do a coaching search in the offseason.

Mark Kruz from Mishawaka

12:25

With the conference tournaments right around the corner what has been your favorite stories while covering the Big East and ACC tourneys? Not the obvious story in ND winning the ACC in 2015

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