JotCast | Notre Dame Hoops Season Wrap Chat

Notre Dame Hoops Season Wrap Chat

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Thomas Noie

1:43

Brian: That's eventually gotta kick in from within like it did in the ACC tournament. Like, be pissed about losing your starting job, but don't sulk over it. Do something about it. Go play, and maybe along the line prove something to the coaches.

Brian from Bloomington, IL

1:41

Tom, I think Juwan Durham is a huge key to next year’s team. How does the coaching staff get him to play with the energy he had in the ACC Tournament game versus just going through the motions?

Thomas Noie

1:41

Chuck: We're nearly four hours in....just broke for lunch, which eating as I type. Second wind kicking in. Let's keep it rolling!

Chuck, KC

1:41

Where did you go, to lunch? Is the chat over?

Thomas Noie

1:41

mark: good call, my man.....no Hoosiers? Then gotta go Hoop Dreams or One on One....who's burning leaves?

Mark Kruz from Mishawaka

1:40

Movie quote is from Gunnery Sgt. Foley( Louis Gossett jr) to officer candidate Mayo (Richard Gere) in an Officer and a Gentleman. One of my all time favorites! With no basketball hopefully AMC or other stations will show the classics!! Speaking of movies your favorite baskeball movie? Lets leave out Hoosiers. Mine are Blue Chips and a late 70's movie titled Fastbreak. Can you name the ND basketball connection in Fastbreak??

Thomas Noie

1:39

IF: No. That's not who Nate Laszewski is, or who the coaching staff projects him to be. Think Eljiah Taylor has more future Mooney in him than Laszewski. Nate was considered the best shooting big man in that recruiting class. Think we might see why next season.

Illinois Fool

1:36

Do you see any possibility that Laszewski hits the weights hard and grows into a Mooney type? I don't see anyone else on the roster that might be a consistent rebounder next season.

Thomas Noie

1:35

Not as much there is about states of emergency and sheltering in place unfortunately.

Nick South Bend

1:35

Any talks of a late 2020 senior being added to the class?

Thomas Noie

1:35

Nick: No clue. Have to wait to see them play against other college players to really get a gauge on their games. Think Taylor is more game-ready to help next season.

Nick South Bend

1:34

What can you say about Zona and Taylor’s games? What’s your best guess at their 4 year outlook?

Thomas Noie

1:22

IF: You're watching games with WAAAAY too much a critical eye. Never noticed it, because Djogo never really was on the court long enough to notice it. Sorry my man!

Illinois Fool

1:21

Hey Tom, it's been a while. Watching the games this year I noticed a pattern. The few times he played Nic Djogo almost always seemed to be set up on the left side in the corner or on the wing. As such when he rolled to the middle of the court he would be forced to set up and shoot against his body. Is this a result of his being left handed in a right handed offense or am I reading too much into this?

Thomas Noie

1:21

Ned: Again, think we have to go to the video evidence. Don't remember pooh-poohing anything. I'd go more the realistic route. Don't think I've ever said John Mooney's not an NBA player. Is John Mooney a first-round draft pick? No. But my feeling on Mooney is the same for anyone who doesn't appear on many - if any - top 100 draft boards. He can find a place in the league if he finds the right fit. He's more athletic than people give him credit for being. And the numbers he put up his last two years? Gotta take those seriously. But four-year college guys are four-year college guys for a reason. The NBA is first and second and third about one word - potential. You stay for four years, you might as well be viewed as a 30-year-old in the NBA eyes.

Ned from Norfolk

1:17

You've pooh-poohed the chances of Mooney playing in the NBA most every time it's been mentioned by the national media. What are the biggest factors/limitations that inhibit his chances?

Thomas Noie

1:17

Molly: Perhaps, but also it might be something he wasn't ready to show or play with the first two years. Freshman year, given everything that class was handed, it was a battle just to keep their heads above water. Settle in and show some of your traits (ah, sorry) this year, then show a little more next year. He showed more emotion at times this year than he did for most of last season. Now as he rotates into being an upperclassman, more of that will surface.

Molly, Beaumont

1:15

Does Laszewski lack the "killer instinct" to take his game up to the Mooney level? He looks so passive on the court.

Thomas Noie

1:15

Chuck: I liked his game last season as a true freshman. I liked his game even more as a sophomore. One reason, he talks the talk on the court, but can also walk the walk. Yeah, he takes the occasional questionable shot, but then he goes on those runs where he's dealing and shooting and scoring and has that swagger for a group that didn't have enough of it the last two years. Look at his stats and what he's done in two years. It's impressive.

Chuck from Seattle

1:14

Beyond being wildly inconsistent, Prentiss Hubb really took a quantum leap this season in his play. What do you see next year looking like for him?

Thomas Noie

1:14

Joey: Probably because I wasn't following the company line (didn't know there was one) when they were 2-6. Goes back to when it goes south, or threatens to go south, certain people at Notre Dame believe the beat writer should be more supportive and less, I don't know, realistic.

Joey from Highland, IN

1:13

Any reason why you were told it wouldn’t happen with Carmody sitting down? What’s the big deal?

Thomas Noie

1:13

Steve: T.J. Gibbs, the ultimate enigma. He played in a lot of games and piled up a lot of points and minutes, but he was just kind of there. Never great. Never really bad. Just.....there. Maybe a little too careful with the ball, never overly careless. Just kind of going with the flow. Funny, I tweeted something to the affect that for all the games T.J. Gibbs played, he never made a shot that really mattered, then he tosses up the floater to beat Boston College. He was one guy I was critical of, and it was something he never could get past. Or understand. Critical because he had all the opportunity to take that next step and become an elite guard, but never became elite. He never understood that there was a reason for the criticism. That he didn't receive one vote for all-league honors for everything he'd done is rather telling.

Steve, Milwaukee

1:09

Share your impressions of the ND career of T.J. Gibbs. To me, he flashed early, then seemed to plateau and never took the next step.

Thomas Noie

1:09

You've seen Rex's game....it's just above church-league level now that he has no more college eligibility remaining.

1:08

Carmen: Business world. He'll hold out hope and try to play, but you'

Carmen from Goshen

1:08

What do you think is next for Rex Pflueger? Try to play overseas? Get a job in the business world? Kick back on a Cali beach?

Thomas Noie

1:08

Andrew: There seldom was a time when I thought any of those four could routinely get to the basket and most importantly, finish, against ACC-level talent. There were some drives here and there - Hubb off the dribble, Goodwin against Virginia Tech, but watch Gibbs when he's one-on-one against a defender at the bucket. You could almost see his mind racing in wondering how he was going to finish. They just couldn't, which is why it was almost a case of trading twos for threes. They shot a lot of threes because they couldn't beat their defender.

Andrew from Plymouth, IN

1:06

Piggybacking off of Joey's question about needing a guy that can get to the basket off the bounce, I'm really curious to hear what Brey's offensive philosophy has become in terms of shooting the ball vs driving the ball. I say this because it appeared that Gibbs, Hubb, Goodwin, and Laszewski actually could get to the basket whenever they wanted to, but they were choosing not to and taking more 3's instead. Are they being coached to shoot more from distance instead of being more aggressive and taking more chances on getting to the basket?

Thomas Noie

1:06

Mark: I think it becomes an issue when you've lost the last 20 games in a row against ranked teams. You're not coaching as loose as you used to coach, though Brey did some of that at times this season, and the players have more of a sense of, don't know if this one's going our way. Usually, it takes only one win to get the team past that mindset.

mark

1:04

To your point earlier about better teaching/reaching players - it seems like Brey used to be really great at that. His demeanor during the 5OT game against Louisville in 12-13 was a good example - the team was playing as loose as the coach. Do you think that's been more of an issue lately and if so, why?

Thomas Noie

1:03

Jerry: White noise. Including the word "rumors" in your question tells you all you need to know about that.

Jerry

1:02

I've heard rumors for the past 4 months that Brey will retire at the end of the season. What are you hearing

Thomas Noie

1:02

Jake: Hard to really project until I see them against other college players. Summer's usually the time for that when you see them play pickup where you first see it like, yeah, that guy can play or, uh, oh, that guy's going to need some more time.

Jake

1:01

What kind of impact do you think zona and Taylor could make first year, and maybe this is broader and hard to answer but long term what do you think they will be as players at ND?

Thomas Noie

1:01

Joe: Philosophical differences led to Anthony Solomon's departure following the second Elite Eight run. He was an assistant coach for one year at Georgetown and then the last two at Dayton. Had someone ask a question on Twitter about his loss from a recruiting standpoint. Think his loss has been felt more in day-to-day coaching. He was the heavy on the staff - the guy who really held the players' feet to the fire. Coming off the first ACC season, when Notre Dame went 14-19, he was the one in charge of the spring workouts where it was six guys going three-on-three. Those sessions were brutal. Relentless. But they also laid the groundwork for the next two seasons. Notre Dame still hasn't gone to a Sweet 16 without Solomon on staff.

Joe

12:59

Hey Tom, curious if you've mentioned this before, but whatever happened to Anthony Solomon? See him a big part of Dayton's staff and have heard you reference his presence has been missed after leaving.

Thomas Noie

12:56

Dwight: Great questions, but we're probably a long way away from figuring what happens with college hoops. Let's just get through the next week when coronavirus cases are expected to spike and see where are. (Still can't believe I even typed that sentence). There's so much unknown right now. My 30-year reunion at Dayton in June? Probably not happening. Billy Joel at Notre Dame Stadium? Doubtful, at best. What's our world going to look like in August? Our economy? Let's get there first before focusing on October hoops. But no, there's no plan for players to stay in shape other than what the strength coach mandates. Then again, how do you enforce that? You really can't

Dwight from central Arkansas

12:53

With the USA coast to coast pretty much quarantined how do college basketballers stay in shape and court ready? I assume there's no summer leagues, no on campus readiness, no camps---just basically nothing in way of staying sharp. Would NCAA consider pushing back schedule next year assuming some normalcy returns by August. Perhaps start season later and push finals back a month or so?

Thomas Noie

12:53

Sean: We've reached the point where I need to drop int eh GIF of Homer Simpson fading back into the bushes. Will have to check the transcripts or past columns....don't think I've ever said the facilities was the ONLY thing holding back recruiting. Notre Dame could build, or transform its student center, the best stand-alone practice facility in the ACC (it's up there) but it still wasn't going to get the elite of the elite. Or near the elite guys. I think a lot of people who follow recruiting (you know who you are, lol) tend to blur the lines between football recruiting and basketball recruiting. Notre Dame gets the bluechip kids for football and should for basketball. Apples to oranges. Different sports and not even in the same ballpark. Notre Dame basketball, and to an extent football, operates differently. It has to get kids who want the TOTAL college experience. If they get to the NBA, great, but they value the degree and the experiences almost as much as their scoring and rebounding averages. It's hard

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