JotCast | Notre Dame basketball chat - December 2025

Prev Page View Full Chat Next Page

Tom Noie

10:18

Joked after the Evansville game with Micah Shrewsberry about nobody having Brady Koehler gets ejected on their season BINGO card, but Shrewsberry wasn't going there. He offered a sly, I know something you don't know look and said that if you've been in practices the last few weeks, you'd pick Koehler as the one guy an opponent would "want to punch in the face." There's some #$%#@ to Koehler's game that goes unnoticed. That bodes well for his future, and for the Irish.

10:16

J.J.: How about such a fast-tracked freshman season arc that he pushes Garrett Sundra for that starting spot? Too much? Maybe not. There's a lot to work with there for Koehler, who's 6-10 with a 7-3 wingspan. He weighs only 205 pounds. Once he figures it out and gains a little weight, man, watch out. Jalen Haralson has been heralded as the next future NBA guy at Notre Dame, but it might be Brady Koehler. Love his game, and love his potential. How about averaging six points and four rebounds the rest of the way? Definitely doable.

J.J. P

10:13

I think one of the underrated revelations of the last few games has been Brady Koehler stepping up from spot minutes to serious bench piece. He seemingly looks a little more comfortable every time he steps on the floor — what should realistic expectations for his growth look like by the season’s end?

Tom Noie

10:13

Tyler: Cannot agree more. Here's a snapshot of the uphill battle facing the Notre Dame basketball program. Notre Dame beat Missouri and beat TCU in a span of four days, right? High point of the Micah Shrewsberry coaching era at Notre Dame. There was energy around the program. There was juice. Next home game against Idaho, guess how many tickets were sold in 9,149-seat Purcell Pavilion. Just over 3,000, which means the place was barely a third full. Notre Dame has played seven home games (seven wins) and averages 4,543 which is not even 50 percent capacity. Notre Dame basketball needed to be better this season and has been. Notre Dame basketball support needed to be better this season and hasn't been. That has to change.

Tyler

10:10

Tom.. these home crowds. Yawn.

Tom Noie

10:10

Wes: Thanks for the note. Just took a deep dive on no Burton and what it all means. You're right on all accounts. No more standing around waiting for/watching Burton to do what he does. The injury stinks for him, but for the long-term growth of others, it might help unlock a side to their games that otherwise would have been locked away.

Wes

10:09

Mr. Noie, thank you for chat, I always find your articles regarding ND basketball to be insightful. It might be wishful thinking on my part but i have seen quite improvement in flow of the game, more players involved in scoring, i think the Idaho game 4 players scored 10 or more points and better passing/assists over the last 3 games. i always thought that even though Burton is quite a talent his presence hindered other players in becoming involved in the game therefore hindered the flow of the game. Look who has become more involved in the scoring over the last few games, Towt, Muhammed, Harrelson and Certa, coincidence? growth? or more opportunities since the No 1 player is unavailable Your thoughts?

Tom Noie

10:08

Mike: Keep shooting. Keep building on it. No small steps back where he was good the first game out and then kind of drifted through the next run of games, and then, here he comes again against TCU where every time he got the ball a collective groan raced around the area. Like, oh, no, THAT guy is going to shoot it and he's going to make it. Certa is a legit high-major guard now. Go play like one. This game, the next game, the next.

Mike

10:07

Hey Tom - Certa has been giving off some subtle baby-face assassin vibes similar to the Vasturia days. What would be some reasonable growth expectations for him the rest of this season?

Tom Noie

10:07

Linas: Nobody inside the program will say it publicly, but the Markus Burton may be a blessing. First off, it stinks for Markus Burton. You feel for the kid, but it's also intriguing as to what this all might become. Markus Burton put up a lot of numbers, but the Irish didn't put up a lot of wins. No Burton forces guys out of their comfort zones of letting him go and do it. Now they have to do it. No Burton isn't good, but having guys have a chance to grow their games? That could be good. The Irish could be good.

Linas from the OC

10:05

Hey Tom, M.Burton is a great player. However, could Irish be a better "team" without him? There -- someone had to say it. I already see more assists, better ball movement. Everyone on the team knows they need to step up without him to have any chance at post season play. Standing around watching Burton go one on one no longer an option. Happy Holidays and thanks for all the great work

Tom Noie

10:04

Bonkers: About time you find your way back around these basketball parts! Not been the same without you. Think Micah Shrewsberry has a good idea of how to distribute the minutes without Markus Burton. It's put the ball in the hands of Jalen Haralson. Or Sir Mohammed. Spread the floor with shooters in Braeden Shrewsberry and Cole Certa. Continue to grow Brady Koehler's game. Have Carson Towt be Caron Towt. Nine different Irish (excluding Burton) average double figures in minutes. Doesn't mean it's going to be a consistent nine. Maybe it's a Sir Mohammed night. Or a Kebba Njie. Or Braeden Shrewsberry. It's now more about being good/consistent every single night than wondering how to move forward without Markus Burton.

Bonkers in Yonkers

10:01

Tom Terrific, it's been awhile!!! (sung in Staind voice). Gotta say, I'm enjoying these last few games. What do you expect from the rotation for ACC season? The minute distribution has been good. Wondering what insight you have into that continuing or if Coach Shrews is still figuring out how to distribute minutes without Burton

Tom Noie

9:59

Guest: Asked and answered earlier in the chat. Best case scenario might be a return by the middle of February from a run up and down the court and do basketball stuff standpoint, but then we have to factor in the psychological hurdle that wasn't in play last season. How does Markus Burton handle the fact that he was hurt doing basketball stuff? Will be a tricky thread-the-needle situation moving forward.

Guest

9:58

What are the realistic chances of Burton coming back in your opinion? I know it’s early and the timetable is fairly unknown but I was wondering if you had any insight on the matter of when he could potentially be back

Tom Noie

9:58

Pete: Haven't really deep-dived the whole Atlantic Coast Conference and how Notre Dame might fit, but I picked the Irish when the schedule was released to be a 10-8 team in the ACC (remember, only 18 league games down from 20 of the past few years). I'll stick with 10-8 in the league. Where does that get them? Top eight? Six? And yes, that 10-8 is contingent - heavily so - on all the rotation guys being consistent every single night. The margin for error narrows dramatically without Markus Burton. Can't have too many guys having off nights. This has to be a collective effort.

Pete from Berrien Springs

9:55

Thanks for doing these chats. What's your thoughts, given how well the team has been playing without Marcus Burton, on how the team will do in conference play? Do you see them going above .500? Where do you see them finishing? Obviously depends on consistent good play from everyone.

Tom Noie

9:55

Mark: You know how I feel about Micah Shrewsberry coaching/over-coaching every single second of every single possession. Maybe it ties the guys up in knots in close games. Let them figure it out. They're smart enough and savvy enough to do that. As for free throw shooting, it's a quiet concern. Notre Dame is at .703 percent from the foul line, which ranks 10th in the 18-team Atlantic Coast Conference, but that .703 is a bit misleading. That includes the .917 percent of Burton. Take that away, and Notre Dame is at .646 percent (117-for-181) which would rank 17th in the league. There are six guys who are main rotation guys who are under 65 percent from the foul line. Solution? Put the ball in the hands of Cole Certa early and often and OK, all the time. He's 20-for-20 from the foul line.

Mark from Rochester, NY

9:45

end of game situations it seems ND is way out of sorts. Almost like they don’t practice press breakers. With how much you see shrews yell every possession i would expect them to be a bit better in the game pressure situations moving forward? Secondly, is the free throw shooting worrisome for you as well? Seems like Certa is the only reliable guy right now and Njie might be in the top 3

Tom Noie

9:45

Mark: Strictly a numbers game. Look at the depth chart. Is he a shooting guard? How do you find a enough minutes to go around with Braeden Shrewsberry and Cole Certa? Wing guard? How do you find enough minutes to go around with Jalen Haralson and Sir Mohammed? Stretch four/small forward? You have Garrett Sundra and an emerging Brady Koehler. See the dilemma? Too many guys, so few minutes that it's hard to get to Ryder Frost consistently for more than his 3.0 ppg., 0.9 rpg., in 6.2 minutes per game.

Mark from Rochester, NY

9:42

Ryder Frost has seen his minutes wane. Is he just not ready yet? Could we be looking at a redshirt?

Tom Noie

9:37

Mark: In fairness to Sir Mohammed, he's not a backup four man. He's a lead guard. With Burton and Haralson handling, Mohammed played out of position. We saw what he could/should be when Haralson struggled against Evansville and Mohammed kind of took over. That was good to see. No more being a fit in guy who will do what the team needs. Go and get yourself 21. Exploit mismatches. Play with confidence. Show why you were a Top 50 recruit coming out of high school. With the handling pairing of Haralson and Mohammed, there's something there moving forward.

Mark from Rochester, NY

9:35

Before this past game, Sir Mohammed just could not play offense like Sundra. Would you like to see Imes play a little more? He seems to be a bit more aggressive offensively while giving up some defensively

Tom Noie

9:35

Mark: The Garrett Sundra conundrum...we're here for it. Great question, no real answer. I've wondered that myself. All we heard in summer and fall was that nobody had a better offseason than Garrett Sundra. He lived in the gym. He got stronger. He got better. He was in the starting lineup as the stretch 4 first time out in the exhibition at Butler and has been there for all but one game when Micah Shrewsberry tinkered with the lineup and started Sir Mohammed at the four spot. Uhhhh... But Notre Dame needs more than what Sundra has done - 4.0 ppg., 3.3 rpg., five assists, seven turnovers, 18.1 mpg. Too many empty minutes where he's just kind of out there. When Carson Towt/Kebba Njie aren't offensive options in the post, Sundra can't be a guy who takes 3-4 shots a game. You're playing 3-on-5 on offense and that puts a lot of burden on the perimeter. He's just got to be better.

Mark from Rochester, NY

9:28

Tom, glad to be here for another chat! Why does Sundra start? I feel as though Koehler offers the same qualities on defense and the glass and light years more offensively.

Tom Noie

9:26

Chad: Fair point, but not fair to compare what Notre Dame does to say, Louisville. Apples to oranges, even though they play the same game and in the same league. Louisville can get basically anyone it wants into school. It has former Euro League guys on its roster. It can get old and stay old and stay experienced in a hurry. Notre Dame will never be Louisville. It might never be Indiana - still too soon to see what exactly IU is under Darian DeVries. Notre Dame has to do it differently. As for the NCAA tournament? Waaaaaaaayyyyy too early to go there. Keep playing. Keep evolving. Keep winning. Look up in February and see where you stand. Even without Markus Burton, this program has shown signs that it can get there.

Chad from Toledo

9:23

Burton going down and others stepping up;Can this team make the NCAA Tournament? Tired of rebuilding when other schools do it in 1st or 2nd years(Louisville,Indiana)!?

Tom Noie

9:23

Mike: The players will tow the company line and talk of how the fans are loud and how they help them through the rough times, but it's a drain on them when they run down the tunnel from the locker room before the game and stare straight into a sea of empty seats where the students should be. Fan apathy could be excused the last two years. Really, the last three. There's no excuse this season. Not when Notre Dame is 9-3 as non-conference season winds down.

Mike Chrzanowski

9:21

Do the players notice the poor student turnout for games.2 times this year I noticed more visiting fans behind the visitor's than ND students behind the basket

Tom Noie

9:21

Mike: Who's the Alpha? Who's going to be the one who's going to steady everything when it looks like the Irish are struggling to stay afloat? So often the last two years, that was Burton, who would just go get a bucket or make a play that kept everyone believing. Who's that guy now? Who can be that guy now? The easy answer is Jalen Haralson. Micah Shrewsberry told him against TCU when Burton went down to go be the best player on the floor. Then he did that. But that's a hard ask of a freshman still trying to figure it out. It will have to be a collective effort. Burton covered up a lot mistakes/shortcomings by just going and getting 20 points a night. This has to be a group thing where there can be only so many off nights from the main guys. Too many off nights, it's going to be a struggle. If they're good collectively, they'll be good in the ACC.

Mike from Rochester, NY

9:18

The improved depth is showing up across the board. What do you consider to be the biggest area of concern as ND approaches the conference schedule sans Burton?

Tom Noie

9:17

John: Good question. If you've been around these Notre Dame basketball chat parts in recent years, you know how I feel about the students. To them, I'm the old geezer gully shouting at the clouds when it comes to criticizing the student body for their lack of attendance at basketball games. The excuse list is as long as a winter night in Northern Indiana. Too cold. Too much snow. Nobody wants to make an effort to walk from the dorm to the arena. There's a big test for the business school students. Final exams. Winter break. They always seem to come up with some lame excuse. Number one on the list has long been, well, if they were better...Well, OK, Notre Dame is 9-3 and 7-0 at home. What more do they need? Will it improve? Probably not. They'll probably continue to point the finger everywhere else except at themselves, but they need to be better. No more excuses.

John B

9:14

The lack of students attending ND B Ball games is difficult to understand. Especially considering tickets for the games are included with their tuition. Do you have any ideas on how to improve student attendance?

Tom Noie

9:14

Kevin: We're probably seeing the ceiling from a scoring standpoint for Carson Towt (6.7 ppg.) and Kebba Njie (3.0). You have to look at what they offer offensively as a bonus as long as they rebound. Towt is at 10.2 rebounds per game, Njie is at 3.5 Towt is averaging 26.4 minutes a game, Njie at 12.3. They're not guys who are going to demand the ball in the low post in a halfcourt set. Their roles are to screen for shooters/drivers, rebound, defend. Love what Logan Imes has been able to offer - what he's done this year is more who he is - spot minutes here and there. Score a little. Handle. Just have to be even better with the ball. He's a solid reserve guard who knows who he is. Those guys are hard to find.

Kevin, Lemont

9:09

One commentator said its hard for our bigs to get >10 pts in a game. With Burton out, what is their ceiling? & early most improved candidate for me would be Imes, at least in terms of PT

Tom Noie

9:05

Joel: Yes. For all we've seen of a Micah Shrewsberry team in his two-plus seasons, we really haven't seen a team play the way he wants to play. Longer, more athletic guards and wings. Guys who are interchangeable. Maybe a true point here in the mold of Logan Imes who can offer the main guys spot minutes without much of a fall-off. Look at what Notre Dame has been since Markus Burton has been sidelined. The main handler, Jalen Haralson for the TCU and Idaho games and Sir Mohammed for the Evansville game, hunting mismatches in the halfcourt. If teams keep one defender on them, the agenda is pretty straight-forward back that defender into the post and do work. Go score. If teams send a double, Haralson and Mohammed have to be savvy enough and long enough to kick out to a shooter. It was the way Shrewsberry played in his final season at Penn State with Jalen Pickett. Booty ball, they called it. We're seeing it now with Haralson and Mohammed playing the Booty Ball roll. There's probably more we haven't seen.

Joel T

9:01

Does Shrewsberry in general prefer to use a point forward type (such as Haralson and Mohammed) as the primary ball handler as opposed to a traditional point guard? Obviously, when healthy, Burton is typically the primary ball handler, however he was more of a player that Shrewsberry inherited (was committed when he took the job), rather than someone Shrews went out of the way to recruit himself. It seems like from the last few classes that he doesn't really look to find traditional point guards and wants the larger point forward type, so is that something we should expect with his teams going forward?

Tom Noie

8:54

This year, Burton was hurt on a basketball play - driving to the basket, jumping, landing, falling and trying to get up and get going again. How will that factor into his return? Might be too early to tell.

8:53

James: Cautiously optimistic that we'll see Markus Burton back this season, but that might be a stretch. Notre Dame has kept quiet the exact nature of Burton's injury/surgery. We know he injured his left ankle on a drive to the basket during the December 5 win at TCU. Is it a bone injury? Ligament? Both? Micah Shrewsberry doesn't like to put timetables on injury returns. He believes it puts an unfair focus on the player - if he returns early, then the thought often is that he's rushing back. If he returns later, maybe he's slow-playing it. Burton's ankle injury is thought to be a longer rehab process than when he hurt his right knee last season, which was expected to keep him out six to eight weeks. He returned in five. Say this is a 10-week rehab process. That would take him to February 18. Also keep in mind that unlike last season, there's a certain psychological hurdle of being hurt that Burton will have to overcome. Last year, he got hurt in a freak way - somebody just fell on his right leg.

James C

8:47

Do you think Markus Burton will be back this season?

Connecting…