JotCast | Notre Dame basketball chat - March 2026

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Myles

11:53

It seems implausible with the current roster numbers and expected defections, but is there any chance Shrewsberry/Garrity decided to move on from guys like Sir Mohammed and Garrett Sundra?

Tom Noie

11:52

Sean: I think the women's basketball program has this guard who's worth the price of admission. Scores a lot. Steals it more. Plays with that swagger the men's program doesn't have. Hannah something...

Sean,Greesnbor0

11:52

Well, I guess I will just watch the women from now on.HAHA.

Tom Noie

11:52

Jack: Nobody said Brady Koehler won't eventually leave. It seems like he'll stay, but he looks around and sees everyone else gone. Guys he was tight with. Now he's alone. What does he do? Stay? Go?

Jack

11:51

I am surprised that Koehler is not also looking for the exit, thought he looked really talented this year and that a year in the weight room at a serious program would do him a lot of good. Do you know if that is more about him wanting to stay or there not being a major offer out there for him?

Tom Noie

11:51

Justin: Notre Dame doesn't operate that way. It doesn't feel any need whatsoever to publicly declare that this person is the coach of this program and we're going to do all we can to help this person and that program succeed. Notre Dame's playbook? Say nothing at all. Status quo.

Justin - Franklin, TN

11:49

Oklahoma's new AD came out with a statement of support for Porter Moser when its season ended and said there would be a renewed focus on providing the program with more resources. That is a program that already spent a lot more than Notre Dame. What will it take Pete Bevacqua to issue a similar statement? Don't you think by not issuing one or even acknowledging the program needs improvement indicates to fans/alumni that he does not care at all?

Tom Noie

11:49

George: Great point. They need to find a balance between recruiting really good players who they cannot afford and players who don't move the meter recruiting-wise who could develop. There was once a time when Notre Dame could recruit those lesser-heralded kids because they wanted to be at Notre Dame for the degree. That's sadly no longer the case. Kids want to go to college. Kids want to play basketball in college. Kids want to get paid. A lot.

George

11:47

I don't follow ND basketball closely, but as I recall they signed a decent recruiting class. If these kids turn out to be the good players they are supposed to their market values will increase and ND will not be able to hang on to them. This cycle will not change of losing their whole team to the portal every year. Should they be recruiting lesser players that might actually stick around a couple years?

Tom Noie

11:47

Colin: You can't give Notre Dame a chance to match a number that it can only reach with one of those fancy ladders. The amount of money that those three players are set to make will nearly double the projected 2026-27 budget. There was no chance. None.

Colin from Dallas, TX

11:46

Do you know if Haralson, Certa, and Burton gave ND the opportunity to match or let them know how much they wanted to stay whether that was a direct conversation with Shrewsberry/Garrity or through agents? Or was it more them just letting the staff know they were done? I'm just wondering if ND even made an effort to try to keep them or if we couldn't even get close to what those guys were asking for. Interested to see where they end up.

Tom Noie

11:45

Tim: "We" meaning Jack Swarbrick, who had it in his mind that regardless of any other option, he was hiring Micah Shrewsberry. He was going to be the athletic director who was going to hire Shrewsberry as his head coach. Shrewsberry was the No. 1 candidate in January when Mike Brey announced his resignation. He was the No. 1 candidate in February and the No. 1 candidate in March. Numbers two through five were Darian DeVries, Chris Holtmann, Greg McDermott and Matt Langel. Not sure where Notre Dame is with any of the five.

Tim from Chicago

11:42

Tom, with 20/20 hindsight, did we overvalue Shrews final season at Penn State and the (1) big ten conference run and (2) their decent showing to get them to the second round of the ncaa tourney? Isn't that what really got him the job at ND? Give us an alternate history of what would have happened if we went with the second place coaching candidate, whoever that was.

Tom Noie

11:42

Sean: We press on! Let's go. Headed toward record numbers for this chat. Love the passion, aside from the occasional misguided anger. But I digress....

Sean,Greesnbor0

11:41

Tom appreciate your patience with all of us.Is there not a group that helps oversee the university(Board of Visitors?) that can all Pete and Pat on the carpet to ask what is going on?PS. I find it disturbing that you cannot get an interview with Pete or Pat.Who do they answer to? Hang in there.!

Tom Noie

11:39

Phil: I've drawn the comparison to what Mike Brey did because the university looks at that and says, did it then, do it now. That world doesn't exist. I know that. You also know what world doesn't exist? The one where kids are choosing to play for Notre Dame basketball because it will get them a nice set-up on the rest of their lives.

Phil from South Bend

11:38

I think comparisons to Brey's best years should stop just like comparisons to Digger's glory years needed to stop. Brey won more with less because he was able to keep his best guys as they weren't being poached with NIL and the immediate transfer rule came at the end of his coaching years. What ND will become now is a minor league team where each year its best players leave. Very similar to what Martin Ingelsby has had for his 11 years at Delaware pre NIL and current. ND is essentially Delaware now and they have no business in a conference like the ACC with at least 10 serious programs. I don't believe Shrewsberry is the guy, but I wonder what this past season could have been with Burton...maybe 9 to 10 wins in the ACC. With that said, the situation now would likely be no different.

Tom Noie

11:37

Trevor: I'm confused. You say watered down ACC. If the league is that watered down, how did it get eight teams into the NCAA Tournament. Let's move off the ACC stinks narrative when it comes to Notre Dame. If Notre Dame was that eighth team, not sure you'd feel the same. So, North Carolina's NIL budget was $7 million. Where did that get them? Yep, coaching change. Do you know what Notre Dame's budget is expected to be next year? Any guesses? Notre Dame planned for a budget of $3 million. Go be .500 in that watered down league with that.

Trevor from IN

11:35

You keep throwing $10M out there but for example UNC’s budget was $7M for their team this year. And we aren’t asking them to be UNC - we are asking to be .500 in a watered down ACC instead of missing the ACC tourney. That’s a big ask for you?

Tom Noie

11:34

Stephen: Nah, that's the way Notre Dame operates. Not everyone is Jerry Jones, who holds his own press conferences after Dallas Cowboys games. Some ADs talk and some don't.

Stephen

11:33

Why has Pete Bevacqua been completely silent on this front? For someone who is obsessed with football, you would think he’d have some intensity for the other sports.

Tom Noie

11:32

Wilson: Any of those higher-ups want to check in here, let's go. And I'm easy to find...

Wilson

11:32

How can administrators look at the state of the program and say, we are fine? We are a bottom 10% D1 P5 program. This makes the university look bad. This is not concerning at all to higher ups, such that they have motivation to make changes (i.e more of a commitment)?

Tom Noie

11:32

JP: What happened to that optimism we had? Ah, the good, old days, right? Notre Dame is like a mid-major now. Fans didn't like it when I likened the program's aspirational peers to Boston College, Georgia Tech and Wake Forest. But that's where Notre Dame is now, and for the future. Forever?

JP from SC

11:30

Hey Tom, last time we talked we were about the only slightly optimistic people in here and boy how that has changed lol. You mention in the article that ND might not even be spending a third of the around 10M it takes to be a decent team nowadays which puts us in the same cahoots as Boston College in terms of roster investment (and lower than some Low Major teams). Is there any chance in a million years that can be helped? I know a lot of it is self fundraised by Micah but I mean surely the school has to be trying something right? If you can't hold on to a guy like Burton as it seems to be then it is seriously dark here now. Trying not to lose all hope but it is sad times here.

Tom Noie

11:30

Justin: It should, and within your rant, you bring up another issue - fan attendance. Another area that has gotten stale and stagnant and dismissed by the university as a whole. Yeah, I know, put that on Shrewsberry as well. But go back and look at the last few years, even when Notre Dame went 15-5 in the ACC in 2021-22. Home attendance is bottom third in the league. Like a former player said this week - blow it all up and start over. With everything.

justin ft wayne

11:28

If losing to Purdue Fort Wayne, getting beat by Duke by 44 at home, and now losing every important player you have to the portal isn’t a wake up call, then i’m not sure what will be. Pete Becqucia or whatever the heck his name is should be embarrassed and ashamed. I hope Notre Dame is fine with having 2,000 people in the stands at every home game. If they don’t care, neither will I coming and putting my butt in the seat. Embarrassing. Pisses me off Tom.

Tom Noie

11:28

Sean: Agree. Student-athlete is code word for kid who's about to get PAID.

Sean,Greesnbor0

11:28

Tom, when is the NCAA going to put some brakes on the NIL and transfer nonsense?I will choke the next time I head the term "student athlete."

Tom Noie

11:27

What happens when you don't have enough money to lock up your Core Four?

IRISH FAN 1

11:26

The best case scenario for the program appeared to be right there; a core 4 of Burton, Haralson, Koehler, Certa - (no one else on the roster really mattered IMO) . If you refuse to spend to lock that up, it never makes sense to does it?

Tom Noie

11:26

Tim: Coming 4.4 seconds away from being 2-0 in the ACC for the first time since 2017-18 only to have what happened happened, Notre Dame never recovered. Losing to Duke in that manner was ridiculous, but at least Notre Dame rebounded four days later and beat North Carolina State. But you beat Cal, you go 2-0 in the league, you're feeling a little chesty coming home to play Clemson and Miami. As one former coach once said, fragile, man. Fragile. Everything.

Tim from Chicago

11:25

Hi Tom, thanks again for a great season of keeping us updated on all things ND hoops. What do you think the low point of the season was for ND? Was it the Shrews meltdown vs. Cal? Was it the loss to Fort Wayne? Was it another Burton injury? Was it the 44 point blowout to Duke at home (when a 16 see Siena only lost to them by 6 and was winning for most of the game)? There wasn't much to cheer for this year unfortunately, and next year is looking worse. What is there to look forward to?

Tom Noie

11:25

Trevor: And again, not sustainable for a program that isn't going to spend $10 million on a roster, but will spend $30 million to restart? Sure.

Trevor from IN

11:23

But won’f firing Micah after next year also cost money? So basically you’re telling us they’re just going to keep him for his full 7 year contract? Yes we understand it’s $40M to fire him and get a new staff now. So next year it’s what $30M?

Tom Noie

11:22

You know things are seriously bad when you come around these parts. Keep the faith, brother. Maybe.

Saint knute, sbn

11:22

Ok tom talk me off the cliff. This 50 year plus season ticket holder and club namoli charter member is seriously considering not renewing

Tom Noie

11:21

Reason No. 3421 why changing the head coach doesn't change the trajectory of where this program is headed. Let's change the head coach. Let's double the NIL. Let's see Notre Dame get good. Let's see them get back to the NCAA Tournament. Let's see them go to the Sweet 16 next season. Guess what happens in 2027-28? Every single one of those players is going to have their hand out wanting more, or going somewhere to get more.

IRISH FAN 1

11:19

If you can't build through recruiting and pay to retain players, can't portal for impact players. What can you do>? This job seems like a career killer like the worst job in a power conference (tied with BC). The more it goes on the less I focus on Shrewsberry, if he was Coach K - would it matter?

Tom Noie

11:19

Hawse: The thing is, I can't. I can't sit here on March 26 and say, you'll see, everything will be OK. That next year Micah Shrewsberry will make good on that silly "more plays than Broadway" rep and that this roster will figure out how to pass and shoot and defend like his three previous teams haven't and that the fan base won't become even more toxic. Can't say any of that is going to happen, but also can't wait to see what happens next. Don't care about wins and losses. Stories? This surely will be one of them.

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