JotCast | Notre Dame hoops preseason chat

Notre Dame hoops preseason chat

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Thomas Noie

11:04

Prentiss Hubb absolutely has the keys to this car and he's going to drive it. Where to? Remains to be seen. He's still an acquired taste for some (I've been in the P-Hubb corner from the start) in that he shoots too much for some people's liking. I'm OK with that. I want to see him become more of a orchestrator on the floor - finding this guy or that one or making a play for someone else. He's the best guard in the league that nobody talks about. I'm looking at you, Tobacco Road.

11:03

Tim: Good stuff, and good to hear from you. I've got to go with the 2014-15 team because of that three-week ride through March. it was equally exhausting and exhilarating. Beating Duke and Carolina on consecutive nights in Greensboro? No one would've predicted that. The NCAA run, where the SBT crew made two drives across Ohio on the Turnpike to Pittsburgh and Cleveland? Always remember the locker room after the Kentucky game. No tears. No emotion. Everyone just empty of everything. Close second season would be 2010-11 when Ben Hansbrough (still one of the best dudes to cover) just kind of carried them. They 2002-03 Sweet 16 is there because it also came from nowhere. ...

Tim from Chicago

11:00

Hi Tom, thanks for your coverage of the team. 2 Q's if you don't mind. (1) I believe you started covering ND back in the late 90's/early 2000's - do you have a favorite season/team that sticks out in your mind? (2) Is this the year Prentice Hubb breaks out and really takes over? Have seen flashes the past couple years and I really want to see this guy become the man.

Thomas Noie

10:56

Joe: OK, I'll bite, um.....why? We've already covered what the perimeter will look like in the coming seasons. Do they really need another guard?

joe from the south side

10:55

Tom: One more knock on Brey's recruiting. None other than a Mabrey boy at La Lu. Can Brey be the only coach in D1 who could miss that kick-in birdie?

Thomas Noie

10:53

Joe: If it isn't going to be Chris Quinn, and there's a really good chance there won't be since he had a chance to come here as an assistant but chose to stay in the NBA, I'd say the next Notre Dame coach is someone nobody sees coming. Like, wait, THAT guy? He might not even be a college coach right now. It's all a moot point until Brey decides he's done. The pandemic had the opposite affect on Brey as it did Muffet McGraw. Pandemic hit and McGraw felt she could get used to the retirement thing. Pandemic hit and it re-energized Brey's drive to coach deeper into his 60s....maybe into his 70s.

joe from the south side

10:51

Tom: We've had this discussion before. My choices for Brey's replacement were Hurley and Wojo. I'll add a third. Willard at Seton Hall. If you get him you get his dad, who knows more BBL than all of us put together on this chat. Now let's focus on 2020-21 as Brey ain't leavin' anytime soon.

Thomas Noie

10:49

Nick: It would be a slow-play thing, maybe with both but Wesley more so than Konieczny, who's listed as a shooting guard but he's not playing shooting guard at the next level. He's a legit 6-7 right now, which means he might be 6-8, 6-9 by the time he arrives on campus in June. He's also going to get stronger. Maybe 6-8, 200 by his sophomore year? That's a small forward, especially in this offense. He has a need and a skill that's needed early. Wesley? Maybe not so much when you have Hubb, Goodwin and Ryan each for as many as three more years and then Wertz for two. Carmody? Can't write him off, but that door's closer to being closed than open. So the core perimeter next year will be Hubb, Goodwin, Ryan and Wertz. Can it go a legit five deep? Probably not. And Brey will be tied really tightly with all four of those guys. That means Wesley's going to have to be really good when he arrives. Or put him on a five-year plan to adjust to college life as a student first. assuming he commits....

Nick - South Bend

10:46

Let’s say Wesley commits to ND. How would you envision he and JR’s careers playing out? Also any other 2021 prospects we are in play for ?

Thomas Noie

10:45

Yep...everybody gets an extra year. Now, not everyone is going to want an extra year (seems I had this conversation with someone earlier this week). At some point, college kids, even college kids at Notre Dame, are ready to move on with their lives. And so is the program. That's why there was no way the three guys who left the program had zero chance of returning this year. It's just time for the next chapter to be written away from South Bend. That's life.

Nick - South Bend

10:44

Does this extra year of eligibility mean that Hubb, Goodwin and Laz have 3 more years counting this year? Or am I not understanding it haha

Thomas Noie

10:44

Joey: Easiest question of the day to date. Unequivocally and a thousand times....no.

Joey from westernport md

10:43

Tom, Do you think LaPhonso Ellis would be considered to replace Mike Brey after Brey's retirement?

Thomas Noie

10:43

Ouch. Shot across the bow there. I was intrigued by what Elijah Taylor might offer. Now we'll have to wait on that.

joe from the south side

10:43

Tom: Brey is lucky Chambers quit at Penn St. Now he won't have any competition competing for Philly kids in the Top 300 who are injured before they even put on a uniform.

Thomas Noie

10:42

Bobby: Agree, and just addressed the preseason issue a few questions earlier. I voted in the preseason poll and had Notre Dame eighth. Just think it's time for this junior class and Ryan to really show something.

Bobby - Washington, DC

10:42

Some pre-season rankings have ND picked to finish 12th to as low as last in the conference. Understanding that there are more unknowns this year than others, do you agree that this team should be ranked that low? My take - I think those preseason rankings are overvaluing what was lost (particularly in the back court) and the potential is there for this team to finish as high as 6th-8th in the conference.

Thomas Noie

10:41

Joe: There may be other factors at play with Wesley - personal preference, wanting to build the anticipation, something totally unrelated, who knows? We'll see how it works out.

joe from the south side

10:41

Tom: With only 9 scholarships taken after this year, this looks to be a MUST recruiting yeaar. That said, what is taking so long with Wesley? Is he coming or not? Down to 6 schools? He can sit his freshman year then play 3 straight. Sounds like a good deal to me. Have you heard anything?

Thomas Noie

10:40

Nick: Nobody knows, and honestly, it's typical ACC bias/BS. Just look at North Carolina, which finished LAST last season. What were they picked in preseason (fourth? With seven first-place votes). Um.....why? And people say I'm too much of a homer for this Notre Dame program? Man, take those tar Heel blue glasses off, people. But I digress. I don't think anyone knows what Notre Dame has, which is the reason for the No. 12 slot. They see John Mooney and his double doubles have left and no T.J. Gibbs or Rex Pflueger and think, yeah, no shot. Some preseason projections didn't even mention Cormac Ryan. Man, do a little homework. The loss of Mooney is big, but the other two guys? Might be addition by subtraction in terms of talent abilities/ceilings.

Nick - South Bend

10:37

Notre Dame was 12th in the ACC pre season rankings, do you think that’s writing on the wall or does this team have something to them? I’d like to believe the latter.

Thomas Noie

10:37

Joe: Absolutely. By the time a normal season has started, I've seen these guys play pickup. We've seen them in practice. We've talked to them. We get a sense of how the pieces might fit. We know nothing about anything, which some would say is par for the course. I'm most interested in how much bigger Durham and Laszewski are now, Ryan's transition to main guy and Zona's feel for the game. There's a lot of unknown now, but also a lot to possibly like. If we do get in, it would be next week (when, naturally, I'm on vacation).

joe from the south side

10:35

Tom: During Brey's presser, he committed to having you guys watch a practice. Would you commit to giving us an update if that happens? Of particular interest is...1. Cormac Ryan, 2. Matt Zona, 3. The off-season weight lifting program. Curious to see if they pass the eye test.

Thomas Noie

10:35

Nick: Heavy, heavy minutes for the perimeter. Again, in a normal season, that might mean a recipe for disaster (could already see the fatigue e-mails gathering in the inbox). But it might (stress might) work this season, especially if the season gets shut down for a week or two at a time. The bench is really, really thin, which is why Zona and Sanders will have to play. Maybe a lot. Which this year is OK.

Nick - South Bend

10:33

Tom, good to have ND basketball upon us. My biggest question is your thoughts about the bench? With the loss of Elijah Taylor the bench is looking a little suspect. Carmody will be back in December. I love the way he plays, but he hasn’t been able to stay on the court long enough yet, so hard to count on him right away at least. Getting Wertz for this year would be huge. I’ve seen that Zona has been a nice surprise. Then that leaves fan fav Djojo and walk on Morgan. How we feeling? A lot of 38/39 min games incoming from Hubb, Ryan and Dane?

Thomas Noie

10:33

Tyler: I don't know if it's an immediate as in 2021-22 return to Knoxville, but there will be a return game after the Volunteers head here Dec. 4. As for Delaware, that return game just sort of fizzled. Brey wasn't too thrilled to play it. Neither was Ingelsby. Maybe they revisit it in the future, but the main goal of the matchup - get a home game with Notre Dame and get Brey back to Newark - was achieved. Everybody's moved on.

Tyler

10:31

Do you know if the Tennessee game will be an immediate 2 game home & home series? Also, any update on the return Delaware game?

Thomas Noie

10:31

Greg: We're supposed to hear something in the middle of December. But yeah, too weird to think he's going to make a cameo there and then pick Kansas State. Wesley hasn't publicly announced, but kind of sort of did by going to Konieczny's signing.

Greg from Maplewood NJ

10:30

Blake Wesley being at JR's signing event must be a good sign, right? Prediction on Blake signing with the Irish soon?

Thomas Noie

10:30

EXACTLY! The feeling over at Notre Dame from those connected to Irish hoops is that they'll feel fortunate to get 15 games in this season. Another prediction was 20. There's not anybody who thinks Notre Dame is going to play a full 27, then go to the ACC tournament, then the postseason. Look, Notre Dame HAS, HAS, HAS to be get back to the NCAA tournament ASAP. Like, yesterday. But how do you plan for it during a pandemic where everything about your sport is hanging literally by a thread? You just can't. You can play for it, but in the end, you're really just hoping and praying that the sport can get to March, whatever March will look like.

Tyler

10:28

Tom, do you think the logic behind the tough schedule is that this season, given the circumstances and unknown of a postseason tournament, is just more for playing experience than going for a .600 winning record to gear up for 2021 in a more normal season with that 2018 core?

Thomas Noie

10:28

We had the Wesley timetable on Tuesday, so that's not exactly breaking news, my man....lol. I don't think there's any question where Blake Wesley's going. He's not showing up at J.R. Konieczny's signing-day ceremony if he's going to Kansas State. Or Xavier. Why is he waiting? Good question. Kids wait for any number of reasons. The mid-December timeline falls in line with the end of the semester or quarter or whatever at Riley, so perhaps that's a factor.

Tyler

10:25

Blake Wesley told WNDU last night that he knows where is he going and that he is going to announce it in mid-December. Assuming it’s Notre Dame, why do you think he is waiting to announce his commitment? How well do you know him and his family? I’m surprised he isn’t committed publicly already.

Thomas Noie

10:25

Frank: Hey, hey, hey, it's sunny in Northern Indiana right now, too. LOL. How about a late-blooming high school senior or a college transfer to replace Juwan Durham? Might finally be time to roll the dice on a grad transfer as well. But something tells me that going with a look of Nate Laszewski/Matt Zona/Elijah Taylor next season intrigues the coaching staff.

Frank from sunny outhern indiana

10:23

Love your chats! I always look for to your amazing insighfulness! So what are the Irish looking at for a center to replace Durham? Late high school bloomer or transfer in someone? Thanks!

Thomas Noie

10:23

Matt: Ryan Ayers isn't coaching at another college program anytime soon. Let's just leave it at that. As for the schedule, nobody can say for sure that there will be an NCAA tournament, or that all 27 games will be played. We're headed into such an unknown that Brey just wanted games. Big games. Attractive games. Plan for a tournament in a pandemic? Impossible. I get the scheduling and tend to agree. Just getting through one week without an issues is going to be a win. This will be a season that will look like no other. And that field of 68 come March, good luck trying to pick the teams for that.

Matt from DC

10:21

Hey Tom, couple questions: (1) Any updates on the Ryan Ayers situation? I’m sure our intrepid reporter can get to the bottom of it! If he resurfaces at another program, won’t he be asked about it too? Gotta think the truth will see the light of day eventually. (2) I don’t get Brey‘s scheduling a murderer’s row of opponents out of the gate this year. I get that the season is uncertain with COVID, and I get that the guys are ready for a challenge. But we NEED to make the tournament (or make a serious run at it) this year, and this schedule doesn’t set us up well for that goal, IMO. This is still a youngish team who hasn’t tasted success. Couldn’t the non-conference schedule crush their confidence (and give them an ugly W-L record) early on? If this is a savvy move, I can’t understand how. What am I missing? Thanks as always!

Thomas Noie

10:20

Doug: Let's start with who's NOT healthy. Elijah Taylor is out for the season. He'll undergo ankle tendon surgery in December. It's an injury that has lingered since high school, and blame the pandemic on the timetable. Had Taylor been on campus for summer school, the issue would've been evaluated and addressed in June. Instead, it was September (at the earliest) that it was determined surgery was necessary. Robby Carmody is out until Christmas while recovering from a broken kneecap, which he suffered after recovering from a torn ACL. Brey mentioned this week that the team also has had to juggle COVID contact tracing/quarantine issues. They have nine available players to play in a game, 10 to practice.

Doug

10:17

Roster run down? Who’s healthy, who’s available?

Thomas Noie

10:17

Adam: Asked an answered. Why would anyone bring it up? It's been made crystal clear to me (and likely other media outlets) that Notre Dame will have no comment whatsoever on Ryan Ayers. That includes Brey. Would be waste of valuable Zoom time.

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