JotCast | Notre Dame men's basketball chat - August 2022 | 8/4/2022

Notre Dame men's basketball chat - August 2022

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Mick

1:14

Seven open scholarship offers in August (TJ Power, Zayden High, Estrella -- no longer mentioned, Curtis Williams, RJ Jones, Wesley Yates, Lawrent Rice -- no longer mentioned) won't cut it for a middle-of-the-pack program like ND. It's fine for Duke and UNC. To put it in perspective, Wake, VATech and GATech have 30 and 20+ open offers right now. Every few years, Brey gets his top target: Starling, Wesley, Laszewski, Matt Ryan, D Jackson. The other years, ND recruiting classes are in the 40-60 range nationally, and are composed of the guys perennially spoken of as, "There's not much chance of _______ as breaking into the Iron Seven." No one here will be surprised if/when the staff strikes out on all of the above and pivots to talking about the portal:

2021-22 Transfer Portal Stats

1 out of 12 players who transferred this year went up in the portal, the rest transferred lateral or down.

46% of NCAA players who entered the portal this year will not play NCAA basketball in the upcoming 2022-23 season.

#TP4PT #TransferPortal

Thomas Noie

1:14

Who?

joe from the south side

1:14

Tom, Really? You think Ames went to KST to win a natty?

Thomas Noie

1:14

CBI count?

joe from the south side

1:14

Tom, Dior Johnson is a top 40-50 kid by any measure. How soon does he go to a Final 4 with Jeff Capel?

Thomas Noie

1:13

Mickey: This became Cormac Ryan's team late last season. He looked a lot like Ben Hansbrough driving the Irish through Rutgers and Alabama and almost Texas Tech. He's the Alpha, and can be even more so this season because he's actually done it. There was nobody at the start of last season because, let's be honest, nobody really had done it.

Mickey, New York

1:11

I hope your summer is going well and you are using copious amounts of sunblock. See you at UBS Arena in Nov?
The last few years it seems the team has lacked an alpha (in the sense of a vocal leader and someone who could take the team on their back when needed). Is there someone (Ryan?) who has the personality and talent to do that and will the team to a win?

Thomas Noie

1:11

Matt: Good stuff, but you're going to make me do something here I try to avoid doing at all cost - math. Big sigh....here it goes. If Notre Dame joins the Big Ten, figure at least one other team would have to join as well to give the league 18 teams. That means league games vs. 17 teams, which leaves three repeat opponents to get to 20. So.....the three repeat opponents for Notre Dame should it ever join the Big Ten would be.....drum roll.....UCLA, Indiana and Michigan State. Did I do that right?

Matt from St. Louis

1:09

I know the last chat was the day of the huge UCLA and USC to the Big 10 announcement. This is down the road and a huge hypothetical, but IF Notre Dame ended up in the Big 10 in the future, who are your top teams that you would want them to be playing twice a year during the conference slate? The few venues you would be eager to visit?

Thomas Noie

1:02

But can he shoot the 3?

Wadelite

1:02

Tom, let's stop beating around the bush. The transfer portal with immediate eligibility has made it much easier on Brey. Yeah, we really wanted Booker or Estrella, but no worries we are bringing in this guy who averaged 10 and 6 as a sophomore at Central Connecticut State.

Thomas Noie

1:02

Joe: This just in - EVERYBODY wants to go to the Final Four, and believe then can do that at schools A, B, C and D and so on....Every single one of them.

joe from the south side

1:01

Tom, I respect your answer about Power. All true. But you know as well as I that these kids want to win too. Remember Cole Anthony? That is exactly what he said. "I want to go to the Final 4." If you are a one-and-done guy, and Power might be, why would you want to hit cleanup for the Cubs, when you can play for the Dodgers? And to that point, Duke and Kansas (I believe) are involved with him. Look, I hope I am wrong and that Power is an "ND" type of guy.

Thomas Noie

1:00

Steve: Whatever conference offers the biggest financial payout from football....lol. Seriously. From a fan standpoint, obviously the Big Ten. From a national standpoint, it's still hard to beat the ACC. It really is.

Steve

12:59

Tom, I thought about asking you about the rotation for the 13th time, but instead I’ll ask which conference would be most beneficial for ND basketball. B1G or ACC?

Thomas Noie

12:59

Brendan: Believe Notre Dame would like a Black head coach to replace Mike Brey. That might be Ryan Humphrey. it might be someone no one sees coming. Chris Quinn had a chance to come back to the program as an assistant (and likely coach in waiting) but believes he's more of an NBA guy. Still, he would get a phone call when that day comes, and it's coming closer and closer with each passing year.

Brendan

12:57

Jack S. always has a "Short List" of coaching replacements. If Brey has a great year and calls it quits- who is on it? Any chance of Chris Quinn or is he focused on an NBA HC job?

Thomas Noie

12:57

Tom: That's the $100 million question, isn't it? And it has nothing to do with men's basketball. If Notre Dame can maintain annual access to the College Football Playoff, and whatever that looks like, it will remain independent. If the only way into the CFP is through conference affiliation, and the most attractive conference is the Big Ten, then the Big Ten it is. That might actually help basketball from a fan standpoint, not so much recruiting. Outside of a handful of ACC teams - Duke, Carolina, Louisville, maybe Syracuse - nobody around Northern Indiana really cares about ACC basketball. That changes if Notre Dame is in the Big Ten.

Tom, Gary IN

12:54

Do you think Notre Dame will join the Big Ten in all sports or remain as is? If the Irish switch to the Big Ten how will it affect men's basketball?

Thomas Noie

12:54

Mike: Not as impossible as you might think - the answer is Blake Wesley. J.J. Starling has it relatively easy compared to what Wesley had to work with walking in the door. This program wasn't supposed to do anything. No NCAA tournaments in four years, a local kid who wasn't highly-recruited but was highly-motivated to do something. A team that didn't really know how to win. Wesley figured it out and helped Notre Dame go 15-5 and nearly win the ACC regular season. They won two NCAA games for the first time since 2016. They believed. There were times when Wesley was the best player on the floor, let alone the program. He parlayed that to being the first one-and-done in Irish history. Don't know if Notre Dame does all it does last year without Wesley. This team is seasoned, and even hungrier. A better situation for Starling to step into than what Wesley faced.

Mike from PA

12:49

Tom - Impossible question for you to answer, but I will ask anyway. Who has a bigger impact as a freshman, JJ Starling this year, or Blake Wesley last year?

Thomas Noie

12:49

...Not to say the other guys didn't, but each of them had flaws that they never could overcome. Jerian Grant never could make an open shot. Demetrius Jackson never really could be a downhill/attacking/consistent point guard and Bonzie Colson's window closed when he broke his foot a second time his senior year. That first break never happens, he's maybe the ACC player of the year and a first round pick. But the NBA window for guys is open for only so long, and once it closes, man, it's hard to ever pry that sucker back open. That's what makes what Connaughton has done even more impressive. He was like, I'm here and I belong and I'm staying. And he has. Couldn't happen to a better guy. In every regard.

12:46

Mike: Awesome question. Might be best out of the day. It's easy to look at Pat Connaughton and the NBA player he's become and say, yeah, we saw that coming. But if you know Pat, and know that he's driven to prove people wrong, it's totally believable that he is where he is. He could've taken the easy way out and chased baseball, but he wanted to prove he could be a basketball player in the ACC, then helped win a tournament championship. And made himself NBA worthy of a second round pick. Parlayed that into a hell of a career that secured his financial future. He was going to make it, because he believed in himself...

Mike from PA

12:44

Tom - Pat Connaughton just signed another contract with the Bucks. The guy is making a ton of money and good for him. As you think back to that magical 2015 basketball squad, how surprised (or not surprised) are you that Pat is the one who made it big time in the NBA? No disrespect to him (I thought he might play baseball), but I thought guys like Grant, Jackson, Colson, and maybe even Auguste had higher NBA pedigree. Boy was I wrong.

Thomas Noie

12:40

Joe: From what I've seen of Markus to date, he's a worker, and he's driven, and, oh, by the way, he was waiting on ONE SCHOOL to show even the slightest interest in him. When it did, it was over. He wants to be at Notre Dame, which means he's going to be a guy who's going to do whatever's asked, accept whatever role and follow whatever timetable gets him to where he wants to go. That can't be discounted in today's college basketball world of one-and-dones and immediate eligibility transfers and everything else. Markus Burton isn't the most important recruit for Notre Dame from a pure talent standpoint. From everything else? Maybe.

joe from the south side

12:38

Tom, Let me say this about Burton, and I don't know him from Adam. I would think arriving at his press conference and sitting at the table, 40 minutes early, was a sign of enthusiasm. Putting the ND hat on in 15-20 seconds was another good sign. That kid wanted to play at ND, and he wanted to play for Brey. Will he develop into an ACC level guard? Who knows? Physically, he has a long way to go. But if I read that kid's heart and desire correctly, you HAVE TO take him. As someone who has coached a kid or two, those types of kids are highly coachable and they can positively affect their teammates. You always always take that kind of player.

Thomas Noie

12:38

Jim: It's realistic in that nobody saw Blake Wesley going the one-and-done route last season. No, he wasn't developmentally ready, but who really is in that league? They draft almost solely on potential, and if you stay three, four years, there has to be something wrong with your game. Should Wesley have stayed? He was a first-round pick and will make more money than he's ever seen, so it worked out for him. As for Starling, it all depends on what he wants. Does he embrace the entire college experience? Is he patient with the process? What type of season does he have? Does he have that one moment like Wesley and his shot against Kentucky that kind of slingshots him into the NBA stratosphere? All worth watching.

Jim Tal, Valley Center, CA.

12:35

Hi Tom, really enjoyed seeing you on the IB Nation podcast recently. Good stuff. Based upon what I've been reading lately, it seems as if there's at least somewhat of a chance that Starling could be a one-and-done. In your opinion, is that truly a realistic possibility? And if there's any question about his viability at the NBA level, he needs to stay unlike Blake Wesley who I believe might have jumped the gun. No one who objectively watched Wesley last season could come to the conclusion that he was anywhere near a finished product or NBA-ready. Potential wise yes but developmentally, no way. Thanks.

Thomas Noie

12:32

Steve; Every year Notre Dame fails to bring back the legendary Mustard Gold is a failure. Those are/were the best. The seniors usually have the strongest say in terms of uniforms. I don't see this year's group straying too far from what they've worn in the past.

Steve

12:31

Any news about updated uniforms? Feels like they’ve been wearing the same design for at least 5 years.

Thomas Noie

12:31

Trevor: I'm rolling with Marcus Hammond, who averaged 18.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 34 minutes last season for Niagara. He also got to the foul line 130 times. The guy he's stepping in for, Prentiss Hubb, shot 60 free throws last season. Hammond's stronger/sturdier than Hubb. A lot of what he did last year was just go and get something for himself - what's it going to be like to give up the ball now and know that you're going to get it back, or know that you don't have to shoulder all the heavy lifting. A lot of the leadership/scoring will fall on the Big Three - Ryan, Goodwin, Laszewski - to where Hammond can just kind of play. Be a piece. Not THE piece.

Trevor

12:27

Hey Tom! Always gotta say thanks for all the coverage you bring to Irish basketball. Who is your X factor for this upcoming season? And what do you believe the floor/ceiling is for this team is.

Thomas Noie

12:24

Todd: I wrote a column off the open practice that opined how this team should be better than last year. That doesn't mean they're going 16-4 or 17-3 in the ACC, but they're older, more experienced, arguably more talented and are primed to prove that last year wasn't a fluke. They've tasted what it's like in the NCAA Tournament - the adrenaline rush, the attention, the everything. They want more. They can do more. They should do more.

Todd

12:23

Tom -- Is it me, or does there seem to be a really, really, positive vibe in the program right now? From what I have been reading, watching interviews, etc. I just get a feeling that this group is going to have an "edge" to them. Nowhere near as talented as the ACC tourney title, Elite Eight team, but I just get something different from this group --- especially from Mike Brey -- who I think is a top 10 college basketball coach.

Thomas Noie

12:22

John: Absolutely, especially in this day and age where if you don't play a lot early, just hit the reset button and start over. Think Matt Zona is at Notre Dame for more than just playing time. He wants the degree. It will be interesting to see how J.R. Konieczny handles another year on the outside of the rotation looking in. It's easy to leave. It's tougher to stick it out and believe it will happen.

John

12:21

Is JR or Zona a transfer risk if they don’t see significant minuets

Thomas Noie

12:21

Preach: That's the Atlantic Coast Conference in a nutshell. Yes, Duke is talented and SHOULD be good, but it will be interesting to see what post-K life is like for them. K's no longer on the bench, so Duke's not going to get the handful of calls it used to get when he was staring through officials. That mattered. I'd be more concerned with Virginia Tech than Virginia. Can't agree more with you about the rest, especially Syracuse. This is another year where you just slot the Orange in the 8-9-10-11 neighborhood. How Boeheim's not under more pressure to turn the keys over to Gerry McNamara is staggering.

joe from the south side

12:18

Tom, General agreement on your assessment of the ACC, though I believe Duke is closer to NC than the rest of the conference. Not only tons of talent but I am banking on Coach K's wisdom and the fact that he didn't turn over the keys to the Cadillac to someone with no driver's license. UVA will likely finish third. Bennett has a program, not a team. You are spot on with FSU and VTECH. I think Mike Young does a nice job and Hamilton won't suffer that many injuries two years in a row. ND fits in here along with Miami. They return just about everyone from last year's Elite 8 squad. You can keep the rest of the conference. Clemson only cares about FB. Pastner has been a bust in Atlanta. Huge questions about LOU and Payne. SYR looks like a has been type program. Wake caught lightening in a bottle. Pitt and BC are, well, Pitt and BC.

Thomas Noie

12:13

John: The rotation's likely going to go seven deep (Cormac Ryan, Dane Goodwin, Nate Laszewski, Trey Wertz, Marcus Hammond, Ven-Allen Lubin, J.J. Starling) with Matt Zona the eighth man and either Dom Campbell or J.R. Konieczny the ninth man.

John

12:12

Tom, how deep do you think the rotation will be and will JR and Zona be part of the group?

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