JotCast | Notre Dame men's basketball chat - February 2024

Notre Dame men's basketball chat - February 2024

Thomas Noie

3:07

Thanks to everyone for participating in today's chat. We'll circle back around sometime in March. Maybe right before or right after the ACC Tournament. If you have a question or comment that cannot wait, drop me a note at tnoie@sbtinfo.com. Have a great rest of the week!

3:00

Todd: It's a little of everything. Being more familiar with one another, having done it over and over now every day for five months, and the fact that they were able to actually practice and install new ideas during that second bye week. When the Irish had that first bye week in January, it was more about correcting what they weren't doing than being able to install new stuff. This past week off, they were able to tweak some stuff that they just weren't ready to do earlier. They've shot it better from the floor and the foul line and worse from 3 since the Virginia Tech game.

Todd, Charlotte

2:57

P.S. It does seem free throw shooting has improved, especially late in the game.

2:56

I haven't looked at the stats to see if the team is shooting better during this streak. Are they? Or are they just passing and cutting better? They still seem to have lulls in the offense, and there are times when it they have to work too hard for shots, or drain the shot clock too low. Is it a function of just more time together this late in the season?

Thomas Noie

2:39

Noted. Think Notre Dame upgraded in that freshman shooter spot getting Braeden Shrewsberry. Maybe.

Guest

2:38

Tom, And while we are on the subject of athletes who turned their back on ND, I note Parker F. just left South Bend with a CAPITAL L and ZERO points. This after JJS went 6-17 from the floor.

Thomas Noie

2:28

Mike: Not plugged enough to watch them enough to say. Both underachieved while they were at Notre Dame, which is why they're no longer at Notre Dame.

San Diego Mike

2:26

Are JJ Starling & Ven Lubin exceeding your expectations, under achieving, or doing exactly what you thought they would at Cuse / Bilt?

Thomas Noie

2:26

J.J. Starling went home to play for someone he's known since he was in middle school in Adrian Autry. Lubin was more of, gotta go somewhere, can't stay here, so might as well go there. NIL might also have been a factor.

Joey

2:25

Do you know anything about why Starling and Lubin left? I could argue that they miss Lubin more than Starling. Why on Earth would Lubin choose Vanderbilt other than to play for Stackhouse?

Thomas Noie

2:23

"Seven years of college down the drain" - future U.S. Senator John Blutarsky

Joey

2:23

are you as excited as me to see the last of Girard after Saturday?

Thomas Noie

2:23

Apparently get them an NIL deal. Or beg, borrow and steal. Might be a lost cause. Prove me wrong.

Joey

2:22

What does this team have to do to get fans to come to games?

Thomas Noie

2:18

Mike: Wait, what? Julian Roper is on track to set career highs for 3-point field goal percentage, rebounds, steals, points, games and minutes played....and why would he need to go elsewhere. Roper was the first guy Micah Shrewsberry targeted in the transfer portal as a gotta-have guy. Why? Because he's someone, as Shrewsberry said, that you can lose with. In other words, when the game's not going right and not going your way, Roper's a guy who's still going to give everything he has. Why did Notre Dame nearly wipe out that 29-point deficit at Syracuse last week? Roper's play in the second half was a big reason. It would be surprising if he decided to go elsewhere to do more. He's doing a lot this year. For this program.

San Diego Mike

2:15

Any feeling that Ropes transfers and looks to use his last year somewhere else?

Thomas Noie

2:14

Preach K-Dub!

Ken Woodworth-South Bend

2:14

You would think it would be better. And really, it should not matter what their record is. (Of course I have been a Cubs follower for 40 years lol ) I mean come on people. If not to see ND, If you like BB, we are playing against premier ACC teams every home game!?!!

Thomas Noie

2:13

Frank: Sure, osme of it can, but at some point, the fan base (OK, the students) have to be pumped about who they're seeing from THEIR team andnot the other team. So you don't get to go jeer Duke or Carolina or Dayton or Marquette (though last year's Marquette home attendance was embarrassing), so go cheer Markus Burton or Tae Davis or whoever you might have class with. Never got the notion that students don't want to show up because there's no connection/link to the OTHER team. They have to have that connection with THEIR guys, right?

Frank from Mishawaka

2:12

Can some of the attendance issues stem from being off the tobacco road path? It would be nice to be in the Big Ten, but that's another thing. Bring back some old rivalries like DePaul, Dayton, and maybe even bring a Butler or Purdue up here.

Thomas Noie

2:04

Back to the arena, fan issues we've discussed - had this note in my pre-Wake Forest What to Know...Notre Dame currently ranks 13th in the 15-team Atlantic Coast Conference for average home attendance at 6,020. Only Boston College and Georgia Tech draw fewer home fans. Notre Dame has played now I believe 36 home games since the last sellout. They can be better can't they? Maybe?

2:00

Ken: Awesome. Save me a seat. Maybe I'll bring you an arena/stadium hot dog with my $15 meal voucher!

Ken Woodworth-South Bend

2:00

Well we are on the deck below you in section 9 for my wife's power chair. Great seats, you could come down and join us. Last night we were the ONLY ones on the entire accessible seating deck!?!

Thomas Noie

2:00

Jeff: Honestly, court storms have not been an issue, really ever, during my time on the Notre Dame hoops beat. I'll say this - if Notre Dame can figure out a way to deftly defend the north goal post at Notre Dame Stadium during field stormings for football, it can figure out a safe way to do it for basketball. When it doesn't work, and it didn't work at Wake Forest, is when security is woefully underprepared. Have a plan. Have a procedure. Follow it. Let the student body enjoy the moment (moot point at Notre Dame) without jeopardizing the safety of the players. Big win coming? Make an announcement at under-four minute timeout to allow players to exit the floor before students rush it. It's about being self aware that something's going to happen.

Jeff from Schererville, IN

1:56

Tom, as a veteran CBB reporter I'm sure you've been to a number of games where people stormed the court afterwards, including a couple at ND (when there were actually enough students in the stands to do that, maybe the 5-OT Louisville game and the UNC game when Gameday showed up). Do you have any thoughts on the topic of the week in college hoops? It seems like it could be tricky getting the visiting team off the court at ND considering they must pass the student section on the way to their locker room unless they sneak out the other tunnel just to the left of the visiting team bench. Thanks. Keep up your good work. We appreciate it!

Thomas Noie

1:56

Frank: They're great stories that I wish I had more time to flush out. I've written about Raheem. Impressive kid. Not many who've come through Notre Dame who aren't (though there have been a few).

Frank from Mishawaka

1:55

Another fascinating aspect to this years team is the 5 walk on players. Raheem Braiton was a team manager, and Thomas Crowe a cheerleader. Always interesting how a High School player stays close to the game. Any unknown stories about Kelly, Harbaugh, or Hatton? Thanks again for your time with this Q&A.

Thomas Noie

1:54

Back in the salad days and my first few years on the beat, we sat along the sideline opposite the benches. Then when the arena was remodeled we moved to the east baseline closest to the Notre Dame benches. Somebody somewhere thought it better that they be able to sell those seats in those sections (which they RARELY do, but that's a rant for another day) and we moved to the upstairs press press above section 110. Look up that direction on Saturday. If you see a desk lamp light on, that's the SBTrib spot. My eyes aren't what they once were, but in fairness, we're working in near darkness up there. Not the best, but not the worst. Sightlines are clear, but you miss getting the small details of being on the floor. At Louisville, I sat baseline and was stunned at how hard Micah Shrewsberry works during the game. Needed a nap after watching him.

Ken Woodworth-South Bend

1:50

On that note Tom, I was always curious where you press folks get to sit at the games?

Thomas Noie

1:39

Frank: And pass up the opportunity for a $15 food voucher at the concession stand which may or may not have the food that you seek? Never! But of course, if you want to leave my name at Naimoli on Saturday....

Frank from Mishawaka

1:38

Tom are you ever afforded the opportunity of having a pregame meal in Club Naimoli? I've seen other writers or staff members up there before the game.

Thomas Noie

1:38

It also seemed you were determined to prove a point or points that had nothing to do with the discussion. You had your view and only your view. That's not what the discussion ever was about my man.

Wadelite

1:37

Fyi I just did not recall all the background on why that season fizzled out and that it started sooner than the confirmed broken foot.

Thomas Noie

1:33

Justin: Take the next step, whatever that looks like. If Irish finish 12-21 overall and 7-13 in the league, then flirt with .500 overall and in the league next year. Be really good at home. Beat a ranked team or two. Develop depth. Keep that edge. Small steps still for a process that is so involved and long.

Justin, Ft. Wayne

1:31

Early thoughts and expectations for next season? These past couple games have me really excited for the future and thinking about what could be next season and beyond.

Thomas Noie

1:28

Ken: Exactly. Thanks for being the voice of reason. Some people....

Ken Woodworth-South Bend

1:27

And why in the world Wadelite are so concerned about what and when Colson's foot injury happened. Pretty irrelevant to today's basketball team!!

Thomas Noie

1:27

Frank: Understood, but let's see some more wins and sustained success over a season or two or three before we say definitively that Micah Shrewsberry will get this program to turn the college basketball corner. Is this season becoming a big step? Absolutely, but there's a long, long, long way to go before Notre Dame doesn't have to again sweat a Selection Sunday. Shrewsberry is the first to insist that winning is hard, and he'd probably admit that winning again will be a harder job than he ever imagined.

Frank from Mishawaka

1:25

Anyone who thought Coach Shrewsbury wasn't the guy for Notre Dame hasn't watched this team much. I was also impressed on how he used timeouts(the 2nd being the under 8 timeout) to get Burton iced down to finished the game. From a strategic viewpoint, he gets his guys in the right spots following timeouts.

Thomas Noie

1:25

Mickey: Sometimes, and Notre Dame fans should understand this, good offense beats good defense. It did in last night's first half when anyone on Wake could just go and get themselves a bucket. But do those guys who get it done on offense keep playing when the shots don't fall? Wake didn't and to an extent, Syracuse didn't. You know Notre Dame will keep competing. We saw it Tuesday. We saw it Saturday. Gotta see it over the final three regular-season games.

Load More Messages

Connecting…

Message History

On Off

Your current subscriptions

None

E-mail Address	Chat Owner	Status	Remove

Enter your email address to be notified when Tom Noie hosts a chat