JotCast | ND hoops chat - October

Thomas Noie

1:39

Thanks to everyone who participated today...we'll be back around next month (hopefully before, gulp, Thanksgiving) as this season starts to take shape. Take care and have a great weekend!

1:10

Mickey: Mike Brey joked about it in the summer , but I don't think he was kidding when he wondered aloud if a college basketball team has ever had three players ALL average 40 minutes per game. Goodwin and Laszewski and Ryan might all do it this year. They're never coming off the floor. OK, almost never. Ryan's got the attitude to pick up where he left off last year when he was what, one of the top 10-15 players in the game at season's end? Loved everything about how he played. Now go do it for an entire season. He's set the Final Four bar. Better be ready to chase it.

Mickey, NY

1:07

I know a Sunday article is coming but is Ryan running around with swagger and “lead dog” attitude as a follow up to last year? Are we slotting him into a 39 min/game type importance and, if so, how do you think he handles it?

Thomas Noie

1:07

Amen, my man. Let's go!

Robert from Mishawaka

1:07

I agree with you on Lubin. He could really help the perimeter game with being an inside force. Thanks for the chats that you do, here's to a great season!

Thomas Noie

1:06

Thoughts? How about DON'T (FREAKING) TOUCH IT!!!!! That about sums it up.

Illinois Fool

1:06

Any thoughts on the proposal to expand the NCAA BBall tourney? I love it the way it is now but it looks like the idea is gaining momentum.

Thomas Noie

1:06

Dane Goodwin, Cormac Ryan, J.J. Starling, Nate Laszewski and Ven-Allen Lubin. I can see Mike Brey going with Trey Wertz in place of Starling to start, but it's the same situation with Starling as it was last year with Blake Wesley, who started the year coming off the bench. It's only a matter of time until the freshman guard starts. He's that talented.

Guest

1:05

GM Tom. Who do you think starting 5 is first game.

Thomas Noie

12:57

It's a short list and both of those guys are definitely atop it. Change in leadership at Georgia Tech means Josh Pastner better have a really good season or the new athletic director will want to bring in his own guy. Jeff Capel can't get out of his own way in Oakland. Freshman Dior Johnson was a four-star recruit who was expected to be a guy to help turn all of this back around. Getting arrested and subsequently suspended from the team is not the way to get it going.

joe from the south side

12:54

Tom, Next ACC coach to be fired? I'll take Pastner. One 20 win seson in 6 years at GTECH. One NCAA bid. And likely to finish near the bottom this year. All in all, a hire that never worked. Capel is a close second.

Thomas Noie

12:54

IF: Welcome to the top of the scouting report, Mr. Goodwin. Hope you like the view. And the attention. Goodwin downplayed any significance of wearing out (though he did) and insists it had more to do with becoming a main guy. He's right back there this year - not sneaking up on anyone in the scout. He's one guy rooting for Ven-Allen Lubin to be good. This team goes four around one and Goodwin becomes the second big. Will be interested to see what he adds to his game - and how he fares over the long haul.

Illinois Fool

12:52

It seemed that Goodwin struggled at the end of last season. Did other teams figure out his game, was it fatigue or was it something else? Love the kid and hope he has a great year.

Thomas Noie

12:32

He'll go out kicking and screaming which for Boeheim, is nothing new.

joe from the south side

12:32

Tom, I thought SYR myself. Is there another program that looks that old? The whole program has no bounce. Boeheim looks old. The Carrier Dome looks badly dated. One Jim B retires, that program could tank without a homerun hire.

Thomas Noie

12:24

Joe: A little of everything goes into the brew that is our hoops travel itineraries. Most important is, is the team any good? Hard in this newspaper climate to push for a road game if Notre Dame has no chance. Then we go with the rhythm of the schedule and opponent. Any game in the Triangle and along Tobacco Road? Sign me. Syracuse in January? Hard pass. Done that dance too many years in the Big East.

joe from the south side

12:22

Tom, Who determines what away games you attend? You? Your boss? The magnitude of the game? Given the schedule as it stands, where is the one away game on the schedule you want to attend and the one they could not pay you to attend?

Thomas Noie

12:19

IF: They'll be fine collectively and individually on defense. Can they get on the glass? Remains to be seen.

Illinois Fool

12:18

What's the scoop on the new players as to their defensive skills? I'd imagine interior defense could be a problem this season.

Thomas Noie

12:18

John: Absolutely. There's a chance that J.J. Starling is a two-and-done, but Ven-Allen Lubin is a one-and-done. Let's see how it all plays out. Same with Elmarko Jackson...

John

12:17

Tom- i) any chance JJ Starling isnt one and done? and ii) Also saw Brey talking about NIL and being competitive in that area/nd has done a good job with it. Any of that coming from Under Armour? Elmarko Jackson did play with UA AAU team, maybe that was his play....

Thomas Noie

12:16

Matt: It's hard to win at Indiana. The expectations are suffocating. Sometimes overwhelmingly so. Let's go with Notre Dame carrying the Hoosier State flag, while playing on Tobacco Road. Makes perfect sense!

Matt from St. Louis

12:16

Will Notre Dame be the best college basketball team in Indiana this year? Purdue graduated a ton and Indiana's roster looks solid but they always seem to fall short of expectations

Thomas Noie

12:14

Ven-Allen Lubin looks like an Atlantic Coast Conference power forward. Athletic. Lanky. Bouncy. Paul Atkinson looked like an Ivy League power forward who used his smarts and savvy around the basket to max out his only season in the Atlantic Coast Conference. He was the ultimate safety net/security guy in the low post. Get him a touch and he was going to make something good happen. Paul Atkinson currently is playing professionally for Atomeromu in Hungary where he's averaging 16.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 33.0 minutes. First pro game, Atkinson went for 21 points, 10 rebounds and four assists in 41 minutes.

Jim Tal, Valley Center, CA.

12:11

Tom, could you please contrast the game's of Paul Atkinson and Ven-Allen Lubin and is there something that the latter can do that the former couldn't? Also, could you provide an update as to what Atkinson, who such a huge contributor last season, is up to these days.

Thomas Noie

11:59

Dom Campbell's too much of an unknown, and behind Matt Zona in the rotation of whatever minutes might be left over. It's hard to see where he fits - at least this season. And that's OK. He'll have a chance. It just won't be as soon and as extended as J.J. Starling and Ven-Allen Lubin.

Chris

11:58

Do we think all 3 of the freshman get major mins this season? We know 2 will but does Dom?

Thomas Noie

11:58

Matt: Easy. Find another campus to call home. And another league. For all Notre Dame men's basketball has done, it does suffer from a bit of an identity crisis. Nobody around these parts (besides the beat guy) gets serious about basketball season until January. Sometimes February. College football is king on campus. Always will be. For those who do prefer hoops, too many still wish for the good old days. Playing Marquette and DePaul and UCLA every year. Georgia Tech, Boston College and Wake? No, thanks. They'll pass on that. It all can work in Notre Dame's favor, and has at times in the past where the Irish can just kind of play and get better without the white-hot spotlight of national attention. Last year, it both helped and hurt. Notre Dame was not a play-in team. Not even close. It freaking finished second in the ACC one game out of first. Play-in game? Give me a break.

Matt from St. Louis

11:55

Thought your comment earlier about ND staying out of the spotlight and Brey liking that was interesting. Long article in The Athletic this morning that discussed the ACC last year and heading into this year. It only mentioned Notre Dame in two brief sentences (about beating Kentucky and Dane Goodwin). How does a program go about changing something like that? In what ways do you see that being beneficial?

Thomas Noie

11:55

Seriously? Not enough perimeter positions to go around. Not this year. Same might go for Konieczny. They're kind of one in the same.

joe from the south side

11:54

Tom, Apologies in advance but I have to do it. Drawing close to three hours in and no mention of Sanders. WHAT?

Thomas Noie

11:27

Robert: On paper, you would think, but much like with Marcus Hammon being a great unknown until I saw how he fits, Dom Campbell's the same way. He didn't do much to stand out in the summer session that we saw, and then was out with the flu for the October open practice. I don't know what his game looks like. I don't know how it fits. Maybe it does next season. Little too crowded for him this year. Let's see how everything unfolds.

Robert from Mishawaka

11:26

Everyone asks about the inside game and needing a real big man. That being said, doesn't Dom Campbell fit that answer as he progresses for next year?

Thomas Noie

11:26

Justin: Softer than anticipated, especially for a veteran team. Last year's non-league (Maui, Illinois, Indiana) was more conducive for this year's team than last year's which we knew very little about. That one almost suffocated under the non-league schedule - it was 4-5 going into the home game against Kentucky. This team's too good to not go and get the Michigan State and Marquette games. They're at home. Notre Dame's good enough to win. It should win both. The lack of power from the non-conference means Notre Dame better deliver in the ACC. It did last season. It has to again.

Justin, Ft. Wayne

11:23

What’s your overall thoughts on the non-conference schedule? I kinda like it but would of like to seen some more powerhouse games. Think Michigan St/Marquette will be really good games.

Thomas Noie

11:23

We've dissected some of the defensive numbers/improvements this program made last season. I'd expect that to remain a constant. Associate head coach Anthony Solomon won't allow for much slippage in that area. They weren't lock-down/smothering on that end last year, but they were good enough to if they had to win a grinder, they could. And did. Size does matter, but so does a collective commitment to rebound. There will be a night of two when Notre Dame gets absolutely smoked on the backboard. But other nights when you think it will, but delivers. It's just the nature of who and what this program will be this season.

Jim Tal, Valley Center, CA.

11:21

Hi Tom, congrats on doing such great work on both the hoop and football fronts. While scoring and showing offensive firepower shouldn't be an issue for Brey and company, their perceived liability when it comes to size and defensive prowess could be what holds them back from doing well in the ACC and ultimately the Big Dance. In your opinion, what can the Irish do to mitigate against these two factors so that they don't prove to the ND's undoing? Thanks much.

Thomas Noie

11:20

Biggest leap? Let's go with Nate Laszewski. Gotta go from 9.3 ppg., last year to around 14-15-16 with more rebounds and more of a factor. If Ryan can bottle what he did at the end of last year, watch out (hey, sounds like my Sunday column)!

11:19

Mickey: Two-parter out of the gate....love it. Don't know if there is an 18-20 ppg., guy on this team, and that's OK. There wasn't last year. Notre Dame was OK with having to win grinders. Same should be the case this season. Dane Goodwin might be someone who flirts with the 18-20 ppg. He averaged 13.6 last season, but struggled once he became a main guy on the opposition's scout. Cormac Ryan and Nate Laszewski were under 10 ppg. last season. Let's get them to 12-15 first. Trey Wertz? Not a scorer. Marcus Hammond at another time might go for 15-18 but there might not be enough shots on this team. And you can't pencil in a freshman to be 18-20. Blake Wesley was at 14.4 last year. Maybe J.J. Starling gets to that.

Mickey, New York

11:16

How do you see the scoring load divided on this team? Is there 1 (or 2) 18-20ppg player or are we going to see a bunch of 10-12ppg averages?
Which of the “big 3” of Nate, Dane, Ryan do you see making the biggest leap this season?

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