JotCast | Notre Dame Men's Basketball May chat

Notre Dame Men's Basketball May chat

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Greg in Chicago

11:07

Do you see ND starting an annual series with one or two schools (say Marquette or DePaul) now that the IU/PU/ND/Butler classic will appear to go away?

Thomas Noie

11:07

Joe: Too many unknowns up and down and all around the next-in-line guys after the first six. All have potential, but all have red flags that say, no, not happening right away. I'm not aboard the Sanders-Zona experience train. They barely got a taste last year - certainly not enough to say yeah, they're ready. And then, like you said, have the two injured guys and the two freshmen. Summer workouts/pickups will offer a better idea how these pieces fit.

joe from the south side

11:05

Tom: Let's assume the first 6 are set (Atkinson, Hubb, Ryan, Nate, Dane, Wertz). IYO, who are the next in line candidates to contribute? Two guys with at least some experience---Sanders and Zona? Or, the second coming of Vasturia, (JRK) or arguably the best athlete on the roster but a pretty big ego (Wesley)? I am assuming that the injuries to Carmody and Taylor remove them from the discussion, at least for today. Pretty hard to see Carmody coming back from all of those injuries, and Taylor missing a whole year puts him in a hole, I think.

Thomas Noie

11:04

Joe: And I'm still laughing. Anthony Grant's a UD guy with really strong connection/relationship with Don Donoher. He's not going anywhere. I'm surprised it will be third time around with Anthony Solomon. He was really good the first two stints, but this one will be tougher for myriad reasons. Let's see how it plays out. I'd be stunned if it didn't work.

joe from the south side

11:03

Tom: Your thoughts on Solomon returning. Remember, you laughed at me for suggesting Grant and Solomon as a package.

Thomas Noie

11:03

Joe: Wasn't me. None of his have actually done anything face-to-face with anybody with Notre Dame football (or any athletics) since March 2020. I have listened in on some of the Zoom pressers that Marcus Freeman has participated in. Extremely well spoken. Grounded. Measured. Gets it. You can tell why kids want to play for him.

joe from the south side

11:01

Tom: First question on FB, then strictly hoops. Recently, you had the chance to meet with or talk to Marcus Freeman. I forget which. Seems like you were extremely impressed. What about him made you so effusive with praise?

Thomas Noie

11:00

Gary: That and Cost of Attendance (where student-athletes are offered a financial stipend on top of their scholarship) was better than what Cost of Attendance student-athletes get at Notre Dame. The girlfriend angle was only part of the story, but why let that ruin the narrative? Mike Brey walked out of his last meeting with Hunter Dickinson convinced he was coming to Notre Dame. Like, he he had a verbal commitment. And then he didn't. Ahhhhh.....recruiting!

Guest

10:59

Gary From Elkhart; I read where Hunter Dickinson went to Michigan because his girlfriend was going there.Sounds like a last minute package deal to me what say you?

Thomas Noie

10:58

Mike: Good call. Maybe throw in there V.J. Beachem and Demetrius Jackson and Steve Vasturia and Martin Geben as well. Jerian Grant too. I know there have been early discussions about getting a team together (my source is pretty connected....lol), but haven't heard anything lately. May reach out to my guy and see where that sits. John Mooney likely wouldn't be an option - he's got NBA options coming after his season in Australia. A lot of the Notre Dame alums have discussed a team last year. It didn't materialize because of COVID. Hopefully it does this year.

Mike,New Jersey

10:55

Hey Tom, Any chance we see an ND alumni team in the TBT this summer? Bonzie, Mooney,Auguste,Farrell,Abro etc. all having solid careers overseas. It would be a shame it they never got together to compete.

Thomas Noie

10:52

Steve: Great to hear from you and really great stuff. You nailed it. Player development has stagnated. Guys that are supposed to get better or are expected to get better haven't gotten better (outside of John Mooney who became a backboard beast). Maybe some of that is coaching. I don't know if Ryan Ayers ever reached any of the guards in his time. Let's see if Anthony Solomon can take a run at elevating Prentiss Hubb's game or Dane Goodwin's game. My concern about this season is that this core is what it is - an average outfit. I'd love to be wrong about that and would be pleasantly stunned to see this core chase an NCAA bid. Atkinson's going to be a main guy the minute he arrives on campus - just plug him in and let him play. Konieczny and Wesley, I'll go the wait-and-see route. Both are talents whose talents are nowhere near ACC ready. Yet.

Steve Duff

10:49

Thanks for your great work on Irish hoops Tom. Two questions for you. In my view, player development has stagnated for several years. Do you think there will be marked improvement from the “old” guys on the roster or have they hit their ceilings and this is who they are? Also, how much impact will Atkinson and the two South Bend freshmen have this season? Thanks and keep doing your thing!

Thomas Noie

10:49

Pat: Good question, and from every indication in this pandemic world, college basketball is going to look a whole lot more like college basketball in 2021-22. That means fans in the stands. That means closer to 30 games. That also means the return of the November MTEs (multi-team events). Notre Dame is part of one and will go back to Maui for the first time since winning it in 2017 (and Brey going shirtless with the lei). The Maui field is Butler, Texas A&M, Wisconsin, Oregon, Houston, Chaminade, Saint Mary's and Notre Dame. I'd think a first-round game between Notre Dame and Wisconsin or Notre Dame and Butler might be in the works. Notre Dame also will play a non-league road game at Howard (MLK Day) while it looks like the game against Kentucky will be at home (Dec. 11) instead of Madison Square Garden. There's the annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge where Notre Dame is on the road (maybe Ohio State???) and the Crossroads against Indiana. That's seven non-league guarantees to go with a 20-game ACC schedule.

Pat, Springfield, IL

10:43

Thanks for offering this opportunity. Any idea what the non-conference schedule will look like? Will the season start around the usual time, mid-November?

Thomas Noie

10:43

Andy: A young guy with a pedigree of success - either as an assistant coach (like the NBA) or a head coach at a mid-major who has the potential to make that leap to the elite that is the ACC. What I don't see is a coach who's been around the block and we're doing this same possible coaching dance four or five years later. Brey took this job 21 Julys ago with the belief of making it his own. There's someone out there that has the same dream - and potential. Who's going to find him? Can they find him?

Andy from Bryan,Ohio

10:41

Thanks for taking my question...Mike Brey has been a God send for ND hoops and very few coaches could do what he has done.But everything eventually comes to an end...in your estimation/opinion,what does Mike Brey's successor look like?..What is that snapshot?..Not necessarily asking for possible names as much as strengths to build on the last 20 years?

Thomas Noie

10:41

P: Your standard late-spring answer is coming....ready. Too early to tell. We just have no idea about the 7-8-9-10 spots in the rotation. As mentioned in the previous question, can Elijah Taylor take a role and run with it? If so, he's a main guy. What can Robby Carmody provide? If anything, given his age, he's going to have a case for bench minutes. How about Matt Zona? Then you have the two freshmen. Where/How do they fit? I'm anxious to see this team play in summer (if we're allowed). We usually get a really good indication on how all the pieces fit in June and July.

P. Rose

10:38

The starting five is pretty set, we assume, with some possible fluctuation on number 5 and first off the bench. Who do you anticipate being the 7th and 8th man of 2021-22 season?

Thomas Noie

10:38

X: That would be a great story in a program really void of great stories the last few years. For too long, it's been we get what we see and we haven't seen anything close to what we need to see for this program to be considered among the top half of the ACC. Maybe Elijah Taylor hits the college basketball ground running with his surgically-repaired left ankle and becomes that junkyard-dog type of guy that Bonzie Colson was early in his career. That would be a wrinkle we haven't seen from the Irish in too long. I've tired of seeing the same old guys do the same old stuff. Some new energy is a must.

xmustico

10:35

Do you think Elijah Taylor could be an underrated part of next year's team? Could he be the Colson (as a freshman) that comes off the bench and provides good minutes while guys like Atkinson and Laz get some rest. Big fan of Philly players and think they could use more of that toughness on this team.

Thomas Noie

10:35

And Florida State? Funny you brought up that program. What the Seminoles have done the last few seasons in-season has been remarkably consistent, but man, what happens in the NCAA? Too many guys who don't really look like they know their roles. There is a such a thing of having TOO many guys. That's an example. Regular season, it works in their advantage. Post-season, it works to their disadvantage.

10:34

Andrew: Whatever rotation writing that might be on the wall in summer and preseason already is there. It's no secret who the main guys are and will be. The returning guys know that, so it's not going to reach a point in August or September where someone says, whoa, didn't see that coming. That includes Tony Sanders. He played a total of 79 minutes last season, so that might be a reach to say it will be difficult for him to be handed a lesser role - especially if a bigger role awaits down the road. That's the kind of guy Notre Dame gets. They know what the current picture looks like and what the bigger picture will look like.

Andrew from Plymouth, IN

10:31

Do you anticipate a transfer sometime between the end of summer workouts and the beginning of the season? There aren't enough minutes for everyone so atleast one player is going to be frustrated with their lack of expected minutes. Someone like Tony Sanders is also probably headed for a redshirt season, which will be difficult to swallow coming off a season in which he actually got minutes on the court. I don't imagine Brey changes his philosophy and starts rotating in the way a team like Florida State does in that up to 10 players get significant minutes. How do you think this shakes out?

Thomas Noie

10:30

Bruce: Welcome to the grind that is college basketball. It's hard enough to be up and energetic all the time when your team is winning and all is going good. When it's not - and that's certainly been the last four years - everything about it is hard. Last season, especially because of COVID and the uncertainty staffs operated sometimes not day to day but hour to hour. Losing takes a toll on every head coach, especially someone like Brey who always seemingly had the right answer or button he could push. That's been draining since this core group were freshmen - he hasn't been able to reach them to the point where they can produce. There's something missing, and still might be this season. I thought two years ago that Mike Brey would contemplate leaving. He didn't. Same this year. Didn't happen. When you talk to him away from the coach-media setting, he's got all the same energy and juice he did in 2015-16. He believes he can get back to that. That's half the battle. Now actually go do it.

Bruce, Centralia, IL

10:27

Tom, I doubt that anyone doubts Coach Brey’s ability or his fit with the program. That said, I have observed a distinct drop off in energy from him over the last few seasons, on the sidelines and especially in the postgame. Have you observed the same thing, and if so, do you ascribe it to age, to this group of players being frustrating to coach, or to some other factor that might not be visible to the rest of us? Thanks very much.

Thomas Noie

10:27

Joe: Personal preference for Brey, who would rather have 10-11 guys all relatively happy with their roles than carry 13 guys and have two leave after season's end. Brey comes from the Mike Krzyzewski way of thinking that a shorter bench is a better bench. Brey also believes that the law of injury averages that have crippled this program since 2017-18 HAVE to eventually turn. The Irish were under 10 healthy guys last year because Elijah Taylor underwent ankle surgery and Robby Carmody cracked his kneecap. Brey still believed nine was enough - if he didn't, he wouldn't have sat Carmody the entire year. The injury thing's gotta swing back the Irish way this year, doesn't it?

Joe Asbury Pk Nj

10:24

Why does Coach Brey believe not carrying a full roster of scholarship players is a good strategy ? It seems we are constantly down to under 10 healthy players . This has to effect practice along with games no ?

Thomas Noie

10:23

Dan: Good question - and it may not be open only to freshmen. The plan last year was to play the long game with Tony Sanders, who in a normal year would've gone the five-year route. What if the perimeter is too crowded for him this year? What if power forward Elijah Taylor struggles to get up to ACC speed? I don't see one of the two freshmen going on the five-year plan. At least, not now. What if the returning guys are lights-out good and efficient and operating as one? Might be a consideration down the line. Would be a good problem to have.

Dan - Chicago

10:21

Will anyone sit out this year to preserve eligibility. I assume only the freshman would be potential candidates for this.

Thomas Noie

10:21

Dan: Given what the transfer portal looks like (currently about 1,500 kids) I'd not assume anything. Cormac Ryan was a late portal addition (June 2019). As of now, Notre Dame has no plans to utilize that last scholarship, but if a perfect guard jumps into the portal this afternoon or next week or next month, the Irish certainly will have interest.

Dan - Chicago

10:19

I assume that there will be no more additional players (specifically, transfers) added to this year's team besides Atkinson and the freshmen?

Thomas Noie

10:19

Tony: Academics is a BIG reason for that. Like, everything has to be right and up to date on the transcript before the Irish proceed. And for anyone to hang their hat on getting offer A before offer B is kind of silly. Like, this kid's going to go to this school because they offered first? But what if the other school is a better fit? Don't get so hung up on offers. In journalism, it's often better to be right than to be first. Same can be said for hoops recruiting. Be right instead of first. What does first really mean? Not a whole lot. And it's too early in the recruiting cycle for reasons explained above to think Notre Dame leads for any given recruit. Recruiting has been on ice since the pandemic. It will get back to some sort of normalcy in July where coaches can actually get out and see kids. That's huge.

Tony

10:16

Tom, how come it seems Brey puts out fewer offers and is always later than other coaches. I understand the academics need to be good. But, shouldn’t this be checked on a head of time. Any rumblings that he leads for any recruits?

Thomas Noie

10:15

Tony: Anthony Solomon will be hired as an assistant coach and will be in charge of overhauling the Irish defense. He's going to earn his salary, because that end of the court is a complete teardown/start over. If anybody can do better, it's Slo. He'll get those guys' attention and get them to compete. That right there is a start on that end.

Tony

10:14

Tom, coach Brey talked about getting a defensive asst coach. I don’t see any movement. Have you heard anything? Bringing back Slo is good if it happens but soon this staff will be able to hit the road to recruit.

Thomas Noie

10:14

Nick: Touched a little earlier in the chat about Robby Carmody's health. His role remains a blank slate. Notre Dame went out and added two more guards to an already crowded perimeter with J.R. Konieczny and Blake Wesley. That right there tells you that the window of opportunity may have closed a bit on Carmody. It's up to him to push it back open and carve out a role for himself. Stay healthy and figure it out.

Nick Ventura

10:12

How is Robby Carmody progressing and is there hope that he can contribute this year and if so in what role?

Thomas Noie

10:12

Mike: Indiana is Indiana, one of the top five or six blueblood programs in college basketball. Are we really comparing what happens down in Bloomington to what happens in South Bend as apples to apples? Because it's way different than apples to oranges or anything else. Attendance at Notre Dame games has been average at best (even in the best of years). And Notre Dame believes it can and will be competitive in the ACC, but it's going to do it on its terms. It's not a one-and-done destination. It's not going to take recruiting risks that other schools in the ACC can take. It's going to do it its way. Look at Notre Dame for what it is and not what others are doing and the frustration level might fade. Might.

mike

10:10

I.U gets a new coach and there recruiting goes wild. So is it that Brey is not able to recruit or is it the higher ups just will not allow it. Attendance at most games is real bad but why would you expect people to go to games if the school will not allow the team to be competitive. I have season tickets for thirty years thinking ever year it will be different but I think I am done.

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