JotCast | Notre Dame Hoops Chat - April

Notre Dame Hoops Chat - April

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Thomas Noie

10:26

Mark: Great to hear from you, and great question....But here comes the but....it's too early to tell without seeing them play, something that I'm probably not going to do. Usually, I'm able to swing by Rolfs in the summer and watch the returning guys and newcomers play pickup. That's when you can really tell about a kid, especially a freshman. Like, yeah, the guy can play, or nope, he's got to take a year and learn the game. I have no idea about Taylor or Zona or Sanders and how they might fit. And neither might the staff. It'll be tricky. As for the following year, Konieczny's going to make a serious run at Indiana Mr. Basketball...that's not the kind of talent that goes on the five-year plan. He's going to play, and likely more as a 3-4 than a 2-3. He's got a chance to grow into a stretch-four shooter.

Mark Kruz from Mishawaka

10:20

Tom thanks for having this chat during the time everyone is going thru. My question is which of these 2 freshmen coming in next season Matt Zona or Tony Sanders could possibly be red shirted? Also the 21-22 season will have quite a log jam at the #2 and #3 positions with transfer Trey Wertz becoming eligible and JR Konieczny coming in as a freshman. I'm thinking JR could possibly be red shirted for the 21-22 season??

Thomas Noie

10:20

Coach: Right now, it's sink or swim with Juwan Durham. There's no backup plan. Like, this is your shot, big man, grab it and run with it and let's see what you can do. I wasn't sold at all last season and think it was a misstep to pair Durham and Mooney together as starters. There were times when they were needed, but the deeper the Irish went in the season, the better they were with a four-around-one lineup. The Durham-Mooney pairing seemed too forced, like Mike Brey was giving Durham every chance to start, to play, to score, to everything. That might have been too much for him then. It can't be now. He's got everything he's wanted right in front of him. Time to go chase it. And be it.

Coach from Reading, PA.

10:17

Tom. Hope you are well. I’m not sold on Durham. Does ND have a backup plan? Thanks

Thomas Noie

10:17

Joe: As long as there's a transfer portal and a stay-at-home order where everything about the offseason is out of whack, there's always a chance that Notre Dame adds another player. Remember, Cormac Ryan didn't surface until late June last year, and he's in line to be a three-year starter. Keep an eye on that kid. Finally, more than 10 scholarship guys. I understand Brey's short rotation philosophy, but also believe that the more guys you have, the more competition it creates daily in practice. It also gives you more rotation options. You can still go eight, maybe nine deep in the rotation, but who those eight or nine can change. That's good. That's healthy. For everyone.

Joe (Scranton,Pa)

10:15

Hey Tom, can’t believe we may go into next season with 11 scholarship players! What a luxury. Any chances they grab a traditional transfer big or do you think they’re done?

Thomas Noie

10:14

D: Gonna get me in trouble with some of the former players, huh? LOL. Kidding. Great question, but I always hesitate because somebody gets left out, even though there's no right or wrong answer. It's totally subjective, so there's no reason to shout about this guy or that guy or those guys. I didn't an all-time top 20 (four teams of five) for the Tribune recently. My top five were Jerian Grant and Ben Hansbrough at guard, Pat Connaughton on the wing and Luke Harangody and Troy Murphy on the front line. Murph doesn't seem to get as much love these days, but go back and look at some of his games, some of his stat lines. He was a monster and as NBA-ready as anybody that's been through the program the last 30 years. Guy was a beast. OK, off my hoops soapbox.

Dascenzo

10:11

What’s your All-Brey starting five?

Thomas Noie

10:11

Collin: Always in the market and monitoring the transfer portal every day. As mentioned earlier, given today's world, there's not going to be any specific cut-off date in the transfer market. The way it looks in six weeks, even eight weeks, might be a lot different. Notre Dame might not be seriously involved in April, but that doesn't mean it won't be involved in May or June or even July. This might get a little wacky. Stay tuned.

Collin from Elkhart

10:09

Hey Tom, is ND still hitting the transfer market? Specially for a back up big. Thanks!

Thomas Noie

10:09

Richard: Here's the rub on that - from a Notre Dame perspective, I don't know if he's ever, truly been on the hot seat. From a fan perspective? Totally different story. Some wanted him fired 10 years ago. Some want him gone yesterday. But coming from the people who Brey works for, the people who know exactly how difficult his job is in the ACC going against the schools he has to go against on the floor and in recruiting, the pressure to get back to the Elite Eight, or even the NCAA tournament, isn't anywhere close to the periphery. It just isn't. This job is hard. It takes a certain someone to embrace it. Don't know how many other coaches would have done what Brey's done.

Richard Hertz

10:06

Tom - Thanks for addressing our questions, I have asked this but not as clearly but need it to defend ND & Brey. If ND had the same academic/recruiting standards as the rest of the country, do you think Brey would’ve shown the country he’s as elite a coach in the nation but is constantly on the hot seat??

Thomas Noie

10:06

Richard: The starting lineup is pretty much set with Prentiss Hubb, Dane Goodwin and Cormac Ryan on the perimeter, Nate Laszewski as the second big man and Juwan Durham taking over as the main big. What does the bench look like? It looked pretty thin during our last chat - maybe Robby Carmody or Nik Djogo or freshmen power forwards Elijah Taylor and Matt Zona and that was it. The Irish have since added Tony Sanders, a high school senior from Miami. How does he fit? He might not, but it gives the rotation another option, and you can never have too many options.

Richard Hertz

10:02

Tom - Could you predict the 2020-21 starting lineup and who will get time off the bench?

Thomas Noie

10:02

Dan: Right now, no, but that means little in today's pandemic world. Notre Dame will be active in the transfer/grad transfer market all summer. Remember, the Irish didn't land Cormac Ryan until the former Stanford guard's name popped into the transfer portal in June. The transfer stuff will be ongoing through May and June and maybe even July. Notre Dame has two scholarships to give. It might give one; it might give two. It might give none. But the months matter little. There'll be no cut-off date. An ideal transfer could surface in mid-summer, and Notre Dame still would pursue.

Dan

10:00

Are any big man recruits and/or transfers right now in play for Notre Dame?

Thomas Noie

10:00

Sean: Good one....you give us media dopes way too much credit....I want him out the door? Makes me sound like some mafia godfather - I want that guy GONE! TODAY! lol. My view when they were 2-6 in the ACC was that there was little indication that this was going to end well. It had all the makings of another 2018-19 finish. Not 3-15 bad, but not good enough to where there was much reason to be optimistic. Brey himself looked worn out, disheartened, unsure of his future. But winning nine of the last 13 seems to have rejuvenated him. Is that enough to get back to the NCAA tournament? We'll see.

Sean

9:57

Tom your stance seems to have changed on Brey. Just a few months ago it felt like you were wanting him out the door. How do you feel now that he landed a big time transfer and started to get the team to play better towards the end of the 2019 season?

Thomas Noie

9:57

Luke: Good question, but a tricky one from this standpoint - names that get thrown out there as having talked to Notre Dame sometimes get misconstrued when said transfer chooses school. Like, OH, NO! LOOK AT MIKE BREY! HE LOST ANOTHER ONE. So I tend to stay way from who Notre Dame talks to. Just because they talk to somebody doesn't necessarily mean they're actively/seriously recruiting them. They stay selective and continue to do so this offseason. Everything's gotta fit. That's rare. For Wesley, Notre Dame continues to actively recruit him out of South Bend Riley. The Irish are there, but so are a lot of other schools.

Luke Hogan

9:54

Known transfers we have talked to? Update on Blake Wesley recruiting?

Thomas Noie

9:53

Jeff: Pat Connaughton was considered a basketball player who happened to also play baseball when he was identified at an AAU tournament in Orlando as a guy that Mike Brey should really look hard at. Once there was mutual interest, Mik Aoki got involved in the process, like, yeah, this will work. If Pat wants to play hoops, he can definitely play baseball. So the two-sport thing immediately became an option. But it was always hoops first, baseball second. Advice to a high schooler from a dope writer? Chase your dreams, but chase what you love to do. Don't choose one over the other for the wrong (financial reasons). Same goes for school. Hope it all works out!

Jeff

9:50

My son is pretty talented in two sports, basketball and baseball. When Pat Connaughton was being recruited, was he recruited as a two sport athlete? If so what advice do you have for a high schooler? When it comes to summer It is impossible to balance a baseball and basketball travel season when tournaments are on the same weekends.

Thomas Noie

9:50

Welcome to our second coronavirus pandemic Notre Dame hoops chat. Hope everyone is safe at home and more importantly, healthy. We'll be here as long as the questions keep coming. Just make sure to include your name and hometown. And with that, you know the drill....let's light this chat candle.

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