JotCast | Notre Dame men's basketball season wrap chat

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Joe, Chicago

12:08

What took so long for Cormac Ryan to become a critical member of the offense? Felt like he did not do much between his great game at Duke last year and the latter half of the conference schedule this year. Those Ben Hansbrough comparisons finally made sense

Thomas Noie

12:08

Joe: Welcome to the top of the scouting report, Dane Goodwin, who didn't handle the added attention all that well. When teams looked to take him away, he didn't have much of a counter. That's one reason why I wonder about him returning. He had an all-league type of year that will be tough to top. Does he want to try?

Joe, Chicago

12:07

Goodwin definitely slowed down the last half of conference season - was that a product of being the focal point of scouting reports or something else? Injury?

Thomas Noie

12:07

Joe: Louisville has to be right there at the top of everyone's list. How far/fast the Cardinals fell this year was frightening. That's an elite program that looked like a mid-major almost overnight. Like, what happened to all the talent???? Florida State just had one of THOSE seasons. Virginia needs more guys that fit its style.

Joe, Chicago

12:05

Obviously this was a down year for the ACC, but not as down as the national media would make you believe. Which programs do you see bouncing back next year? Any other than the obvious in FSU and UVA?

Thomas Noie

11:58

Joe: Don't know. I never saw him in high school, though all indications are that he was similar in college as he was in high school. He wasn't an attack the basket, finish in traffic guy before he got to Notre Dame. He played his role pretty darn well - find guys, make a few shots, play with no fear and take care of the ball. He might be the only player in NCAA Tournament history to have the line he had against Rutgers with seven assists, no turnovers in 43 minutes. He could drive you nuts with his shot selection, but he'll be missed. Watch.

Joe, Chicago

11:56

How much did Hubb's ACL injury in high school affect the type of player he became in college?

Thomas Noie

11:56

Wasn't Atkinson on the floor at the end of the second overtime against Rutgers? Had a pretty big rebound and basket, too.

Cowboy Mike

11:55

Brey seems to bench Atkinson late in crucial games so that he can go small. It makes no sense to me. He can rebound and score so why take him out.

Thomas Noie

11:55

Joe: Good call, but Notre Dame did that non-conference dance in DC this past season, and almost got burned because of it. No, you don't go out on that limb two straight seasons. They had to this season. They don't have to next.

joe from the south side

11:54

Tom, What with some open slots in the schedule, the 2024 ACC Tourney is in DC. If Ewing won't schedule ND, tell Brey to schedule his alma mater. Then the Irish could have a game under their belt in the site which will host the league tourney. Plus, it is a fertile recruiting territory anyway.

Thomas Noie

11:53

Port: Figure that Notre Dame's budget/support staff is middle of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The resources allocated just aren't there. I was floored when I was doing Texas Tech research to see 47 individuals included in the team picture. That included an advisor to the head coach, a chief of staff, a director of scouting, two player development coaches, six graduate assistants and nine student assistants. Maybe that's standard operating procedure for state schools/Big 12 programs, but Notre Dame never would allocate that amount of resources for basketball. Never. Figure some ACC teams do something more than what Notre Dame does, but it's pretty much a bare-bones operations in terms of analytics/support staff. Why? Easy. It's not football...

PortND, Upstate NY

11:50

Tom, as always appreciate the coverage. Do you happen to know how ND compares to the rest of the ACC with regards to budget for the hoops program as well as regarding support staff. Also, do other hoops programs use analysts similar to football programs? If so, do you know where ND is with these things?

Thomas Noie

11:44

Mickey: Hope to one day take you up on that offer, my man! GIbbs? Whew, having flashbacks right now...make them stop. The hint was hinted at because the transfer portal is the transfer portal and it's waaaaaaay easier for guys to jump in it and find a new place than to go through the sit-out process. Nobody was in the portal last year. Odds that that happens two straight seasons? About as good as Prentiss Hubb returning for a fifth year.

Mickey, New York

11:42

Tom, sorry we didn’t connect in Brooklyn. The tab is still open for the next time.
All season you hinted at guys moving on after this run. Do you have a view or thoughts on who is likely to return if that option is available? From here it looks like Gibbs transfers and Hubb goes to a pro career someplace. Atkinson can go pro someplace but maybe wants to come back.
The rest are likely to have the option to return but will they?
And with JJ coming in does that shift the rotation at all?
Hope to see you at some point!

Thomas Noie

11:42

Steve: Longshot at best for Nate Laszewski. Longer shot for Paul Atkinson, Jr. Coin flip based on the year that Dane Goodwin had. He may decide to parlay that into a run in Europe. He may decide he wants another year.

Steve from Cincinnati

11:41

With Hubb, Wertz and Carmody gone … where would you put the odds that Dane and Laz return? I know Paul is a long shot to get that waiver.

Thomas Noie

11:41

Joe: Yes. There's nothing there where you point to him and say, yeah, Tony Sanders is going to play more because of this and this and this. On the flip side, there's nothing there where you point to him and say, no, Tony Sanders is never going to play because of this and this and this. The ultimate project. So too, to an extent is Matt Zona. Both are blank canvases. Never was there a time this season when you thought, man, if only Sanders or Zona could offer them something. Now they have a chance to change that. Will they?

joe from the south side

11:39

Tom, You know what is interesting is that throughout the chat, all of the key guys get mentioned. Naturally. Also, we touched on Taylor and Big Zone as possibly being the 5 man next year. JR gets a shout out for local flavor. I even brought up Wertz. Nobody, but nobody, ever mentions Sanders. Is he that much of a forgotten man?

Thomas Noie

11:39

Steve: All TBD. There's no set timetable for decisions. All options are open with the transfer portal.

Steve from Cincinnati

11:38

When do you expect decisions to be made on this senior class , where they stay or go? I know Brey mentioned he was doing individual talks this week. Do you expect them to go after a guard in the portal since Wertz and Hubb are pretty much gone or are they putting there eggs into JJ Starling ?

Thomas Noie

11:37

Tim: There was talk earlier this year that Notre Dame might be in one of the tournaments at Barclays Center (Legends?) but that was before the possible Saint Bonaventure game at UBS. Do they spend the entire week in New York? We'll see. Elijah Taylor hasn't played/been healthy for two years. Starting next season is too big of a bite. Can he first be a rotation guy? That has to be his first step. Small steps with him.

Tim fromPittsburgh

11:36

Hi Tom great coverage and information as always. Do you know what pre- season tournament they will be in next year? Also do you think Taylor would be able to step in and start at center? Thanks

Thomas Noie

11:36

Joe: And get absolutely smoked on the backboard. That lineup will work well in some games, not so well in others. You need at least one big to keep teams like North Carolina honest.

joe from the south side

11:35

Tom, If Wesley stays, IF, the 5 spot is meaningless to Brey and ND. He will go to the Jim Larranaga model of 5 guards, or 4 guards and one big. If the 4 are CMAC, Dane, Blake and JJS, Brey will view the 5 spot as 10 rebounds and 10 fouls. Set some picks and don't turn the ball over. Those 4 guards could easily average 50-60pts/game. Easily.

Thomas Noie

11:34

JD: To be determined. Don't expect Paul Atkinson or Nate Laszewski to return. Elijah Taylor needs to show something of substance. The transfer portal may be Notre Dame's best friend in terms of bigs.

11:34

sorry if it’s already been discussed, but what does the front line look like next year? Chances of each of Atkinson and Lazewski returning? Is Elijah Taylor expected to be on the roster next season? Transfer portal?

Thomas Noie

11:33

Bret: J.J. Starling may be the most highly-ranked prospect to play for Mike Brey. So, there's that if you're into that recruiting rankings (hint: don't be). Let's see where/how he Starling fits before we go any deeper with him, or start wondering about how short a career he might have in South Bend.

Bret

11:32

Bret from Southern California. How excited should Irish fans be about JJ Starling? In you opinion will he be a more productive and valuable player this upcoming year than Wesley was? Is he most likely a one and done player or can we realistically hope that he plays at least two seasons?

Thomas Noie

11:31

Chris: The bar was raised this season to a point where it really always should be - double-digit league wins, a top five, six conference finish and trip to the NCAA Tournament where you push for a Sweet 16. Almost got there this year. No reason to think they can't dream that dream next year.

Chris , DC.

11:30

Tom, This has been a fun ride this year. As we turn our attention to next year, let’s assume no Hubb or Atkinson. ND is able to get a transfer to replace Atkinson. How good could ND be next year in this scenario. Thanks !

Thomas Noie

11:30

Bret: Hubb, Laszewski, Atkinson all are longshots to return. Wertz maybe in that group as well. Goodwin could be a coin flip. He had indicated he'd be interested in a fifth year but that was before this season, which may have surpassed his expectation. Wesley? Who really knows? Ryan might be the only sure thing right now. Stay tuned.

Bret

11:29

Hey Tom this is Bret from Southern California. What's the chances in percentages that Goodwin, Wertz, Ryan, Hubb. Laszewski, Wesley, and Atkinson come back. I know Atkinson needs NCAA approval so when you respond to him please assume that the NCAA gives him an additional year. Thank you for another solid year of writing about the Irish.

Thomas Noie

11:24

Adam: It matters very little what seniors return or even if Blake Wesley returns for 2022-23. J.J. Starling will play - and play a lot - from the minute he arrives on campus for summer school in June.

Adam - St. Louis

11:24

Tom: any predictions on which of the seniors will utilize their COVID year next season? How does that impact the incoming freshman class? Have to assume that Starling is going to get Wesley type minutes next season.

Thomas Noie

11:23

Jim: He should. See the transcript for the seniors.

Jim Copler

11:23

Will Blake Wesley be back for 2022-23 season? What Seniors will be back next year?

Thomas Noie

11:23

Phil: Short answer: No.

Phil Omaha

11:22

Does ND have a timeline on the NCAA Decision on Atkinson?

Thomas Noie

11:22

Steve: Good stuff. I'll keep writing if you keep reading. And speaking of reading, roll through this transcript to find the answers to your questions.

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