JotCast | Notre Dame men's basketball - May 2024 | 5/22/2024

Notre Dame men's basketball - May 2024

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The Jet from Evansville

10:03

The two transfer portal big men that we acquired seem to be worse than what we got. Can I possibly be wrong?

Thomas Noie

10:03

That's going to be hard, but the way to get there is easy. For both. Burton has to improve his shooting numbers and shoot better than .421 percent from the field and .300 percent from 3. He also has to cut way, way, way back on his turnovers. He finished with 143 assists and 123 turnovers. Shrewsberry has to play the part of a legit/competent/capable shooting guard. He shot .398 percent from the field and .371 percent from 3. Both those percentages have to be over .400. With Matt Allocco and Cole Certa both coming aboard, Shrewsberry will have to either make shots at a better clip or do something he didn't do much of last year (28.3 minutes per game) - sit.

10:00

Eamon: You spelled finish 10-10 and/or in the top half of the Atlantic Coast Conference wrong...lol. Make to March and win a game in the tournament? You mean the ACC tournament, right? It's good to shoot high and dream big, but this program went 7-13 in the league and finished 11th. It went 13-20 overall last year. It adds six new faces/players to a returning group that still struggled last year. Dreaming/planning/hoping for the NCAA tournament is nice, but let's start with what do Markus Burton and Braeden Shrewsberry have to do for Notre Dame to finish in the top half/middle of the 18-team ACC next year?

Eamon

9:57

At what level do you think Burton and Shrewsberry will have to play for notre dame to make it into March and win a game in the tournament?

Thomas Noie

9:56

Todd: Good to hear from you. Covered the incoming portal additions earlier in the chat, so scroll back for my take. Dre Davis was never an option coming out of Seton Hall. His NIL deal was said to start at $500,000, which wasn't something Notre Dame was willing to match. Also, had Davis joined his brother, Tae, at Notre Dame, it would've created a minutes logjam for one or the other or maybe both. In another time, it might have worked. Where Notre Dame is now, and maybe where Dre Davis is now, it wasn't going to work. Nice potential story. Not a nice fit.

Todd Waynesville, NC

9:54

Two part: 1– what seems to be the prevailing thought about the portal haul for ND? On paper, looks a bit underwhelming, but I like the pickups. All three seem to fit. 2 — Did we even stand a chance to get Dre Davis? Was disappointed we did not land him, but was left shaking my head as to his choice of Ole Miss. Your thoughts?

Thomas Noie

9:54

Zach: Yes. I really like the Matt Allocco addition in terms of age and experience and court awareness and shot making. Nikita Konstantynovskyi and Burke Chebuhar are unknowns, and may continue to be through November and December and maybe January. I expected more. That's not being critical, but you're Notre Dame. You play in the ACC and you absolutely had, had, had to get an established big man. That Notre Dame didn't get one may be more of an indictment on college basketball ($$$) than Notre Dame.

Zach

9:52

Portal haul felt a little underwhelming given the strong young backcourt and potential playing time for a wing/big man, would you agree with that assessment?

Thomas Noie

9:52

Joe: Used to be the schedule was done in early August. Then mid-August. Then late August. Then around Labor Day. Now, if we get a final schedule before October, that's a win. Last year, the Notre Dame men's basketball schedule was released (checks email) on September 25. Basically, we're still four months out...

Joe Holtzinger

9:50

Tom, Thank you for the great job you doing covering NDMBB. When do you expect the entire schedule to be released for 24/25?

Thomas Noie

9:48

Mike: You read my column mind. I have a piece coming online Thursday morning and in Thursday's SBT on the very subject. Don't want to repeat what's coming, but what it says is that Notre Dame will not build through the portal. It's not going to go get guys just because it can go get guys. It will do it another way, either because of NIL or admissions or swings and misses or all of the above. I don't want to dump on the three grad transfers, because they may turn out to be pretty good. But in a day and age where teams restock their rosters through the portal, you expected Notre Dame to do more.

Mike from Rochester, NY

9:45

What does it say about recruiting when we land guys from the Ivy, Patriot and CAA who weren't even the best players on their teams, let alone all-conference?

Thomas Noie

9:43

Jim: Thoughts? Lunch! Oh, that's next week. Never mind...lol. Seriously, though, I love Matt Allocco and what he can bring, and will reserve judgement on Nikita Konstantynovskyi and Burke Chebuhar until I see what they can do. I am a little surprised/disappointed/confused that Notre Dame didn't get an established big in the portal. Didn't get what they needed - a killer, in basketball terms. Seems as though they went deep down their portal wish list for two of the three guys. Why? That's a concern.

Jim Reagan, Charlottesville, VA

9:41

Hello All! Tom, the Irish’s three 5th year recruits, while not All Stars, are experienced and skilled glue guys. All Team Players! They are atop the 🏀 learning curve that Schrews teaches and the returning players must climb. Thoughts?

Thomas Noie

9:40

Is this a trick question??? Contractually, as of 9:38 a.m. Thursday, Notre Dame is obligated to play in the 2024 Rady's Children's Invitational in San Diego with Arkansas (Cal!) BYU and Purdue. That's expected to change. When all the legal jargon is ironed out, Notre Dame will be that not-yet-officially-named eight-team multi-team event (MTE) in Las Vegas that is NIL-driven. All eight teams will make $1 million toward their NIL funds for participating. It's a (bad) look for Notre Dame to bail on San Diego but in the long run, the right one. I'll have more of a say on it when it becomes official, maybe before the end of the month. Stay tuned.

Guest

9:37

Where is ND going to be playing this Thanksgiving?

Thomas Noie

9:37

The next step, after a solid sophomore season, would be to declare and actually be invited to the NBA draft combine in May 2025. Get evaluated. Talk with NBA personnel. Learn where his game fits. With what the college game is today, where players of Burton's caliber can make a really nice, comfortable and even lucrative living thanks to NIL, he should be in zero rush to chase the NBA. It will be there. At the end of the day, he might just be a really good college player playing college basketball in his hometown. And making a good (i.e. $$$) living. There's zero wrong with that.

9:35

Brian: I get the question, but everyone must understand that for Notre Dame to be better and to continue to be better, it will need Burton to do less - not more - than what he did as the league's rookie of the year in 2023-24. He had to score. He had to find guys. he had to defend. he had to play heavy minutes. He doesn't have to do all of that this year. The talent has been upgraded, so he'll have help. Burton doesn't have to be THE guy, just one of the guys. That will help him. That will help the Irish. As for his future, given where the NBA is in terms of long, athletic guards, Burton would have to have an incredible year at his size and skill level. To make that jump, you have to have that one undeniable skill that sets you apart, especially at that size. What is it for Burton? Do we know? Does he know?

Brian Bultinck

9:32

If Burton has a 1st team All-ACC performance this year do you see him keeping his name in the draft and becoming a late 1st round pick?

Thomas Noie

9:32

Linas: A lot to unpack there....breathe my man, breathe. Let's take them one at a time. The three graduate transfers will help, but not sure to what extent. Matt Allocco is the obvious one to step into a main role right away. The other two may be fit-in guys to start while seeing if they can grow their games to ACC levels. It won't be easy. Burton was never not back. When he wasn't invited to the NBA combine (for reasons that make zero sense), he wasn't going anywhere. As for Carey Booth, let's say that there were differences of opinion between the staff and Calvin Booth on how Carey was utilized last season. Don't think they'll go through anything remotely similar with Sir Mohammed, who should be the first incoming freshman to see the floor.

Linas from Aliso Viejo

9:28

Hey Tom! Thanks for keeping the fire burning throughout the offseason. Super excited about the 3 grad transfers. Will improve shooting and rebounding. Burton is back so all is good. Nobody knows for sure but perhaps Calvin Booth had something to do with Carey Booth leaving. Do you think that will be a concern with Sir Mohammed and his NBA dad if his progress toward an NBA career doesn't go as planned in 2023-2024? Also, which of the three freshmen will be biggest contributor this season? Thanks!

Thomas Noie

9:27

Brady: What, no attempt at Nikita's last name? That would be Konstantynovskyi, which I can now type (correctly) without looking. Konstantynovskyi is a 6-foot-10 power forward transfer from Monmouth. He previously played at Tulsa and a junior college in Oklahoma. He's a guy that we have to see play. What does he do well? Can he grasp the defensive demands? Can he score? At the least, he'll be a double-digit minute guy by default. Here's more on Konstantynovskyi from last week: https://tinyurl.com/4fkrb3bs

Brady

9:24

How much do you think Nikita will play

Thomas Noie

9:23

Brady: If I were a betting man (don't touch that stuff) I would've put up big money that this would be the first question for today. A logical query, and probably one that will be asked a half dozen times today. Will have to couch it by saying it's way early to project what this roster will be with six new faces. But if Notre Dame were to play tonight, the starting lineup might be Markus Burton (point guard), Braeden Shrewsberry (shooting guard), Matt Allocco (wing guard), Tae Davis (small forward) and Kebba Njie (power forward). Love the Allocco addition. It gives that group instant versatility, to a point where there may not be at least 10 different starting lineups like last season.

9:22

What are you most looking forward to from Notre Dame as the 2024-25 season nears?

Markus Burton, duh... (24.1% | 7 votes)

The incoming freshman class (17.2% | 5 votes)

How the three transfers will fit (10.3% | 3 votes)

A bust-out season from a TBD veteran (17.2% | 5 votes)

Micah Shrewsberry's growth as a head coach (24.1% | 7 votes)

Nothing, it's only May (6.9% | 2 votes)

Total Votes: 29

Brady

9:17

Now that the roster is finalized, what do you think the starting 5 will look like

Thomas Noie

9:04

Welcome back everybody, and welcome to the May chat for Notre Dame men's basketball. There's been no shortage of news with the transfer portal winding down, scheduling stuff coming into focus and recruiting, recruiting, recruiting of the 2025 class, which has to be a big class for Notre Dame, hitting another gear. Plenty to ponder and discuss today. Make sure you leave your name and hometown with your question or comment. With that, you know the rest - let's light this chat candle.

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