JotCast | Late February ND Hoops Chat

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Bob

10:01

What are the odds of Atkinson returning for a sixth year ? What about Wesley coming back ? Sure seems like he is not ready for the NBA.

Thomas Noie

10:01

Jim: Preach. Wertz admitted he was in his own head earlier when he just couldn't clear out the clutter and play. He was good for a couple games but looks to have fallen back into that black hole. They need him. Six has worked, but there will be a time when Ryan or Wesley struggle. Wertz has to be that veteran guard again.

Jim

10:00

Tom, I know you must have noticed the rotation is slowly but surely turning into a six man rotation. What the heck is trey wertz doing. When are we going to see the 27 point Purdue trey wertz again!??! He needs to find his role and confidence if the Irish want to go far in March. I know it must be hard for brey to play him much with the little production he contributes.

Thomas Noie

10:00

James: Great stuff. That starting lineup isn't changing anytime soon, and maybe not at all. There have been so many guys who've kind of taken the reigns and run with them this season - Dane Goodwin, Blake Wesley, Prentiss Hubb, Paul Atkinson, Jr., Nate Laszewski. Now it's Ryan's turn. He had perhaps one of his best games ever Wednesday against Syracuse with 16 points, five rebounds and two assists. Love the pace he's playing with now. The game's slowed down and he's not in as big of a hurry. We kind of forget about him, but he's been a real key the last month.

James

9:58

as much as I love nate, do you think cormac needs to stay in the starting lineup with the way he’s been playing? He has been playing unbelievably down the stretch. Side note, wish we could get trey going. All seven guys together would be insane.

Thomas Noie

9:58

Joe: Obviously scenario No. 2 isn't happening after last night's win. The 2014-15 team ran through the ACC tournament and was a No. 3 seed. This Notre Dame team isn't as good as that one, and neither is the league. Having not studied it, like, really studied it, I'd say the Irish win their last three league games and then win the ACC tournament and they're a 6 or 7 seed. That's where the lack of power wins will become a factor.

joe from the south side

9:56

Tom, (written b4 SYR) At the last chat, I had ND as an 8 or 9 seed. They look Top 40 to me. Scenario 1: ND runs the table. Wins the last 4, and wins 1 in the ACC Tourney. Scenario 2: ND loses to SYR (Laz out?) and FSU, has 2 meh wins against Pitt and GTECH, and then loses the first game in the ACC Tourney. Give me your take on seeding for each outcome.

Thomas Noie

9:55

Joe: Thanks my man, but in this business of college athletics, be it football or basketball, you never can say never. Who had Brian Kelly bolting for another job, let alone one in the Southeastern Conference, after what he'd done at Notre Dame? Exactly nobody. So while I can't see Mike Brey taking another job somewhere else, I'm never going to rule it out. Every college coach believes he has that one more move in him, often, the one that nobody sees coming. There may be one of those in Brey's future, or he might decide, ah, forget it, I'll finish the ride here. And I do think there will be a discussion about extending Brey beyond 24-25. Hasn't happened yet, but this spring and summer is a possibility. Strong one, too.

joe from the south side

9:52

Tom, Great two-parter with Jack Swarbrick. As it relates to the chat, my takeaway is that Brey is not leaving ND until he chooses to retire. So, two questions. Unlike Holtz and Kelly, I don't think Brey would coach again after leaving ND. Your thoughts? Part 2 is do you think it is in the realm of possibility that Swarbrick extends Brey beyond 2024-25?

Thomas Noie

9:52

Dan: Blame the pandemic for that one, which basically wiped out the AAU circuit/summer between his junior and senior seasons. There was no Peach Jam. Was no Vegas. There was nothing, which would've allowed Wesley to rocket well into the Top 100 and maybe even be a McDonald's All-American. But nobody knew about him. That worked in Notre Dame's favor. And Wesley's. Nobody saw him coming. Everyone knows his name now. His future won't falter because of it.

Dan

9:50

Why was Blake not a top 100 recruit? Seems a bit outrageous. Especially when the accolades of his potential seem to outweigh the accomplishments of a very, very good freshman year (but not a dominating one).

Thomas Noie

9:50

Linas: That didn't take long. A rotation AND a Robby Carmody question. The rotation is the rotation and will be the rotation moving forward. Nobody is going to play major minutes. Nobody is pushing the starters in practice. And Robby Carmody is just not part of the plan. He wants to be, and believes he can be, but the rotation, again, is the rotation. The train for both long left the station.

Linas

9:49

Hey Tom! Love your column. At risk of asking yet another question about the 7 man rotation or Robby Carmody, I think here's a new angle: Does Mike Brey run starters vs. subs scrimmages during practice? If so, can you think of a player(s) who excelled against the starters during these scrimmages and forced his way into the rotation later in the season? Just wondering how a guy like Carmody is looking during these scrimmages and if there is a precedent for another player being added to the rotation later in the season. Thanks! Can't wait until selection Sunday

Thomas Noie

9:49

Jim: It's flat-out the laziness that I mentioned earlier. One national college basketball voice says the ACC is down and there are no good teams and everyone runs with that. Name me a better story in college basketball right now than Notre Dame. This is a program that gathered to watch Selection Sunday a year ago knowing it wouldn't be a part of it. Mike Brey told his guys to dream that dream. They dreamed it. They likely will live it. One of the best stories in college basketball this year.

Jim in Charlottesville

9:47

Hi Tom. Love the Chat! This week the Irish finally got a look/see by a national collegiate basketball pundit. I enjoyed it, except that he forgot Niele Ivey’s name. This punditry influences my opinions about Notre Dame’s Program. They think it’s irrelevant even when it’s winning, and that gets me feeling it’s deficient. Your long standing take that the University governs athletics by a stricter academic standard than the schools of Programs the pundits do highlight helps. Do you think the pundits dismiss the Irish because they discount academics, or perhaps do not take Notre Dame at it word about them?

Thomas Noie

9:47

Mark: Coach Bray any relation to Mike Brey? Obviously this was posted BEFORE the Syracuse game. I'm sure you were just fine with the (+13) rebounding advantage that Notre Dame finished with in that win. As for Wake, think foul trouble had a little something to do with that...and the Irish still almost won their seventh league road game. Doing that can win you an NCAA tournament game or two as well.

Mark

9:45

Do you think Coach Bray has his team practice blocking out for rebounds? Wake Forest 16 offensive rebounds, Notre Dame 2 offensive rebounds. It’s going to be a short NCAA tournament, if they don’t block out.

Thomas Noie

9:45

Tony: Guess we're back to the Brey can't recruit narrative, huh? Whoa, that was fast. And a little unfair, but I get it. Perception is the new reality. There's little movement on the 2023 class. The direction of it will depend on what the roster looks like come fall. But keep beating that dead horse narrative that Brey can't recruit. Did you mention that when J.J. Starling committed? When Ven-Allen Lubin committed? Refresh my memory my man...

Tony

9:43

Tom, any news on the recruiting for 2023 class. I know it is early but I see other school getting commitments. Brey getting out worked again! Do you think Blake will come back next year. Another year to get stronger would help him and really help ND if he came back.

Thomas Noie

9:43

Greg: Notre Dame's roster looks exactly the same as every other 340-plus Division I team. Extremely unpredictable and uncertain. Who's coming back? Who's leaving? Who knows? Nobody really does in this new world that is the one-time immediate transfer rule that really is disguised as college free agency. No coach really knows what his roster might look like next year. Mike Brey is no exception. Only Paul Atkinson, Jr., exhausts his eligibility this season. Everyone else has the opportunity to come back. Some will. Some won't. Others might choose to transfer and go somewhere where they can play right away. Blake Wesley might be a one-and-done. Brey has arguably his most impressive recruiting class coming in highlighted by McDonald's All-American guard J.J. Starling. He'll be a starter from Day One. There will be new additions and like a few subtractions. Just like every other Division I team.

Greg from South Bend

9:39

Looks like this year's Irish BB team has an NCAA appearance close at hand. Congrats. What does the roster look like for next year's team? Sorry to look ahead, but, this year's team has made us hopeful for things to come.

Thomas Noie

9:39

...And let's worry about seeds or matchups or anything else tournament related on Selection Sunday. After where this program was the previous four years, that's a nice problem to have, no?

9:38

Jim: Good to hear from you. First, you put way too much stock in the "so-called basketball experts." We're not. It's hard to get a good grasp on the national landscape when you follow just one team or one conference. Say you're a writer who covers a team in the Mountain West and you have a vote in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. What do you realllly know about the Atlantic Coast Conference? Outside of what people say - the league's down, there are no good teams, it's Duke and only Duke, probably very little. Just as I have zero idea of the Mountain West. But we writers tend to take a narrative and run with it. That's what's happened this season with the ACC and to an extent Notre Dame. Is the conference down? Yes. Are there few really good teams? Yes. But stop it with any notion that Notre Dame is a fringe NCAA Tournament team. This program's going to win at least 14 league games. That matters. No matter what league you're in or how down it might be, that matters. ...

Jim from Berlin, Ct.

9:34

Tom, I don't understand how Notre Dame is still so disrespected by the so-called basketball experts around the country. They are 19-8 and yet they aren't even close to being in the Top 25. They're second in the ACC and you would think they are at the bottom of the league the way they are ignored by everybody. I saw a recent poll by Jay Bilas ranked them number 48. What gives? I know the Irish haven't been good in recent years but let's give them credit for turning the program around and becoming viable again. At this rate, they'll be a 12-seed and have a tough time getting past the first round in March, when they should be no worse than an 8-seed. What am I missing?

Thomas Noie

9:26

And....we're back. Notre Dame men's basketball is hot - in a good way, maybe in the best of ways. Bouncing back from its weekend loss at Wake Forest for a win Wednesday at home over Syracuse, Notre Dame is 20-8 overall, 13-4 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Be sure to include your name and hometown to participate in the chat. You know the rest. Let's light this chat candle...

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