JotCast | Notre Dame men's basketball chat - January 2023

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Rick in Manhasset

4:36

Even if I am not a 5-star player, but a 5-star student, I have to really want to go to Notre Dame to be in South Bend vs. Charlottesville or Palo Alto or the Philly burbs or on some other campus. A lot of critics seem to forget these players have to not only want to over-winter in South Bend, but get into Notre Dame first, and then do enough to stay in Notre Dame.

Thomas Noie

4:35

Again, a non-answer. You want an answer as to why a five-star doesn't go to Notre Dame. Look at where five-stars sign. Just answer the question - why sign with Notre Dame if your options are so many other established basketball schools. Not that hard.

Terry

4:34

All 5 star and 4 star athletes don’t jump to the NBA after 1st year! There must a few of those who be recruited by ND

Thomas Noie

4:34

There's a reason why they never play. That's obvious. I never looked at a game this season and thought, wow, if they only had player QA, B or C they'd win. That's not how this program has run.

Wadelite

4:33

I know Campbell will at least bang. As far as Zona or Sanders, hard to say as they never play.

Thomas Noie

4:33

Amen.

Craig in NJ

4:33

Who knew that last year’s swagger and toughness that is missing this year came from a Harvard grad, a kid and a player some thought sucked. Nice guys finish last in the ACC

Thomas Noie

4:33

Totally disagree with repercussions. Mike Brey never believed in punishing guys, at least during games. I don't get how that would work. Ohhhh, Coach just sat me for not boxing out Armando Bacot. I'll sit and think about it and do it the next time. That's a bunch of baloney. It goes back to the trust he put in his players. Treated them like he wanted to be treated. Didn't mean making them go sit in a corner during timeout because they picked up some crayons.

Wadelite

4:31

I get the want to on defense, but when there are no repercussions for don't want to that's not just the players.

Thomas Noie

4:29

See Notre Dame in 2015 and 2016. Brey thought he could recreate that roster magic. Nope.

Wadelite

4:29

You can win games with the right 3 stars and talented 4 stars. See Kansas last season.

Thomas Noie

4:29

Doesn't answer the question. Why would you choose to play for Notre Dame if you were a five-star with every blueblood wanting you and the NBA knocking....I'll hang (on) and wait....

Terry

4:28

Ladies also have very tough competition in recruiting!

Thomas Noie

4:28

Wade: A lot of defense is want to. Guard your guy. Don't ferry him to the basket. Don't give up and drives. And last week against Florida State, maybe stop the ball from going from one end of the floor to the other as Matthew Cleveland did for a dunk. Notre Dame was never going to be a grind you up/suffocate you defense, but it had to be better than this, regardless of who's on the roster.

Wadelite

4:26

Wesley and Atkinson were more the reasons behind better defense than Solomon and Atkinson was just serviceable. It's hard to even pin point one serviceable defender on this team. Ryan gets beat a lot but seems to try. Hammond? Lasz will take some charges, but beyond that...woof.

Thomas Noie

4:26

Rick: Great point, which goes toward Mike Brey's constant comment about misreading this team. He thought the old guys would find their voices. He thought they would lead. He thought a lot about this team. Most of it was wrong.

Rick in Manhasset

4:25

You touched on this earlier but it seems the team had more cohesion last year. Winning helps create that too, but just looking at social media coverage they seem more to themselves this year. For all the criticism he got on the message boards, I think Hubb was the big difference. He seemed to have everyone's ear and everyone's back. There does not seem to be consistency in on-court leadership.

Thomas Noie

4:25

Terry: Let me turn the question on you. Say you're a five-star prospect. That means the likes of Duke and Kentucky and Kansas and North Carolina and UCLA all want you. Your family is telling you to do college for a one year and then you're going to the NBA. Why would you - why would any five-star - choose Notre Dame? Give me your best reason.

Terry

4:23

Why can’t men’s team recruit 5 star players like the women’s team?

Thomas Noie

4:19

Joe: Yes, particularly the associate head coach, who was really good last season, but seems to have fallen in line with Mike Brey this season in just deciding to ride it out. We sung the praises of Anthony Solomon last season in what he was able to do (and the wonders he worked) defensively. It's been the total opposite this year. The young guys on staff don't know any better - they take their cues from the veteran on staff. Don't know what kind of example he set for them. The looks from the Notre Dame bench mirrored those of 2019-20 and 2020-21 where there was too much uncertainty. Anthony Solomon was brought back specifically to help the defense. He helped for one year and after that, he was of little help. Expected him to set a better example. Didn't happen.

Joe from Chicago

4:15

Solomon's influence on the defense last year was undeniable, but there has been a clear regression. Could you make the argument that Brey didn't make the right hires with his assistants?

Thomas Noie

4:07

It's also been a long, slow, frustrating build for Jeff Capel, who was said to be on really think ice before this season, his fifth. Previous four seasons, Pittsburgh never won more than six conference games. Those days are closer than anyone wants to admit. Watch.

Wadelite

4:06

The right coach will add 3 transfers, be it graduate ot traditional who will be core players with the returnees and 2023 freshman. I believe Burton can be a solid point guard, but he needs to be a back up for one season behind a veteran. I'd be shocked in 23-24 if they are as bad as this seasons team. Pitt looked like a 12th-15th place team coming into this season and they have been very solid despite their best returning guy (Hughey) missing several acc games.

Thomas Noie

4:00

True, there's nothing holding them back from just being like, time to hit the reset button and see if this is better. Look around. That wouldn't be unique to Notre Dame. That's college basketball free agency. Don't like your one year? Find something better for another year.

Wadelite

3:59

Something no one mentions about the 3 current frosh on the roster. There is no guarantee they would come back next season if Brey stayed on. I don't believe any signed up for this cbb experience and what are the chances it would improve next season with the same coaching philosophy.

Thomas Noie

3:59

Makes sense. Was second to Notre Dame when he committed.

Wadelite

3:59

FWIW Dunlap prediction: San Diego state.

Thomas Noie

3:59

There were few better.

Tom D.

3:58

Changing the topic slightly. I think a case can be made that a contemporary of mine at Notre Dame, Austin Carr, is the greatest athlete in Notre Dame's history regardless of sport. Averaging 36 points a game, BEFORE the three point shot, for his last two years. Incomparable!

Thomas Noie

3:58

You the Jet!

The Jet from Evansville

3:58

I’ve joined late but I want to add my name to the list of readers that appreciate your candor.

Thomas Noie

3:58

He was coming all the way from across the country to play for Mike Brey. That connection would have to be really solid, and really quick.

Tom

3:57

Any chance Dunlap takes a look at the new coach, or is he "gone" gone?

Thomas Noie

3:57

At some point, it becomes about the care factor. Where is it?

Wadelite

3:57

Please note I am not putting it all on Brey. Imo it's 50/50 because of the experience on the roster. I get it a sloppy pass like late in the cuse or fsu game I'd on the players, but consistent minimal effort defense with no repercussions is on the players. ND faces teams that go after offensive rebounds like their lives depend on it. With ND its maybe one guy with Lubin who is never in at crunch time. The guys who are: better run back once the shot is taken

Thomas Noie

3:28

Bonkers: Probably so many examples. He saved Jerian Grant's career. He brought Kyle McAlarney back from the abyss. He did the same in different ways for Tory Jackson and Demetrius Jackson. He viewed his job as more than just a coach, more about just winning and losing. In that way, he won.

Bonkers in Yonkers

3:25

Tom, marathon effort today. You're channeling your inner Coach Brey and playing 40+ minutes! Looking back at Coach Brey's tenure, what player or players do you think he did his best job coaching with? I'd like to say Jerian Grant simply because of some ups and downs with Jerian and where those highs ended up. But your McAlarney reflection in a recent article reminded me of how great a coaching and mentoring job he did with McAlarney.

Thomas Noie

3:25

Go back and watch the end of the Florida State game. Player failure, not coach failure. Watch the end of the Syracuse game from the Dome. Player failure. Look, I get your Brey doesn't do this and doesn't do that and should've done this when he didn't do this, but at some point, the players gotta play despite what the coach does or doesn't do. Where the attitude of, to hell with it, we'll win despite you? These are old guys who don't need hand holding to figure out. They should've figured it out. Like Coach isn't doing this or doing that, let's just do it ourselves. That's not that hard. But as been mentioned probably hundreds of times over the last seven-plus hours, Brey has owned it. All of it. He's said this is all on him. He's right, but the players can't skate and be like, eh, Coach's fault. Not ours.

Wadelite

3:23

Tom, I don't get the players "we failed coach" perspective. Have they, yes they have...but Brey has failed them some. His indifference on changing some of his long time philosophies. Hitting the offensive boards. I about puked when ND missed a late game trey versus Cuse and Lasz is running back while the ball is in flight. Zero attempt. That has to be coaching. Afraid to give up run outs. How about putting in some fresh guys just to go balls to walls on defense and try to score off turnovers. Instead doesn't want to tire out the core guys for the sake of offensive flow and allows them to play rec league defense. The irony the flow is mediocre with just lollygaging passing around the 3 point line. Guard play and efficiency took a huge hit when Ingelsby left and I also believe big man coaching was not suitably replaced when Humphrey left. Instead just hire some younger guys who just parrot we need to score 80 to 85 points to win.

Thomas Noie

3:21

Micah Shrewsberry is a basketball coach, but he also is a black basketball coach. It's been known that Jack Swarbrick will look hard at a black basketball coach, which would give Notre Dame three black head coaches in its three biggest sports. That matters to the university. To paraphrase the late John Thompson, I don't care if Micah Shrewsberry is black or white or yellow or whatever color, I think he's a heck of a coach.

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