JotCast | Notre Dame hoops chat - February 2022

Notre Dame hoops chat - February 2022

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Thomas Noie

1:26

Todd: Greener pastures in fields not as fertile as the Atlantic Coast Conference can be beneficial. In the case of both, it is.

Joey from Highland

1:26

I have thoroughly enjoyed the spacing they’re playing with and the pace helps them limit possessions for the opponents. I still think they’re better shooters than they’ve shown, namely Ryan and Wertz. I can’t believe how good of a basketball player Goodwin has become. I know they pick on him defensively, but he competes and has come a long way on that end.

Thomas Noie

1:26

Old guys getting old. See what happens? You see that, hey, they actually can play.

Jon, PA

1:26

Hi Tom. Can you think of a time when the first place acc team was not ranked?

Thomas Noie

1:28

Jon: Yes. Couple weeks ago when Miami (Fla.) was in first place and Duke was the lone ACC team ranked. In fairness, the national rankings are released every Monday, so Notre Dame was not in first place at that time. It's the ACC is down narrative that's hurting the league. Hard to bust through that now.

Brendan, TN

1:28

Tom, what do you think is the long term expectation for Coach Solomon and Coach Wyche? They seem to get the credit with making our defense better, and I'm all for it. Is one of them Coach in waiting for when Brey's contract is up? Do you expect them to look elsewhere after this season? Would love any insight you have into the dynamic with Brey and his staff.

Thomas Noie

1:29

Brendan: Anthony Solomon returned for a third stint at Notre Dame to work one more time with Mike Brey. Antoni Wyche is a Notre Dame graduate in his first season back at his alma mater. He's still learning about life at this level. Slo's not going anywhere that Mike Brey's not going. Let's give it a year or two.

Mike,New Jersey

1:30

Hey Tom, The three point shooting hasn't been stellar at all in this last stretch of games. I look at it as a positive that the Irish are still winning these games with Great defense and toughness. Your thoughts? Have to think the 3 ball will come back around eventually for these guys.

Thomas Noie

1:31

Mike: Great point. Kind of shoots down the "All they do is shoot 3s" complaints from the whine and wheeze crowd. It's a weapon, but it doesn't have to be THE weapon.

Lee from Lancaster

1:31

Tom, do you think the fact that the Irish will likely make the tournament this year will impact the decision to leave or come back to ND for a final year for players like Hubb, Goodwin, and Nate L. ?

Thomas Noie

1:32

Lee: Can see it swing both ways with those guys. Part of them might think, we accomplished our goal and got Notre Dame back to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2017. We're done. Part of them also might think, we did it once and it felt phenomenal, let's see if we can do more, and then decide to come back.

Jim Tal, Valley Center, CA.

1:32

Tom, since you cover both Irish hoops and football, would you say that the cases of Paul Atkinson and Jack Coan are analogous? Both arrived with high expectations and legitimate pressure and though each had some hiccup moments, no one can deny that these two athletes have delivered in a mighty big way. Without them, it's a daunting thought to imagine how their respective teams would have fared without them. Would you agree that Brian Kelly and Mike Brey are thanking their lucky stars that the grad transfer portal was at their disposal and that Atkinson and Coan ended up making all the difference in the world?

Thomas Noie

1:33

Jim: Brian Kelly is too busy making dance videos at LSU and Mike Brey is trolling the dining halls to recruit students. They haven't stopped to think.

JDub, Ft. Wayne

1:33

Different perspective on the Duke game. The officials let them play and I am fine with that. Very physical game underneath the basket. Usually in that scenario, the bigger, more physical team is probably going to win and that team was clearly Duke. I think it also underscored why the game was so low scoring. My opinion is ND did not stand a chance against Duke with the game called that way. When the officials do call a game that way and it does not favor ND, do you think Mike Brey should do more lobbying during the game to try and change that narrative to give his team a better chance? He did not appear to that night and I know he is not usually a 'talk to the officials' kind of guy, but can a coach affect the game that way?

Thomas Noie

1:35

JDub: Interesting. I get what you'd like to see out of Brey at that point, but that game got sideways so early, I'm sure he already was thinking how to hold it all together when they got on the flight the next day to South Florida. He was already working on his flush-it speech before that game ended. He's turned the page in that one early. And don't be mistaken, Brey's good getting after the officials when it's warranted. Seen it plenty.

Joey from Highland

1:35

also, with the quantity of timeouts and the tv timeouts, they’re rested anyways. Depth is overrated. 7 skilled guys is better than 9 minute wasters.

Thomas Noie

1:36

Joey: Will never get this notion of everybody has to play. Ice cream all around. And the whole, yeah, get a guy two or three minutes here or there. It takes you a minute to get your wind, another to settle in and another to figure out what's what. By then, you're back out. Enough of the nonsense of playing guys just to play them.

Joe, Chicago

1:37

How does ND match up with Wake - they seem to be the only two non-Duke teams in the league to be trending in the right direction

Thomas Noie

1:37

Joe: Wake Forest's going to be a massive problem with a lot of old guys and skilled guys and guys that believe it's their time. Can't wait for that one.

Brendan, TN

1:38

Last night post game I heard Brey said when Louisville made their run and they called timeout, there was no strategy, just a sense of they'd been there before and let's figure it out. I don't ever see a whiteboard and marker in his hands, so are you ever close enough to the huddles to share anything about what those conversations are really like? Who's talking? Who's directing? Who's yelling?

Thomas Noie

1:40

Brendan: Ha! We're way upstairs for home games so the seats that once were press row can remain unused. Whoops, did I say that? Brey's huddles usually operate where he gives a few beats to the guys to discuss amongst themselves while he meets with his assistants to plan a direction. Then he'll step in and say what needs to be said. But like he said Wednesday, he just doesn't want to screw them up. Sometimes, good coaching is saying/doing less. Not more.

Lee from Lancaster

1:40

Tom , what team in the ACC is considered ND's primary rival? Possibly, Duke? Is there a game that will generate the buzz that a ND-Clemson game will in football?

Thomas Noie

1:41

Lee: Thought a little on that this week. I'd say if I had to guess, it would be Louisville. To have a rival, you have to have good games, and games against Duke has been too one-sided. Plus, you mention to anyone from Duke that Notre Dame is a rival in basketball and they may laugh you out of the league. yeah, they have rivals in basketball, but Notre Dame isn't one of them. Outside of Louisville, don't know if Notre Dame really has one. That's life in Indiana as a member of the ACC.

JDub, Ft. Wayne

1:42

Since the question was asked about Anthony Solomon being the next coach, and I know Brey still has several years left on his contract, have you thought about who might be on a short list to succeed Mike Brey?

Thomas Noie

1:43

JDub: No, because nobody really knows. Us media dopes spent years and years and years trotting out the who's-next list for Notre Dame football when it came time for Brian Kelly to leave. If he ever would leave. Even before the 2021 season, Marcus Freeman was on less than zero percent of media radar. You don't know what the situation is until it arises. When it does, I'll have a better idea of what direction the search might go.

Caleb from Charlotte

1:44

From a historical perspective, which of these is the greatest accomplishment in ND basketball history, 1.) ending USCL's 88 game winning streak, or 2.) making the final four in 1978?

Thomas Noie

1:44

Caleb: When's the last time they played a highlight clip of that 1978 Final Four run? The final seconds of the UCLA game are replayed every January. Not even close. It's the UCLA game.

Jake

1:45

Tom, does this team give you 2015-2016 vibes? Guard that can get to the basket, dj vs Blake, shotmaker Beachem vs Dane, and post guy that can get you a bucket ZA vs Paul. This team lacks the offensive versatility that Steve and Bonzie brought, but I think makes up for it on the defensive end with better on ball defense and team rebounding.

Thomas Noie

1:46

Jake: Great call. That 2015-16 team lost early in non-conference to...Monmouth. I figured leaving Disney that night that there was no way that team would get back to an Elite Eight. Then, 11-7 in the league and a late run and there they were.

WoofCookies from LaPaz

1:46

Tom,

Tom, any idea why Matt Ryan didn't hang on? He seems to be doing well in the D League...lack of patience, or just the way it works in college ball...Thanks, WOOF

Thomas Noie

1:51

Woof: He fell victim to two things that will crush any collegiate career - insecurity and impatience. Ryan wanted to be a starter, but saw all the buzz about D.J. Harvey coming in and didn't even wait around. Harvey was in, Ryan was out. He never was in the shape he needed to be. If he'd taken that seriously, and was secure in his skills, he would've torched the 3-point records. All of them. He would've gotten so many open looks and opportunities that his right arm may have fallen off late in one season. Right there, just dropped. Instead, he bounced from Vanderbilt to Chattanooga. What might have been...

Justin, Ft Wayne

1:51

Have you talked to any of the incoming freshman besides JJ? Just wondering if you did and what they had to say about ND

Thomas Noie

1:52

Justin: Unless they're local like J.J. where you can go over and spend some face-to-face time and see them play, it's a waste of time. They just recycle the same old recruiting quotes they've used for months. Better to get them on campus when you can see them first-hand.

John from Naperville

1:52

Tom, thanks for getting these going again. Love em, and appreciate the time you take out of your day to talk ND hoops. Was Elijah Taylor ever really going to be a piece for this team? He put together some nice minutes vs Illinois, then got hurt, and obviously ran into some academic issues. Is he still around the team, traveling, practicing etc? A lot of really good examples of those who had missteps within the ND program that have bounced back, hope he stays the course.

Thomas Noie

1:54

John: If there was anyone who had an outside chance at being the eighth guy, it was Elijah Taylor. But it was always something that was holding him back. He got sick and missed time, then he got hurt and missed time then he didn't get it done in the classroom and was gone for the spring semester. He's still around the team for practices and home games. But again, a guy whose collegiate career hasn't even gotten close to getting off the ground. A total blank slate/mystery heading into 2022-23.

Justin, Ft Wayne

1:54

Do you have a personal opinion of the teams ceiling this year? Curious to what you think it would be.

Thomas Noie

1:54

Justin: Sweet 16? Seriously, though, it's so difficult to say what this team might do in postseason until the bracket comes out. Oh, they also have to get there as well.

Mickey, NY, NY

1:56

Great to see a chat going. A few questions: if MB is going to play 7 because they work well together what is the cause of the offense being stagnant for large stretches (I’m not talking missing shots, talking looking completely out of synch). 2) With the recruiting class coming in and the 2 freshman how do you think MB handles that next year? To get top recruits they will want to play immediately and a lot. Is that another impediment to attracting top classes with multiple top players? 3) When are you in NY so I can buy you a drink and a meal for all the grief I give you on Twitter? I really do like you, Tom! I promise.

Thomas Noie

1:58

Mickey: We're back and maybe better than ever. Great to hear from you. Give the defense some of the credit. This ain't the CYO league they're playing against out there. We'll worry about next year in the summer. Plenty of time for that. Checks to see where ACC tournament is this year. Brooklyn? Answer to question No. 3 is ... next month.

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