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

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Thomas Noie

12:12

Joe: What is Mike Brey telling T.J. Power? He's telling him that Nate Laszewski is gone after this year, and that you can step in and play major minutes with major chances to be an All-ACC caliber player as a freshman. He's telling him that he can go the Pat Connaughton route and also play baseball. He's telling him that Notre Dame just had its first one-and-done in program history, and that dream is now worth having. He's telling him that he can play in the ACC. I don't know how many recruits are asking about OTHER recruits. It's part of the conversation, but probably way, way, way down the list. They're asking about where THEY fit, what THEY can do. Prospects who can play at the ACC level probably think, shoot, I don't care who's there, with me, they're going to be good. Is T.J. Power looking at Markus Burton and wondering, who's that? Not likely.

joe from the south side

12:08

Tom, I'll circle back to your answer about recruiting. What are you telling Power to get him to come. "I have Markus Burton, a kid no one evaluates in the Top 300. I am looking for another recruit, and the ones I really wanted are gone. Then, I am going to the portal to fill out the rest of the slots." Do you think that sells anyone of any caliber on playing for Brey?

Thomas Noie

12:07

Bob: Not sure I agree with the whole "make more threes than the other guys" than it is play smarter, be more experienced and be hard to guard with a variety of small lineups and the occasional big look. Let's see how Nate Laszewski and Ven-Allen Lubin work before figuring out how this is going to work. Paul Atkinson was really good, but I don't know if teams game-planned long into winter nights trying to figure out how to get to the rim against him.

Bob from Chicago

12:04

Thanks for the chat, Tom. It seems to me we are incredibly vulnerable to teams with dominant big men - even more than last season. Cockburn from Illinois, Duke’s big guys, etc. The strategy of making more threes than the other team can make twos won’t work in tournament games. What do you think about our lack of interior defense and no post threat ?

Thomas Noie

12:00

Steve: Never. Notre Dame and Georgetown had agreed in principal a couple seasons ago to a home-and-home series, but then the Hoyas bailed. That was BEFORE Patrick Ewing led them to an 0-19 finish last year. Notre Dame turned its attention to Marquette and that series starts this year in Purcell Pavilion.

Steve

11:58

When does the home/home series with Georgetown start?

Thomas Noie

11:58

Ryan: Good, veteran, experienced team with some really good freshmen and the desire to take this a step further than last year. There's no reason not to expect a top-five finish in the ACC and trip to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016. All the pieces are there, my man. Let's go!

Ryan mars pa

11:57

tom what do you think about the team coming in to the upcoming season go Irish

Thomas Noie

11:56

Connor: If Notre Dame played tonight, the starting five would be Cormac Ryan, Dane Goodwin and Trey Wertz at guard and Nate Laszewski and Ven-Allen Lubin up front. There's a chance that J.J. Starling snags the starting spot Wertz currently has sooner than later. He's too good to come off the bench.

Connor Mansfield

11:54

What is the most likely starting 5 at this point in time?

Thomas Noie

11:54

Pat: With even more of a collective commitment to defend and gang rebound. It's not like they're going to step on the floor against North Carolina or Virginia Tech or Florida State and realize, hey, we're not all that big as those guys. They're rolling the dice that shooting and smarts will offset the lack of size.

Pat from Connecticut

11:50

Hi Tom, we have good guard play but how do you see us competing against the top teams without a go to big guy?

Thomas Noie

11:47

Port: It was a small sample size - practice ran for about an hour and was more like a session from late February than mid-July. If I had to pick one high point, it would be that freshman power forward Ven-Allen Lubin can contribute sooner than later. A close second? Marcus Hammond could be an athletic upgrade from Prentiss Hubb.

PortND

11:45

What did you take from the open practice that surprised you or you didn’t know about the roster?

Thomas Noie

11:37

TJ: Here's a snapshot of a sequence from the open practice we saw last month that tells you all you need to know about J.J. Starling. He was handling up top with Dane Goodwin on the right wing. As Starling drove and collapsed the defense, Goodwin floated to an open spot. Starling's drive was choked off, but he knew Goodwin was there and tossed a left-handed pass over his head to Goodwin, who stuck the open 3. Freshmen don't usually make reads like that. Starling made it look so effortless. He can handle, but he can also play off the ball when Cormac Ryan has it. Starling's really good. He just gets it.

Toledojohnny from Georgia

11:34

Hello Tom - If JJ Starling is as advertised and written about, do you think he and Dane could work well together? It looks as though Dane loves to slide around for good position and if JJ can find him, we just might have a powerful duo on our hands.

Thomas Noie

11:32

As for November and December impacting Notre Dame recruiting, it really doesn't. Like, at all.

11:31

Kevin: Why, free food for media in the arena dining rooms of course! No, I kid. It's everything that goes into covering a team from start to finish - the travel, the stories, the games, the travel, the wins, the losses, the travel, the journey. Like last season - who would've said this was a team that would win 15 league games and two NCAA tournament games after it lost to Illinois and Boston College that first week of December? Answer? Nobody. But you just hold on and see where the ride takes you. That's the best part of the job - the ride.

Kevin, IL

11:29

What is best thing about covering the team all these years & how much does nov/dec scheduling really impact our recruiting? Thx

Thomas Noie

11:27

Mike: This is where the lines between Notre Dame FOOTBALL recruiting and Notre Dame MEN'S BASKETBALL recruiting seem to blur to the point where some fans don't seem to understand that they're different sports, different philosophies. That may be the approach for football, but not hoops. Mentioned earlier in the chat that Notre Dame has maybe four, five guys on its wish list. It's the way it works. Concentrate on a core group of guys you believe you can get instead of looking here and there and everywhere for players. Markus Burton was offered only after the staff saw him play well against better competition - he hung 35 on Xavier Booker in June, which kind of sealed it. Offer early or late doesn't much matter. The key guys know long before an offer where they stand.

Mike

11:23

Tom, why doesn’t coach Brey put out more offers? That way if he loses a few recruits he has other recruits to go after. Also seems to offer way to late?

Thomas Noie

11:22

Terry: Markus Burton was a gotta-get guy. Now, don't misunderstand. He's not someone this program had to get in relation to Xavier Booker (who committed the next day) or T.J. Power who's now No. 1 on the Irish wish list. But when you have a guard who averages 27.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 3.2 steals to earn Northern Indiana Conference most valuable player as a junior basically in your own backyard, you find a way to get him. Maybe he continues his current arc and develops into an high-level ACC guard. Maybe he's just OK. But you bet on him being really good and invest in him. If he continues on his current path, bigger schools would've found their way to Penn High School. Can't let him get away. Get him, coach him, develop him.

Terry from KC

11:19

What's your take on the Markus Burton commitment?

Thomas Noie

11:11

Dennis: If everything about the rotation holds this season, it might be best for J.R. Konieczny to look long and hard at a redshirt season (like Tim Abromaitis did as a sophomore). Konieczny played a total of seven games with 11 points and one rebound in 22 minutes last season when he was jammed up behind a veteran/experienced perimeter. Guess what? He's jammed up again behind a veteran/experienced perimeter. Cormac Ryan is going to play a lot. So is Dane Goodwin. And Trey Wertz. Marcus Hammond didn't transfer in from Niagara not to play a lot. J.J. Starling's playing. That's five guards right there. Konieczny still is considered a guard. It's hard to get to six on a given night. Konieczny is on a foreign tour of Spain with the former East Coast All-Stars right now. That's to get him the game experience he might not get this season. He has to be patient. It may eventually happen for him at Notre Dame, just not this season.

Dennis Huyvaert

11:06

Hello Tom, I was wondering how far down in the rotation JR looks to be? Any chance he sees any meaningful minutes this season ?

Thomas Noie

11:05

...Part 2? Absolutely, being in the ACC helps. Kids want to play in the best leagues, and the ACC is annually among the best. That, and getting a degree from Notre Dame will offset the "other" side of recruiting. Has for years. Guys that have come to Notre Dame and flourished in the program have done so because they wanted more out of college than a cash grab or easy route to the NBA.

11:02

Joe: It's not an official Notre Dame hoops chat until a Joe from the South Side two-parter, and here we are! LOL. Wait, untraceable cash payments to recruits is part of college basketball? Really? Yeah, NIL isn't going to regulate that part of recruiting anytime soon, which is why some verbal commitments don't hold. It's not as big of a hinderance to Notre Dame men's basketball as other schools. Kids commit to Notre Dame for more than basketball - there are six guys on the roster getting graduate degrees this season. Where else does THAT happen? Notre Dame has long recruited out of a different talent pool than the bluebloods. NIL doesn't change that...

joe from the south side

10:52

Tom, Recent news in the ND FB program shows concern over prized committed recruits flipping to another program. Two part question. I assume the flipping and the money angle to get recruits to your school happens in BBL as well. Ask Book Richardson, Chuck Person, etc......How big of a hinderance to ND BBL is NIL and the money that can now be funneled to athletes, particularly untraceable cash payments? That is to say, can ND even compete in this new environment? Part 2 is does being a part of the ACC help ND BBL? Does it really help to offset the money issue discussed above?

Thomas Noie

10:51

Easy. Cormac Ryan, Dane Goodwin, Nate Laszewski, Trey Wertz, Marcus Hammond, Ven-Allen Lubin and J.J. Starling are the core seven. Everyone else? Keep working.

Guest

10:50

Who do you think is top 7 if you had to pick them today

Thomas Noie

10:50

...As for defense, Notre Dame finished last season ranked fourth in the ACC in scoring defense (66.9 ppg.), third in field goal percentage defense (.426 percent) and second in three-point field goal percentage (.296) in league games. That's a big reason why it went 15-5 in league play. And they can do it again. Paul Atkinson was a key piece to that puzzle, but he still was only 6-foot-9 (maybe even closer to 6-7). It wasn't like he was the human eraser on that back line. It was a collective commitment to guard and a buy-in from everyone defensively that allowed Notre Dame to do what it did last season. Expect more of the same this year. Marcus Hammond is quicker/craftier than Prentiss Hubb. Ven-Allen Lubin is longer than Atkinson. The Irish did on defense last year. They can do it again this year. The pieces are definitely there.

10:47

Mike: I voted Nate Laszewski for the all-defensive team in the Atlantic Coast Conference last season. Just felt he was so much more important from a guarding/charge-taking/rebounding aspect. Everything the Irish did defensively (and they did a lot) was predicated on having Laszewski in there. That's an overlooked reason why it was so important for him to return. He just kind of settled everything. That's not to say Cormac Ryan wasn't good. He was. There might not have been 10 better players in the country in the NCAA Tournament. He just kind of drove Notre Dame to those two wins...

Rockaway Mike

10:44

Do you think Cormac should have made the ACC All Defensive Team last year? It seemed like he took a charge every game and usually locked up the guard he was matched up against. Been hearing a lot about the offensive skills of the Freshman and the kid from Niagara; but can they play defense in that ACC? Gonna need a lot of active hands with no defensive stopper guarding the rim. Thanks for the chat.

Thomas Noie

10:37

Pat: Don't believe the hype. Seems we go through this same depth dance every offseason, and when October and November roll around, guess what happens? Everyone who believed that this is the year they see more depth get all worked up when they don't. So we'll say it now - get off that depth train. Now! During the summer, Mike Brey routinely rotated only seven players through the white (starter's jerseys). It was the old guys (Cormac Ryan, Dane Goodwin, Nate Laszewski, Trey Wertz), it was an experienced new guy (Niagara transfer Marcus Hammond) and it was two new guys (freshmen Ven-Allen Lubin and J.J. Starling). That's it. Matt Zona might've been in a white jersey for a possession or two, but Mike Brey plans on going forward with his core seven. Zona would be eight. Dom Campbell or J.R. Konieczny might be eight. He's not going deep with depth this year. Just not happening.

Pat H. Springfield Illinois

10:33

From your observations and that of others, I get the impression this could be a team with “deep depth.” Is this an accurate analysis? Thanks for hosting these chats. Always enlightening

Thomas Noie

10:33

Billy: Don't believe the rumors? They're rumors for a reason! No, seriously, Nate Laszewski always has dabbled with some low-post stuff even before this season, but he'll still be most valuable by shooting the ball. Sounds easy, I know, but there were so many times over the past seasons when Laszewski had an open shot, but decided to move it instead of shoot it. It was nice to see Laszewski in last month's open workout get the ball and not overthink it. He shot it, and led the team in shot attempts over the course of the 12 summer workouts. He's too good a shooter to not hunt his stuff more than usual. He can be really good when he doesn't overthink it - catch it, shoot it, score it. A few post moves may also be included. Maybe.

Billy Mc

10:30

Tom, Love these chats…keep up the great work. Any truth to the rumor that Nate Laszewski has incorporated some post moves into his repertoire? Would be great to have four guards working around Nate if he was even a bit of a low post threat.

Thomas Noie

10:30

Linas: Used to be that the first "official" practice was the second weekend of October. No teams could start until that weekend, which is when many held their versions of the old Midnight Madness to kick off the year. Now, teams can start "officially" earlier in October, but they're already doing work in small groups once the fall semester starts. Think Mike Brey's official unofficial team meeting is usually around Labor Day once everyone is back and settled into the routine of classes. From the time they get back to campus in a couple weeks until mid-October, it's captains' practices and conditioning sessions organized by the team's leaders.

Linas from Aliso Viejo, CA

10:26

Hi Tom, Now that the summer workouts are over, when is Coach Brey allowed to host his first "official" practice? Until then, do the players get together for informal workouts and games?

Thomas Noie

10:23

P. Rose: Honestly, not nearly enough. We media creatures saw one practice this summer (the last one) where the Irish were barely on the floor for an hour before Cormac Ryan hobbled off with an ankle injury after landing on someone's foot under the basket during five on five. Word from the inside is that Wertz was more aggressive this summer than at any point in his career. That's a start. He spent a lot of time in a white (starter's) jersey and could open the season in the top five. He's a good third guard who's steady with the ball, someone who usually makes the right play/read. But the Irish could use more from him. He had a tendency to disappear for too long of stretches last season, where he was just zero factor in games. Wertz's best game still is his first game (he went for 27 points and five assists in the Crossroads Classic game against Purdue in 2020). He was ridiculous that day, just kind of playing with an edge that said, yeah, I'm gonna give you buckets. Then he did. Why hasn't he done that more?

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