JotCast | ND Hoops preseason chat

ND Hoops preseason chat

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Thomas Noie

12:14

Joe from the South Side has exited the building....who's going to jump in and take his question-asking place? Anyone? Hello? Does this work? lol

12:04

Tight end Michael Mayer expected to be back in starting lineup Saturday for USC. There's your Notre Dame football fix for the day. Time for more hoops!

12:03

Dave: Yes, times 10. He could and should be better in that area. Not a big fan of sticking him in the corner and waiting for the ball to find him. Nate Laszewski's at his best in a pick and pop (and shoot) situation. He seems to struggle when he has time to think about it. Just set the screen, pop, get the ball and shoot it. He is who he is by now, but there's also stuff that he hasn't shown yet. Why not now?

Dave from DC

12:01

Tom, do you think the team will utilize Nate L. in pick and rolls? He seems like someone who could be a demon shooting off those sets.

Thomas Noie

11:56

It's 11:55 and you've delivered a solid round of questions for the last two-plus hours. What else you got? I may slow down for a few minutes for the next 20 while I monitor Brian Kelly's 15-minute Thursday presser. Keep the questions/comments coming. We're nowhere near done!

11:54

Given Notre Dame's schedule strength, at least on Oct. 21 with non-conference games with Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana and maybe (likely) Oregon, coupled with its league schedule, seventh absolutely gets the Irish into the NCAA tournament. Maybe eighth, but you're entering sweat Selection Sunday territory there.

joe from the south side

11:53

Tom, I thought the preseason slot of 8th was about right. On the one hand, this group of players hasn't proven much in 3 years. And, that swiss cheese defense that they play keeps inferior teams in the game. On the plus side, the ACC is down this year. Every team, maybe except ND, has huge question marks about how do recruits AND transfers mesh together. There is more of a wide open, not sure who is the favorite, feel to the league this year. That said, Top 6 would be over achieving. 7 thru 9 feels about right. 10th or worse is a bust. Not sure finishing 7th in ACC gets you to the NCAA Tourney. What do you think?

Thomas Noie

11:48

Sam: It's been rather eventful recently as the case against the former Irish assistant coach/player crawls toward a possible trial date, which could be as soon as Monday but probably pushed to the middle of November. My SBT colleague/courts reporter Marek Mazurek has an update of where it stands in today's paper - southbendtribune.com - but it's behind our pay wall. Give it a read.

Sam from chicago

11:46

do you have an update on the Ryan Ayers situation ?

Thomas Noie

11:44

Ouch. We in the media have to wear masks to cover any event indoors at Notre Dame. I wouldn't ever think about declining that for my couch.

Bob

11:43

Make that two season ticket holders who declined to renew because of mask mandates. I can watch at home without a mask.

Thomas Noie

11:43

You've run out of hoops questions, so it's on to....football!!! IMG Academy has two football teams - a national squad and a varsity squad. Johnson is the head coach of the national squad, which means Brey's son is the head coach of the varsity squad.

joe from the south side

11:42

Tom, Not to shift gears, but can you tell me what exactly does Kyle Brey do and why IMG lists him and Pepper Johnson as Head Coaches? Why can't he swing a little of that talent our way? LOL

Thomas Noie

11:40

Think those early-afternoon scrimmages/practices for hoops before home football games aren't coming back anytime soon given the climate of where we are in 2021.

irishway- denver

11:39

Any plans for an open scrimmage on Saturday in the Joyce before usc game? I promise to wear a mask!

Thomas Noie

11:39

Jeff: The Tribune did not have a vote (we're too far from Tobacco Road, I guess) for the preseason all-league teams, etc. I would've slotted Virginia Tech higher. And maybe Notre Dame seventh instead of eighth. You get past the top five in the league - Duke, Carolina, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Florida State and the 6 on down is a little murky. Hubb would've been a first team guy on my ballot. If you know, you know.....lol

Jeff from Schererville, IN

11:37

Did you have a vote in the ACC preseason polls for predicted order of finish, all-conference teams and player and freshman of the year, and what did you think of the results of that voting which had ND 8th and Hubb on the 2nd team?

Thomas Noie

11:37

Joe: Still wish for the days where we made every single road trip every single season. But priorities change in this business and now we're only hitting the big ones - at least until the program gets good again. Maybe? Hopefully? There's no such notion as a bad road trip after all those years of traveling the Big East cities. You crave the rhythm of it. I miss those days of out and back and out and back again. There's no way that having the Maui Invitational anywhere but Maui would be better. One of the best places to go for hoops. Glad to have made that trip in 2008. Going to skip this year in Vegas because (understandably) football takes priority during football season so I'll be at Stanford to hopefully see a one-loss Notre Dame team wrap the regular season. Once ACC play starts, the better the Irish, the more road trips we make.

joe from the south side

11:33

Tom, Now that the full schedule is out, any road trips you look forward to? Any that disinterest you? And, since the Maui Invitational is now the Las Vegas Invitational, better, worse, not attending?

Thomas Noie

11:31

Joe: Understood, but you're also not the only reader submitting questions. I try to get to as many as I can as quickly as I can, but I can't work THAT quickly. Still, don't go anywhere. This chat needs you! Seriously.

joe from the south side

11:30

Tom.....This is off to the side. At times, there is a large delay between when I ask the question and when it gets posted. In the past, sometimes as much as 30 minutes. Today about 15. Hence the Carmody thing. I submitted it well before you put the rule in. I apologize but you never know how long it is going to take to get posted. In the future, just kill the question. Thanks

Thomas Noie

11:30

That would be local product J.R. Konieczny, who lit up the Northern Indiana Conference the last few years right down the road from Notre Dame at South Bend Saint Joseph High School. He has a chance to contribute this season, but maybe not on the level of fellow freshman/former NIC standout Blake Wesley, whose game is further along. The adjustment for Konieczny right now is pretty normal. He could dominate in high school just because he was taller and better than a lot of the guys around the NIC. That's not the case. It's big-boy basketball. Give him time. Roman will be happy with the finished product!

Victor K.

11:28

And Tom, speaking of JR, my friend Roman wonders if can he guard? How does he fit in this year, or will it be another year before his impact is felt?

Thomas Noie

11:28

Vic: My man! Knew you'd find time from your other duties to swing by today. Unfortunately, after that home game with Kentucky on Dec. 11, it's rather slim pickings in terms of non-league home games. Western Michigan might be the best of the bunch on Dec. 20, if only because it will be the third or fourth or fifth time Notre Dame has tried to get it here for a game. Western was the ultimate fill-in game last year during COVID (and actually was on the schedule but bailed because of positive tests). After that, don't think Texas A&M Corpus-Christi moves the hoops meter for you.

Victor K.

11:25

Big fans of yours here in Salem, Tom. It's my usual pre-season question. I like to come up for an early non-conference game around the holidays. Obviously, Kentucky is the marquee matchup. What's #2 on the non-conference slate. Does it tie in with a hockey game?

Thomas Noie

11:24

Joe: Fair points, but I usually like to wait to see kids/prospects in person before formulating opinions. Highlight tapes want you to see only the good stuff. How does he play when he's not the focal point of the offense? When he's not the tallest or most skilled guy on the court? Summer usually has been the time to see how the adjustment from high school to college will go - and that's with anyone. Same will hold true for Starling. First few times they go up and down with actual guys who've been there, you can see, yeah, this kid's good or, whoa, it's not going to happen right away. Let's see on Dominick Campbell, but given his pedigree, he should be a keeper.

joe from the south side

11:21

Tom, While we are on the topic of recruiting, nobody has mentioned Dom C. Any thoughts? Reminds me of RaiQuan Gray. Hear me out. If you watch film, and see the body type, the skill set does not match. I am not saying Campbell is NBA level guy like Gray, but I like his upside and I think he is going to present matchup problems in the ACC. Needs a little work in the weight room. Gonna be fun to watch him.

Thomas Noie

11:16

Mike: That would be Paul Atkinson, a graduate transfer from Yale who is a plug-and-play guy. He was the Ivy League player of the year at Yale in 2019-20 but didn't play at all last season after the Ivy League canceled its season because of COVID. He's old and experienced and confident around the basket. He'll bring a different dimension than Juwan Durham. Atkinson's not going to block a lot of shots at 6-foot-9, 230, but he'll hold his own. How he does against the size/length of ACC bigs remains a wait-and-see scenario.

Mike from Rochester NY

11:13

Tom, what can you tell us about the grad transfer (can’t remember his name) and how he’ll fit into the team?

Thomas Noie

11:13

Andrew: The relationship between Mike Brey and Anthony Solomon just works. They're like an old, married couple (no, seriously) who have been together for so long that they just know what the other is thinking or feeling or needs. First time Anthony Solomon left, he wanted to take a swing at being a college head coach. Second time he left, after the 2016 Elite Eight, he may have thought he should be a head coach after those two really good seasons. Instead, he needed a change of scenery, or so he thought. He's exactly what this program needs at this time (and maybe what Brey needs). Notre Dame has never gone to a Sweet 16 without Slo on the sideline. He matters, because he gets Brey and he gets that place. He's here for as long as the head coach.

Andrew from Plymouth, IN

11:10

Can you explain the dynamic between Brey and Solomon. It's not normal for someone to come back for their 3rd go around at a program and there must be a reason he left twice before. Obviously being a head coach didn't work out, and maybe he wasn't given a fair shake on that, but do you expect he'll be here this time until Brey retires?

Thomas Noie

11:10

Justin: I'm not on any group texts with former players, but have numbers for just about every player who's played at Notre Dame since I started on the beat - 1998. And some who were way before my time. There are guys that I haven't talked/texted with since they left, but a core group (Pat Connaughton, David Graves, Tory Jackson, LaPhonso Ellis, etc.) that I can text and get them if I need them. Good guys. Really, ALL of them. That group just gets it.

Justin, Ft. Wayne

11:06

Tom, how often and if at all do you stay in contact with former Irish players?

Thomas Noie

11:05

Joe: Good stuff. And yeah, there's no question that JJ Starling gets the ball (and the keys to the Irish Ferrari, too ....lol) the minute he steps on campus. I'm curious to watch him practice Friday. More on him coming down the line.

joe from the south side

11:04

Tom, This goes to Dave from DC. Watch film on JJ Starling. The minute he steps on campus, he starts, and the shot clock issue goes away. Not saying he'll make every shot, but he will threaten the DEF in a way that ND hasn't had since DJ and Grant. We need to be patient on that one.

Thomas Noie

10:57

Joe: Lubin doesn't choose Notre Dame and it won't be because of a lack of effort from the staff. Brey might be close to establishing Orlando residence he's spent so much time down there. His staff too. Getting him up here to deal with the snow and cold might be too high of a hurdle when he can get everything he might want in terms of athletics and academics closer to home.

joe from the south side

10:56

Tom, I see someone mentioned Ven-Allen Lubin. Reading the tea leaves (just a hunch) , I think the SEC schools lead. FLA and ALA out front. ND is in the next tier with GTECH. CLEM is on the outside looking in. I hope I am wrong, but the info that is out there kind of leads you that way.

Thomas Noie

10:55

Joe: Violating the Carmody rule....just kidding, but you're right. Nothing against Carmody the kid or the family or anything else, but you have those three major injuries the way he has, eventually, the staff has to move on. He's not going to climb over Konieczny or Wesley on the depth chart. It's just not going to happen. He decides to transfer down a level where he can just go and play, the staff will do everything they can to help him. His body betrayed him. Happens all the time in every college sport.

joe from the south side

10:54

Tom, Just a guess but Robby C looks a lot like a future grad transfer, that is IF there is any tread on those tires. I would guess he would graduate and kind of go along with his brother's schedule. Then, move on. Might be a good fit in the A10 for Duquesne. From a BBL standpoint, tough outcome for a good kid from a good family.

Thomas Noie

10:54

Jeff: Great stuff, and you're so right. Like, look at that home schedule. What's there NOT to like about it? Still, Notre Dame basketball always has been a tough sell for the students/fans, and I've historically been tough on them. I remember 10, 11, 12 years ago when we were going through the same fan attendance issues. The biggest response I got in terms of student/casual fan turnout was that Notre Dame never played anybody good in the non-league. Play someone good and we'll show up everyone shouted. Notre Dame scheduled a home game against Gonzaga that year. Didn't sell out. Sigh...

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