JotCast | Notre Dame men's basketball season opening chat

Notre Dame men's basketball season opening chat

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Rick, Iowa City, IA

11:07

Hey Tom! Long time fan here and excited for 2021-22. Feels like this group can finally bring home a second weekend NCAA Tournament appearance. Do you think we'll see a different defensive identity with Slo back in the mix? Go Irish!

Thomas Noie

11:07

Jacob: Let's go with Kentucky at home. North Carolina at home. Virginia at home, then the Irish do what the Irish historically have done and steal a few on the road. Illinois will be difficult. Indiana at neutral site will be difficult. That's OK - as long as this group competes and isn't down double digits by the second media timeout.

Jacob

11:05

What big games do you think we win this year, including the maui tournament?

Thomas Noie

11:05

My man....need to see more from these guys to really have a handle. Let's go with 20-plus overall wins and 10-plus league wins. Top half of the ACC and an NCAA tournament seed of some sort. After missing out on the last four years, even if the Irish have to go to the play-in game, they'll take it.

The man

11:04

record projection for regular season and acc play? and also maybe an acc tournament projection as well as march madness? very early but would be fun to think about

Thomas Noie

11:01

Clint: Too early to tell. Notre Dame has played two exhibition games, both of which got out of hand really early. After that, it's just a pickup game and hard to really say, whoa, haven't seen that. Like, Trey Wertz hit five 3s and played with great pace in the second exhibition, but he missed the first exhibition with an ankle injury. Can he do that for more than one game? It's kind of like that across the board. There's a lot to like from the two exhibitions, but it really doesn't matter - right now. Let's see it for a week or two or three and then you're like, yeah, this guy or that guy has gotten better. And here's why.

Clint from Winnipeg

10:59

Which of the returning players has surprised you the most in terms of his improvement?

Thomas Noie

10:59

Aidan: Whooooooaaaaaaaaaa. I get the excitement around Wesley, and rightfully so, but let's see him get through his freshman year where the struggles are real, especially the next few months when the games are coming quickly and finals lurk and more games and the spring semester. That said, the tools are there for Wesley to be really good. I'm not going into greatness territory. Not before he's played a game.

Aidan

10:58

How much will Wesley contribute this year and when it’s all said and done can he rank up there with some of the great players Brey has had in the past decade (Grant, Pat, DJ, etc.)

Thomas Noie

10:57

Tyler: It's been hard to get to know these guys, like, really know them as I have with so many classes/teams/guys in the past. I've asked more than once about doing something with Robby Carmody and all that he's been through. It's never gone any further than that. As for the future, I feel comfortable contacting just about anyone (there are a few exceptions, lol) that's played in this program during my 24 years on the beat if I need to reach out. Ninety-nine point nine times, guys get back to me.

Tyler from Michiana

10:55

Tom, I’m curious about the relationships you have with the 2018 class. Hindered given the current health circumstances of course, but I’m curious if you plan to remain in touch with any of these guys after 2022 (or 2023) or see a certain relationship that you feel that door would always be open?

Thomas Noie

10:55

Mark: Ha! Good one. I kid, I kid. There will be nights - a lot of them really and against the elite teams - when this rotation won't go beyond seven. It's the starting five of Hubb, Ryan, Goodwin, Laszewski and Atkinson and Wertz and Wesley off the bench. Now, there might be chances for say, Elijah Taylor as the eighth man against a physical team or J.R. Konieczny against a perimeter team. But not on a regular basis.

Mark Metzler - Rochester, NY

10:53

Tom, great to be back! How deep will this team play once we get to ACC play? 8-9 guys?

Thomas Noie

10:53

Mike: They can't be any worse than last season, right? I still think of that second half at Syracuse and shudder. So does Mike Brey. Don't think you're going to see these guys running all over the floor and throwing traps and double teams here and there and everywhere. At least, not yet. Let's perfect halfcourt defense and key in on gang rebounding before branching out. Small steps with this group, but the small steps have been good. Let's see them translate.

Rockaway Mike

10:51

Do you think Notre Dame will be better at handling the full court press this season?? Last year they mostly dumped the ball in the corner and hoped for the best. On the flip side; with a defensive minded, deeper and more athletic lineup, do you expect Notre Dame to utilize and be more of a full court/trapping defence?? I think that would surprise everyone!! Thanks Tom.

Thomas Noie

10:48

Jeff: Trevor Keels is going to be a problem in the league, not just for Notre Dame. He's really good. Notre Dame just needs to be Notre Dame - remember when Jahlil Okafor was the latest big with the tremendous upside like Banchero is today. Notre Dame beat Duke twice that season, including in the ACC tournament semifinals. So just do what the Irish do. It really is about them and not so much about the other teams. It's good to get a team like Kentucky early before the Wildcats figure it out. I also saw where John Calipari played only seven guys. Mike Brey's not the only one....lol

Jeff from Schererville, IN

10:45

Tom, I’m wondering if you saw Kentucky-Duke and if so what your impressions were of that game and its participants. It looks like the WV transfer is a beast on the glass for UK and that’s been a problem for ND, and as for Duke, Banchero was what we thought he’d be but Keels looked like a hidden gem. Their games against ND are a month or more away, but what are some things ND might be able to do or should do against each in order to give themselves the best chance to win? Thanks and keep up your great work.

Thomas Noie

10:45

Zach: It really doesn't. If all six of the guys who have eligibility remaining want to return, I think Mike Brey will give them that chance. It's a little different situation than bringing back Nik Djogo or Juwan Durham this season for a SIXTH year. Brey is pretty up front with his guys in that after five years, it's just time to move on. After four? Don't think he's escorting any of those guys out the door at Rolfs if they say, hey, Coach, I'd like to come back.

Zach

10:43

How do you think the recent recruiting class (getting 3 4-star players) impacts the likelihood of any 5th year guys next season (Laszewski, Goodwin, Wertz, Ryan, etc)

Thomas Noie

10:42

Jim: Thanks for the note and the kind words. Having the overlap of football and basketball keeps me hopping, but it sure beats the alternative, so no complaint there. I really don't see this as a make-or-break season for Mike Brey in terms of the way Jack Swarbrick sees it. He often looks at a program - hoops, football, hockey - you name the sport - a little differently than just wins or losses. Are the coaches reaching the student-athletes? Are the student-athletes responding to the coaching staff? What's the overall vibe around the practice facility? I get the sense in my conversations with Jack Swarbrick that a whole lot has to go wrong with any given program for him to believe a coaching change is necessary. And if the previous four years weren't make-or-break years, why would the fifth be? No, I think Mike Brey is the coach of this program until at least the end of the 2024-25 season when his contract expires. Then what? New coach? Contract extension? Think all that works itself the next few years.

Jim Tal, Valley Center, CA.

10:39

Good morning Tom. Thanks so much for all your fine work when it comes to ND hoops. Heck, your football stuff is pretty darn good too. My question is a fairly straight forward one. Do you foresee any way that Brey returns as ND coach in 2022-23 if the Irish fail to make the Big Dance? If not, does he leave on his own or does AD Jack give him a gentle nudge out the door? Or could he conceivably stay on if the Irish show modest improvement this year and given that he's bringing in a very solid recruiting class next fall? Does this truly amount to a do-or-die season for the coach?

Thomas Noie

10:38

Tyler: Thank God the Crossroads is ending with this last installment of Notre Dame playing Indiana in Indianapolis at whatever Bankers Life Fieldhouse is called these days. It's run its course. Notre Dame and Marquette announced in 2019 that it would renew its rivalry beginning with a game at Fiserv Forum in the 2022-23 season. It's a home and home, which means Marquette comes to South Bend in 2023-24. No Crossroads opens the Irish to explore different games against different teams. Maybe Villanova. Maybe DePaul. Maybe UCLA. Maybe Georgetown. Mike Brey mentioned Wednesday he's also talked with Indiana coach Mike Woodson about rekindling that series, only home and homes instead of neutral sites. So there's that.

Tyler from Michiana

10:35

Tom, with the Crossroads ending at the conclusion of this season, what game do you see in 2022-23 being the neutral site game or the “marque” game that replaces it? Any rumblings? My prediction is a true road game at Marquette with the return game in South Bend in 2023. What do you think?

Thomas Noie

10:20

Tyler: What IS the cost of a ticket to a Notre Dame men's basketball game? Tiered like football? Though it would be hard to justify paying $100 for games against Kentucky and Duke. I get where the athletic department is coming from - it has to make up for last year's loss of revenue, but it also needs to understand the market. Notre Dame men's basketball tickets isn't anywhere close to Notre Dame football tickets.

Tyler from Michiana

10:18

Tom, I know this is a question you’ve addressed before but I’m just curious on what you think the thought process behind the cost of these tickets is? Attendance will be down this winter because of the ongoing health concerns. That’s understandable. But for Notre Dame to rather have a half empty arena at the expense of not selling those tickets for half the cost just makes no sense from both an economic standpoint (what’s money to ND anyway) and a fan/player experience. Everybody all around benefits from a sold out arena. Players, fans, and most importantly the university. Winning of course is the cure all but still…

Thomas Noie

10:17

Tyler: Nate's a hard guy to get a read on in that he doesn't share a lot of his feelings. He's really quiet. Ask him about next season and he'll say he'll think about it at the end of the season. It's hard to say if he'd want a fifth year. Maybe. Maybe not. There are guys who would jump at the chance, and then there are guys like former Irish forward Carleton Scott who believe that when their time is up, it's up and it's on to the next basketball challenge.

Tyler from Michiana

10:16

Tom, not that you’d share if you knew exactly but what’s your best guess about Laszewski going into 2022-23? I’d imagine his professional future regardless of his season this year is international basketball. That’s not going anywhere. Do you see Nate as a 5 year guy?

Thomas Noie

10:16

If you shoot the coaching staff with truth serum, then ask them about the 2022-23 lineup, I think they'd want to have a lineup of J.J. Starling and Blake Wesley in the backcourt. Ryan or Goodwin as the third guard. If Lubin is that advanced, maybe he earns a spot on the front line. The fifth starter? How about J.R. Konieczny, who might be closer to 6-8 by then as a sort of a hybrid role of forward/guard? Gotta keep developing the back end of the rotation in Elijah Taylor and Tony Sanders, Jr., and Matt Zona. You also can explore the transfer portal. Maybe they get another guy like Paul Atkinson, Jr. A lot of options and not a lot of answers. For now.

10:13

Tyler: Great to hear from. That Ven-Allen Lubin at 6-foot-8, 220 -pounds, might be in line to challenge for a starting spot doesn't necessarily mean the Irish might lose two guards - it means there's opportunity along the front line. Paul Atkinson, Jr., will be out of eligibility. He won't be back. Nate Laszewski? Not sure. If he leaves, those are your two frontcourt starters. You need to replace power forwards with power forwards. Next season is a HUGE guessing game. Six of the seven guys who graduate in the spring could conceivably return. Dane Goodwin already has expressed an interest in playing a fifth year so he can get his Master's. You'd think Cormac Ryan and Trey Wertz would want a fifth year as well.

Tyler from Michiana

10:10

Tom, I read on a recruiting site that the consistent message from Brey & staff to Ven-Allen Lubin during his recruitment was that he’d have “an immediate role in starting.” If this is true, that leads me to believe that the staff is expecting to lose 2 guards next year (Hubb + Wertz or Goodwin) because Starling, Ryan, Wesley are all but locks to start in 2022-23. Too soon to say that we can just bury Sanders in his 3rd year or a 2nd year Konieczny for that SF/PF hybrid role that I’m assuming Brey sees Lubin in. Opinion?

Thomas Noie

10:09

Trevor: All of it is going to depend on how well this team can and will guard. If they really are bought into defense, and can do it consistently over 40 minutes, the four-around-one lineup (four guards with one big) might be Notre Dame's best lineup with guard Dane Goodwin as the second big. He can play around the rim. He can rebound. That's a smaller but a quicker yet also probably better lineup than playing two bigs. It just seems like the Irish have another gear when they can get to four-around-one.

Trevor B from Punta Gorda Fl

10:08

What line up do you believe will prove to be most productive??

Thomas Noie

10:08

Trevor: I want to see how former Yale power forward Paul Atkinson, Jr.'s game translates to the ACC. He's going to face bigger and better competition. How will he respond? It's one thing to do it in the Ivy League, and Atkinson did it quite well during his three seasons. If he can do it as well in the ACC, that just opens everything up for everyone else.

Trevor B from Punta Gorda Fl

10:06

what player are you looking forward to seeing the most this season and why?

Thomas Noie

10:05

Trevor: Only a matter of time. Mike Brey has a core starting five right now, but has never been shy about shaking that up. Wesley's a main guy regardless. He's going to play heavy minutes. Heavy doesn't mean 32+ but it does mean that he's firmly in the rotation. To stay. To play.

Trevor B from Punta Gorda Fl

10:04

Second question. Do you believe there’s a good chance Blake breaks into the starting 5?

Thomas Noie

10:04

Trevor: Great to hear from you....send some of that Florida sun up this way. Blake Wesley's waaaaay further along than I would've thought. Watching him a ton in high school, I thought it would take time to shape his game into what Mike Brey likes to do. Wesley had to do a lot in high school. How would that translate? Would it? It has. He's gotten serious about not being only a scorer. He's a basketball player. There haven't been many freshmen (maybe going back to Tory Jackson) who are this ready this early. He's going to play. A lot. Early.

Trevor B from Punta Gorda Fl

10:02

First, I just gotta say I appreciate your coverage of ND basketball fan. Always enjoy reading your articles and these chats you bring to the fan base. I have two questions for you. First one may be a bit premature but since you’ve seen him live and in person I was wondering how far along you believe Blake Wesley is compared to some of the former Irish you’ve seen. Thanks!

Thomas Noie

10:02

Tony: Because when you compile a coaching staff of Notre Dame graduates (Ryan Ayers, Ryan Humphrey) and someone who's been by your side since you arrived at Notre Dame (rod Balanis), you really want it all to work. You're maybe more patient with the process than you otherwise would be. This was the staff that was in place when Notre Dame went to the NCAA Tournament in 2016-17. Then it went sideways. If you're Brey, you want it to work. Loyalty is big with him and he was maybe too loyal before making any changes. He realized before last season started that changes needed to be made. He made them. A lot of them. I didn't think he had THAT in him, to go to that extreme. But this staff has re-energized everything around the program. It's almost an entirely different outfit. That allows for optimism instead of the same-old, same-old.

Tony

9:59

Tom, why do you think it took Coach Brey so long to realize a staff changed was needed? I hope it helps on the court as much as it is in recruiting. Now they can go after the 2023 players.

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