JotCast | Notre Dame basketball - August 26 chat

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Ron from southern Indiana

9:39

Tom, I really enjoy your chats, I can’t see Notre Dame ever being competitive as long as Shrewsberry is coach. Having a goal to make the ACC tournament is a very low bar. Have you heard any names of any potential High School recruits ? I usually try to make it to at least one game each year but I don’t know if I want to drive 8 hours to see the team with the current coach.

Tom Noie

9:35

Jet: Yes, but it's still like throwing a deck chair off the Titanic. Last year's funding was around $3 million (again, you're not going to get anyone to say with substance, we spent this ...) while this year is closer to $7 million, but that's far, far off the pace of teams who dream of Selection Sunday. Last year, Xavier was at around $7 million and went 15-18 overall, 6-14 in the Big East. This year, it's well up over $10 million and maybe close to $14, but what does that get you in that league? Same goes for the ACC. To win, you have to spend, and sometimes spend a ton. This is where Notre Dame is a "victim" - we use that term loosely - of its own previous success. For decades, Notre Dame basketball often did more with less and won despite the reluctance of the administration to give the resources it deserved. More with less motto isn't going to force the Notre Dame admin to move off that and say, let's try to do more with more. Should that happen? Absolutely. Will it? No way.

THE JET FROM EVANSVILLE

9:30

After last year’s embarrassment, has ND increased funding for Men’s Basketball?

Tom Noie

9:30

Todd: Great to hear from you. We saw such a small sample size of what/who this team can be that it's still hard to say, yeah, they're going to do ... this. It is good to finally have some adults in that locker room, and some guards who can actually take care of the ball. It would've been nice to see Braeden Smith move around last month to see what kind of guard he is, but the fact that he's cognizant of assist/turnover ratio already gives him something the lead guards of the previous three years never really had. Not sure it's excitement as much as intrigue. So many have written this season off, but it can't possibly be as bad as some believe, right? This isn't an NCAA Tournament team or a top of the Atlantic Coast Conference team, but it can't be as bad as last year, can it?

Todd

9:26

Life-long ND guy here, who always looks forward to your chats! From what I have read, listened to and seen --- this 26-27 Irish team has a look/feel of a typical ND team -- high IQ, under the radar type guys, who are team-first players. (Did Mike Brey help Shrews bring in these portal guys????) From your perspective, is this feeling valid? Is the biggest addition to this team Braeden Smith? (He will definitely improve our Assist-TO ratio!!!!!). I am excited to see how this group develops in the fall.

Tom Noie

9:06

John: Thanks for the note and for the shoutout. Yes, there's a ton to write about now with Notre Dame football, but college basketball has always been the first love. This is will be Year No. 29 on the Notre Dame basketball beat. This year's team is light years ahead of last season's team in terms of promise. Last year, we had zero idea how all the pieces would fit. Of the one open practice we saw in July 2025, three-quarters of the players were either injured or ill. We took nothing out of that session. Now, this group is older and more experienced and understand college basketball. That has to count for something, right? That is has not ONE but TWO legit point guards is something that's hard to wrap your head around. If they can take care of the ball and move the ball, fans may faint. We might be done with this one-on-five nonsense we've had to sit through the last three years. Team ball ... what a concept!

John F

9:02

Does this year squad show more promise than last year squad did at the same time. Having more depth upfront seems to be a positive. Additionally having two legitimate point guards has to be a positive. What are your thoughts? By the way I love your columns and your commentary

Tom Noie

9:01

Patrick: None, but don't be alarmed. Logan Duncomb is the projected starting five man, but he was slowed over summer after foot surgery in the spring. It was more precautionary than anything. Like, they need him in January and February more than they need him in June and July. Rutgers big transfer Bryce Dortch tweaked an ankle early in July. Sophomore Tommy Ahneman is coming off knee surgery that flushed his entire freshman year. First time he cut it loose in five-on-five this summer was the first time since he was in high school. Freshman Gan Solongo is intriguing at 7 foot, but various injuries last year at La Lumiere limited him to 12 games. He's played only three years of organized basketball, so he's more a project right now than potential rotation guy. With the new five-for-five eligibility rule, Solongo can get his feet wet here and there without worrying about wrecking a season of eligibility. He's probably a year or two or away from being someone who plays "quality minutes."

Patrick K.

8:57

What Irish bigs are standing out. Any chance the big freshman from LaLamiere gets qualiry minutes?

Tom Noie

8:55

Billy: It wasn't just last year, it's been the last (first) three years under Micah Shrewsberry. Part of that was the construction of the roster. When you had an undersized shooting guard playing point guard, and was the only guy who could get you a bucket, you had little choice but to ride that out. Markus Burton has said that it was time for him to go somewhere else for the good of his game, but it was also time for Notre Dame to get out of the Markus Burton business. Last year, it was a steady helping of bully ball with Jalen Haralson and the occasional Cole Certa 3. In this offense, players have said they like it more because "everybody eats." There's more movement of player and basketball - and a point guard in Braeden Smith who knows how to be a point guard. Don't discount Logan Duncomb. Having someone who can score it in the post and get to the free throw line is a massive difference and something this program hasn't had in too long. What will it mean? Stay tuned.

Billy Mc - Point Pleasant Beach, NJ

8:52

Tom, Last year’s offensive game plan wasn’t much more sophisticated than my 7th grade CYO team and I’m sure it had to do with the roster. What kind of an offense would you run with this year’s roster and any guess on what Shrewsberry is drawing up?

Tom Noie

8:51

Who stood out in the open practice? For myriad reasons, sophomore Brady Koehler and freshman Jonathan Sanderson looked good. Koehler because he did a little of everything, but not a lot of something, and Sanderson because he didn't look like a freshman. Braeden Shrewsberry looked like a veteran guard. Ethan Roberts was steady. Yoro Diallo has a chance to be a wild card connector. Brady Koehler came into Notre Dame at 180 pounds and was listed at the end of last season at 205. He was up to 215 at the end of summer (which prompted a team ribeye steak dinner from strength coach Jon Sanderson). Notre Dame is older and more experienced this season, but its fortunes may hinge on how big of a step Koehler can take. There's a big step to take, but there's a lot there to his game.

8:46

Pete: We nosy media dopes were able to see one Notre Dame practice this summer - last week of July for about 100 minutes on the women's practice court side of Rolfs Hall (heavy rains forced a move to that side when the roof leaked on the men's court). Graduate seniors (and starters) Braeden Smith and Logan Duncomb were held out for load management reasons, though Duncomb is coming off spring foot surgery. Both are expected to be full go in fall. Same for Rutgers transfer Bryce Dortch, who tweaked his ankle in early July. Again, nothing major.

Pete from Berrien Springs

8:43

Tom, Hope you are having a gear summer. Thanks for doing these chats. What is the health status of the players held out of the open practice? Have you been able to see any other practices? Which players are standing out, I realize it is very early. Has Koehler put on any muscle?

Tom Noie

8:43

And we might as well get this out of the way now, since it's likely to come up, if not today then chats in the future. if and when Notre Dame finds itself in the market for a new basketball coach for whatever reasons, big names with bigger price tags need not apply. Where is the majority of $$$ going to in today's college basketball world? Roster management. Not the head coach. When it was time for Mike Brey to go (and it was), fans were cautioned to be careful what they wished for. Caution again. Big-name school won't exactly mean big-name head coach.

8:40

And it is a trickle. Notre Dame basketball will never have a payroll that flirts with $20 million per year, or even $15 million per year. But it must do better than last year when the payroll was among the lowest in the Atlantic Coast Conference (around $3 million). That number has doubled this season, but don't read that much into it - the cost of doing business just in one year has soared. Seven or eight million still won't cut it. We'd love to know exactly what the plan is for Notre Dame basketball, but Pete Bevacqua is too preoccupied with more important matters. Basketball may not be on his radar, which tells you a lot.

8:38

Bob: We're quietly seeing Notre Dame get creative in its fund-raising ways. The jersey patch with SoFi, which will bring in $18-20 million per season. Every Notre Dame jersey/sport will carry that patch. On Wednesday, the naming rights to the Notre Dame Stadium tunnel (seriously) and media room (no, seriously) together went for $20 million. Every little bit will help Notre Dame maintain its athletic programs moving forward. The majority of those funds will go to football, whose payroll this year is just shy of $50 million. That means next year it likely jumps closer to 60, then the following year, $70 million. At some point, the financial steps Notre Dame is taking to secure $$$ must trickle down to basketball, right?

Bob

8:35

Can ND basketball get more creative & use a grassroots fundraising program to get better players? Or should we just wait a season anyways to implement any changes? Would you hire John Calipari? Who would you hire?

Tom Noie

8:23

We're back. College basketball's back. Kind of. Sort of. It's the middle of August and Notre Dame football fall camp is in full swing heading into the 2026 season, but hoops season isn't far off. The 2026-27 season promises, if nothing else, to be intriguing. How will it all come together for Notre Dame and fourth-year head coach Micah Shrewsberry. Will it? If it doesn't, what next? Who? To join today's chat, please include your name and hometown with any question or comment. Question or comment often. And with that, you know what's next ... let's light this chat candle.

*** Thursday, August 13 ***

Tom Noie

7:41

Where is your interest level for Notre Dame basketball 2026-27?

Will be tuned in Nov. 1 for game in Rome (88.9% | 16 votes)

I'll come around by Christmas (0% | 0 votes)

Post-college football season whenever that is (5.6% | 1 vote)

February....definitely February (5.6% | 1 vote)

Total Votes: 18

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