JotCast | Notre Dame Hoops Chat II

Notre Dame Hoops Chat II

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Adam

1:18

But that's not really the argument. It has nothing to do about next year. It's about the roster for the future. They need more guards beyond next year and had one sitting in their laps.

Eric Hansen

1:13

Adam: Really, none....except from the standpoint that Notre Dame needs somebody to help next year. Mike Brey always talking about getting old and staying old, then they were young last year. Bring in a grad transfer and stay old, get an experienced guy who maybe has a different view/drive than the guys who were there last year. A transfer COULD help in 2020-21, but when you've missed the tournament two-straight years, 2019-20 is priority one, two and three.

Adam

1:11

Seems like all the more reason to bring Norris onboard, no? Plenty of scholarships available, clear need, proven production at the D1 level. Not to beat a dead horse, but what's the downside?

Eric Hansen

1:07

Wade: True, but Matt Farrell was pretty good. Speaking of which, how many times did we hear about that I-95 toughness last year. Same number of games Notre Dame won in the NCAA the last two years - zero.

Wadelite

1:06

I still think a traditional transfer point guard would help next season and obviously beyond. IMO it does Hubb zero good to scrimmage daily versus Djogo running the point versus the second team and it sure does not help Djogo. I don't like going into 20-21 with one legit experienced pg. Pick up a combo guard in 2020. Best scenario Brey ever had was Farrell learning the ropes going up against Jackson and Grant in practice. Roster management.

Eric Hansen

1:06

Just an update, this is Tom Noie, and not Eric Hansen, but if anybody has an Ian Book question they want answered.....lol

1:05

Just follow the federal trial, you know, the one that was supposed to "blow the lid off" college recruiting? Thing is, coaches in the game know who's not playing by the rules. It's the biggest open secret in the game. Some of the stories....like, seriously, Hollywood wouldn't buy the script. Not believable. But all of it happens.

joe from the south side

1:04

Tom: General consensus is Brey and Beilein run the cleanest programs with Gard, Bennett and Izzo in the next tier. IYO, who runs some of the dirtiest programs? In my mind, Bruce Pearl has to be the poster boy for how to run the dirtiest program. Sean Miller is not too far behind.

Eric Hansen

1:04

Joe: Another story to underscore that it was time - Cronin was coaching Cincinnati in the first round of the tournament. In Columbus....OHIO! Fans in the front row were grumbling that the hoped UC would lose so they could get rid of Cronin. He was what, one of a handful of coaches to take his teams to the tournament each of the last eight years? Not good enough for the fan base. Goes back to my belief that EVERY coach believes he's got one more move/payday left in his career.

joe from the south side

1:01

Tom: Not to shift gears, but what about Cronin and UCLA? That just doesn't pass the eye test.

Eric Hansen

1:01

Joe: True. And the thing is, the school's that are shady don't care one bit that they're shady. Here's a story I was told by a college coach who was at the Final Four. She was being heckled by a bunch of Auburn fans. She finally had had enough and said, "You guys are bunch of $%#^&$* cheaters." Their response? Who cares, at least we got to the Final Four. That's the mindset of a lot of college programs - just get there. Be good. Be relevant. Forget the rules. Dare the NCAA to do something. Notre Dame refuses to play that game.

joe from the south side

12:59

Tom: I can understand it. Follow the money. Always suspicious when Auburn, So Cal, Wash....start having Top 10 BBL recruiting classes out of nowhere. BTW, I played BBL with Marty Blazer for over 10 years. Follow the money!

Eric Hansen

12:57

Our recruiting guru, Carter Karels, would like a word.....lol

joe from the south side

12:57

Tom: BTW, Carmody's brother was just offered by Kelly. 6'7" about 275 lbs. Plays BBL like an offensive lineman. I'm just sayin'.......

Eric Hansen

12:57

Vince: You'd hope so, like he was able to see the college game up close and understand how to impact them. Might be good. Last I heard, Carmody not yet cleared for 5-on-5 but will be soon. Hard to say how he fits because we saw so little of what he could do....what he really could do. Like slash and hustle, play with an edge. All that stuff, that can fit nicely next season.

Vince

12:55

How is Carmody progressing? Hard to get a fair read on him since he was not healthy except for 1 game but I really think ND lack the toughness and attitude he can provide. I was impressed seeing him play in that first game and then that damn injury bug. Totally agree that the game has to slow down for him but do you think experience will help and maybe sitting out taught him some things

Eric Hansen

12:55

Joe: Very true, and honestly, Notre Dame knew Cole Anthony wasn't coming. Ever. They figured with everything else factoring into Isaiah Stewart, staying with him during his injury, going to LaLumiere, Pat Holmes talking up Notre Dame, etc., they'd at least....get an official visit. When Stewart cut his list to five, I was told by someone knee-deep in college recruiting that no way was he going to Washington. Where'd he go? Washington....again, recruiting's a crazy freaking world that none of us will never understand. Ever.

joe from the south side

12:53

Tom: it's not only the type of guy they get, it's the type of guy they HAVE to get. I figured they had no shot at Anthony when he said he wanted to go to a Final Four type team. That left ND out. Same with the forward from LaLu and the forward who went to Nova. Too big time for ND. Brey needs to nail Hunter D., a second recruit of less caliber (Timberlake if he has the grades, or a DJ steward) then go after the Huffmans and Galloways of the world. That's his sweet spot.

Eric Hansen

12:52

Joe: Sign me up for the steady Gibbs tomorrow. He's already tried the star stuff. Didn't work out. Understand where you fit and don't try to be something you just can't be and it'll go a lot easier. And you won't have that dope SBT columnist/beat guy on you. Nobody wants that! lol

joe from the south side

12:51

Tom: I am in the Gibbs returns to form camp.......if! Gibbs has proven he can't be the #1 option on the perimeter. He draws the best outside defender night in and night out. He needs help. If Hubb and Nate L. can give them about 20-25/game, that will take a huge amount of pressure off him. I can see him averaging in the mid-teens if other teams are forced to guard multiple options.

Eric Hansen

12:51

Drew: They are not. Brey's tried...reciprocal interest just not there.

Drew

12:50

Do you know if ND was involved with the Hauser bros?

Eric Hansen

12:50

Adam: Don't know and don't really mind that he didn't. The kid played at Oakland. He committed to Loyola. Kind of a lateral move, no? Horizon to Missouri valley? Like, maybe Norris understands that's the level he has to play at. It would be different if he went from the Horizon League to the Big East, or looked hard at the ACC and committed to Wake Forest. Notre Dame staff probably thinks it can get a Braden Norris type of player in the next recruiting cycle.

Adam

12:48

Why didn't Brey offer Braden Norris? Seems like he offers shooting and a 2nd ball handler for the future, which are both badly needed. Bird in a hand, and all that...

Eric Hansen

12:48

Drew: Too early to tell.

12:47

Joe: Continuing off my last post - case in point that Notre Dame is different, look at John Mooney. Guy leads the ACC in rebounding. Bust-out junior year. Any other school, someone explodes on the college hoops scene like that, he's off to the NBA, right? At least, kicking the tires. Not Mooney. The staff tried to get him to at least submit his name to the NBA so he'd get feedback from the league. He didn't want to do it. Just wasn't interested. John Mooney considers himself a four-year college guy. He wants four years of college. That's unheard of, but those are the type of guys Notre Dame gets.

Drew

12:44

Piggybacking off my last question: Anyone on this current roster who you think could get an NBA look?

Eric Hansen

12:44

Joe: Great point. The odds are even tougher than that. I asked someone who once coached at Notre Dame, look at the Top 100 kids in the country. Realistically, of those 100, how many would Notre Dame have a legit chance at. The answer? Maybe six. Maybe eight. No more than 10. Everybody likes to say, Notre Dame should be this and do this and be like that, but my question is.....why? How? Look at the elite of the elite programs...the Dukes and the Carolinas and the Villanovas of the college basketball world. Why would any prospect go to Notre Dame? Where you have to take challenging classes? Where you're looking for more than just one year. Notre Dame does it differently. It takes a unique athlete AND student to want what Notre Dame offers. It's not easy.

joe from the south side

12:42

Tom: It's not only about PT but that's a big part of it. Even the 2 and 3 star kids have their own videos. Add ND's academic standards to the kids' unrealistic expectations and it does not bode well for those running clean programs (what has WISC, NW and Stanford done recently---not much). My guess is if you go to 247 sports and look at the top 100, Brey can realistically recruit 15-20 of those kids, if that. The odds aren't good.

Eric Hansen

12:41

Drew: Not at all. The guy's been driven to prove he's an NBA guy since he was drafted. He was going to prove people wrong. it didn't work out or end the way he wanted it in Portland, but that made him even more determined. Like, I'm going to make it. Just watch. I've kept in touch with Pat since he's been in the league. Milwaukee was the perfect situation for him - he signed a two-year deal banking on himself and that he'd be in position for a bigger deal after next year (the second year). Look at what he's done the last few months. Guy's a legit pro. More and more teams have learned that.

Drew

12:39

Are you surprised that Pat Connaughton has had the best NBA career of any of that 2015 squad?

Eric Hansen

12:35

Mark: To be determined, a situation that was muddled with the return of Rex Pflueger. He returns - healthy - and what does that mean as to how Goodwin and Carmody fit? There will be a log-jam at the guard spot. Goodwin's got to get stronger and more confident in his game. He had too many times last season where he had an open shot, but wouldn't shoot it.

Mark

12:34

Dane Goodwin showed signs in spurts last year. What do you see his role this year

Eric Hansen

12:34

Bill: Finally, a voice of recruiting reason. I've been in the minority when it comes to the empty recruiting class. And Brey's never ducked that issue. He explained it last fall - like, every kid they were involved in, their first question wasn't about the Mendoza School of Business being ranked among the nation's best or the benefits of having a degree from Notre Dame in 40 years. it was about playing time. EVERYONE wanted it, almost all of them sooner than later. But when you have six new faces (the five freshmen and transfer Juwan Durham), Brey couldn't honestly tell kids, yeah, you'll play early. He had to first see what he had in that class. So here was the thinking - take a big swing (and subsequent miss) with five-star guys like Isaiah Stewart, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Cole Anthony. If they picked Notre Dame, great. if they didn't, you've got six guys you've got to develop over the next three, four and maybe five years.

Bill

12:30

I feel like there has been a lot of chatter criticizing recruiting and it has been contextualized as ND failing to capitalize on their back-to-back Elite 8s. Obviously, this year has been a swing and a miss, but I believe the current roster has more top 100 recruits than at any point of the Brey era? Do you think there are different challenges that present themselves when trying to develop talented recruiting classes as opposed typical Brey classes that understand it could be a few years before they see significant minutes?

Eric Hansen

12:30

Joe: My first reaction is no way, Brey's going to coach out his contract through 2024-25, but after the last two years, not so sure. Think everything would be in play - stay, take another job, walk away from everything and parachute into television. I know he's set on getting this back on track, but if doesn't happen, what then? Stay tuned.

Joe

12:28

Hypothetical, say we go something like 20-12 (9-9) this year and bow out in the second round of the NCAAs, how much longer do you think Brey is hanging around? My worry was the Ivey commitment was possibly a sign where he was hearing whispers due to his closeness to ND athletics that Brey might be heading for retirement in the next 2-4 years

Eric Hansen

12:27

Ed: Connecticut? No. The others, yes, and maybe sooner than later. Notre Dame is close to starting something with Georgetown and Villanova. After seeing the Fiserv Forum up close couple weeks ago, Marquette should be right there as well. It's difficult now with a 20-game league schedule starting this season, but I'd like to see more of those teams and less of the annual Crossorads Classic in Indianapolis. Fold Purdue or Indiana matchups into ACC/Big Ten games and it fees up a date to get back to the old Big East teams.

12:23

From ED: Any hope of getting old Big East rivals (Marquette, Villanova, Georgetown, heck even UConn) back on the schedule any time soon?

12:22

Bill: Good question. Fair question. I think Notre Dame misses Anthony Solomon more than anyone. Slo was the heavy, the guy who wasn't afraid to light guys up, push them, prod them, get them better. This staff doesn't really have someone like that. Humphrey has shown signs and has done a lot in developing Mooney and to an extent, Durham before he was sidetracked.

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