JotCast | Notre Dame men's hoops chat - May

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joe from the south side

10:57

Tom, Any update on Laz? I would say 10% ND, 0% NBA, 90% BBL overseas. What are you hearing?

Thomas Noie

10:57

Joe: Yes and no on Elijah Taylor. Figured he'd stay because he never really had a chance to do anything his first two years after ankle surgery as a freshman and then academic issues as a sophomore. Then again, maybe he decides to rid himself of the black cloud that hovered over him since he arrived by finding a fresh start. Can't say exactly what the Irish are losing because we saw so little of him. His best game was against Illinois, a game I was courtside for last year but neck-deep into the Brian Kelly breaking news that I barely noticed Taylor on the court. Carmody's situation was addressed earlier. It's not like he can parachute out and into another D-I program given the lingering injury issues. I am a bit surprised that Trey Wertz is back. Word late last season was he'd want more of a role than this season (18.8 minutes per game), but I don't know how that improves in 2022-23. You mentioned the four guards ahead of him, but Notre Dame also has to figure out what it has in J.R. Konieczny as well.

joe from the south side

10:52

Tom, A bit shocked that only Taylor officially left. You? Any others who might go even after the deadline has passed? Carmody? Part 2 is Wertz staying was also crazy. I guess the ND education must have real value to him and hats off are in order. But, he has to be at least the 5th guard behind Dane, Cormac, JJS and Hammond.

Thomas Noie

10:46

Joe: How about NONE of the above? Seriously. It wasn't like Brey and that staff shelved recruiting the past few years, though I know that's the perception. Brey was going to give that senior class of Hubb, Goodwin and Laszewski (then Ryan and Wertz) every chance to max out their college careers. That meant not recruiting over them when maybe they should've been recruited over. That run was coming to an end last season (though the super senior seasons will be a factor) so Brey knew he and his staff had to deliver. Welcome, J.J. Starling and Ven-Allen Lubin and Dom Campbell. Now there's some momentum, so build off it. But again, how much? Recruiting the portal and understanding how to use it might be more important than scouting high school kids at AAU tournaments. Given the pool of prospects that Notre Dame can be serious about and are serious about Notre Dame, there's always going to be the perception of "being left in the dust." It takes a different kind of kid to want to go to Notre Dame. Just does.

joe from the south side

10:41

Tom, There seems to be a renewed vigor to Brey and recruiting. He has to have 10+ offers out there for 23 and 24. Do you attribute this to Slo? Antoni? Brey? Or with the new D1 landscape, it is recruit like crazy, including the transfer portal, or get left in the dust?

Thomas Noie

10:41

Mike: Not really. Robby Carmody will graduate this month from Notre Dame and seemingly has five or six years of eligibility remaining. He may return to the roster for 2022-23 but his lingering knee issues will prohibit him from ever having more of a role than just practice player/team guy. He's tried to work his way back and would practice for two weeks, then have to be shut down because of swelling/soreness. That was the routine this year - back for a couple weeks and feeling good, then back out because of soreness. It's never going to NOT be an issue. I can see him staying on this season to earn a Master's and then maybe going somewhere other than D-I to give it one more (limited) chance.

San Diego Mike

10:38

Surprised to see Carmody didn’t enter the transfer portal… any word on the latest from Robby?

Thomas Noie

10:37

Brian: The annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge will be the first week of December - matchups usually are announced later this month. Notre Dame is due a home game this season. How about a First Four rematch against former Big East colleague Rutgers? That double-overtime game arguably was the best game of the NCAA tournament (we see you, Saint Peter's). The leagues try to schedule it where teams that played at home last year go on the road this year. For Big Ten teams, that would be Illinois, Purdue, Rutgers, Ohio State, Michigan State, Maryland and Penn State. Notre Dame already has done the Challenge dance with Illinois, Ohio State, Michigan State and Maryland. The Terps also have the option of sitting out this one because they have a first-year coach in Kevin Willard. Playing Purdue at home would be cool now that the Crossroads Classic is done. We'll see how that shapes up. No Crossroads opens another non-conference slot. We'll see how Notre Dame fills that.

Brian

10:32

Good morning, Tom. For 2022-23 nonconference games, I’m tracking St. Bonaventure at UBS Arena in New York on November 25, Marquette at home on December 11, and Bowling Green at home TBD. Are there any other games scheduled? Any insight as to when they’ll release more matchups? Thank you!

Thomas Noie

10:29

Ron: Right now, plenty of options in the ever-open transfer portal. But none that are as serious as Basile. That may change in the coming weeks. That might not.

Ron

10:29

Hopefully the Irish get Grant Basile and Nate returns. Any other options for ND?

Thomas Noie

10:29

Joe:" Good stuff, kind of....lol. Paul Atkinson shot two 3s last season, so I'd guess more often than not that he was somewhere inside the paint on a missed 3. Mike Brey would rather play the percentages that his guys will make enough shots from 3 and not worry about offensive rebounds to the point where it sacrifices the floor balance back on the defensive end. We all know that a missed three can be the first pass of a fast break back the other way, right? It's more important to get back on defense than battle for an offensive rebound. That speaks to this team being shot makers. Mike Brey believes they're going to make enough shots (especially from 3) where he doesn't have to worry about offensive rebounds. Make shots, get back and defend.

Joe from Katy, TX

10:25

Tom, I get the basic principles of Brey's type of free-flowing offense. However, one thing I've never been able to understand is why so many times there isn't a single ND player inside the 3 point line after a teammate lets one fly from behind the arc. It's not just that all 5 players are beyond the 3 point line at the time of the shot. After the release nobody runs in to try to get the offensive rebound. Obviously this doesn't happen on every possession, but it's staggering how many times it does occur. Why the lack of attempts at offensive rebounds? I theory, a missed 3 pointer should be easier for a "vertically challenged" team to rebound since the carom is less predictable and can easily soar over a defender who has the better rim position. Teams have been able to turn some of those misses into easy fast break points, even with ND's defenders sagging into the backcourt. I'm guessing opposing coaches tell some of their players to leak out vs worrying about crashing the defensive boards.

Thomas Noie

10:24

Honestly, I can't quite get a handle on what Nate Laszewski wants to do or what he could do. From the intel we had throughout the season, there were two schools of thought - guys who were definitely coming back and guys who were classified by those close to the program as "extreme longshots." The guys who were definitely thought to be coming back - Cormac Ryan, Dane Goodwin, likely Trey Wertz - have come back. The "extreme longshots" were Prentiss Hubb and Nate Laszewski, just because the feeling inside Rolfs Hall was that both were ready to begin the next chapter of their lives, whatever that meant from a basketball standpoint. Laszewski is in full-on chase mode in terms of his NBA dream. What does that mean? It may not mean many individual workouts or an invite to the upcoming NBA combine. That still might not be enough for him to give college one more try. Those close to the program believe he might be 50/50 in terms of staying or going. It might be more like 40/60 for him to return.

NDHoopsAddict

10:20

Is Lasewski exit a done deal, or any hope he returns?

Thomas Noie

10:20

Too early to tell, in that we don't know if Notre Dame will have that one big down low who can/will/should a high percentage. Last year's team finished at .463 percent from the field and .389 percent from the foul line. A lot of the FG percentage was boosted by Paul Atkinson, who shot a team-best .587. Right now, there's nobody on the roster who you can pencil in as a .500 percent guy from the field. They may not have a guy. Going back since the 2010-11 season, no team shot it better from the field or from 3 than that 2014-15 outfit, which finished at .509 from the field, .390 from 3. That team is without peer for myriad reasons. It had everything - an All-American point guard (Jerian Grant), a more-than-capable big (Zach Auguste) and perimeter guys who could make shots from distance and at the rim. The 2022-23 team may not have any of those ingredients to start, but could eventually develop into a high-percentage team.

Dan

10:16

How do you think this team potentially ranks as a shooting team (both fg and ft) versus previous ND teams?

Thomas Noie

10:11

Dan: That's going to be a popular topic today (understandably) and it's been addressed. Scroll up (or down) to find the intel. From what I've learned, Basile was a bit hesitant with the number of bigs already on the roster, which steered him to look closer at Virginia Tech. That may mean Laszewski COULD return instead of chasing his pro dreams.

Dan

10:09

Laszewski and Basile update? And do you feel how one might decide might affect the decison of the

Thomas Noie

10:09

Willie: Not yet. The whole name, Image and Likeness circus hasn't made a full stop at Rolfs Hall just yet. There were only a couple of instances (at least publicly) when NIL was a factor on last season's team. A handful of players conducted a preseason clinic at South Bend Saint Joseph High School to earn a couple bucks. Also, Nate Laszewski and Cormac Ryan had something with Drive and Shine, a company you're probably familiar with. Laszewski and Ryan even filmed a commercial for Drive and Shine, where Laszewski uses a car vacuum as a hair dryer. There may be additional NIL opportunities moving forward, but this group was more focused on playing basketball than making money.

Willie from Mishawaka

10:06

Recently I learned that the football team has a group(Irish Players Club) that raises funds to help the current players with funding(NIL?). Is there a group or one being planned to help the basketball team with funding(NIL)?

Thomas Noie

10:06

Jim: First, don't believe the hype - Mike Brey may be Mr. Loosest Coach in America on the outside, but on the inside, he's tied up in knots. That's something he may be at times this season with the lack of another veteran big. Grant Basile was the top target - there really wasn't a clear No. 2. Notre Dame will continue to monitor the transfer portal for a possible addition, but I get the feeling they're ready to move forward with Matt Zona and Ven-Allen Lubin and possibly Nate Laszewski if needed. That will be a situation worth monitoring moving forward. We may not have an answer of what the big man situation will look like at least until June 1 (when Laszewski has to decide) and then maybe closer to summer school (which starts in mid June).

Jim Reagan, Charlottesville, BA

10:03

Hi Tom. Love this Chat! Mike Brey has managed the stress of coaching 🏀 at ND well enough to have earned the MO of (almost) never letting’em see you sweat. So I will worry aloud for him about a dearth of capable Bigs on next season’s team. As of now the suspects are three, a Junior without meaningful minutes since HS, and two Freshmen, one not ready for the rotation and the other playing out of position in it. Thoughts? Oh yeah, the question! What Bigs are in the now closed Transport Portal who Brey is recruiting to continue the excellent precedent of SAVING A SEASON that Paul Atkinson, Jr set I ‘21?

Thomas Noie

10:02

For those who missed it, Notre Dame added a transfer guard last week in former Niagara standout Marcus Hammond. To be fair, nobody is going to have an assist/turnover ratio comparable to what former Irish guard Prentiss Hubb did last season (4.4 A/T ratio in ACC play). Hammond was asked to do more of the scoring lifting for the Purple Eagles last season - he led the team in scoring (18.1) field goal attempts (408) and 3-point attempts (184). He was second on the team in assists (84) and led the team in turnovers (64). Having never seen him play, I think Hammond fills more of the Blake Wesley role on next season's team than Hubb's role. Mike Brey believes he can never have too many guards - and especially veteran guards. Wesley's likely departure after one year for the NBA opened that door. In speaking with Hammond, he just wants to fit in and win, something he surely can do with this group. He may not need to be a MAIN guy, but will be one of the veteran guys.

9:57

Linas: We're here year-round for you scratch your hoops itch. There's never a bad time to talk hoops, especially on another fall-like spring day in Northern Indiana. For those of you missed it, Wright State power forward Grant Basile chose Virginia Tech over Notre Dame, Wisconsin and Iowa State on Wednesday. He was the top big man target of Notre Dame to replace graduate transfer Paul Atkinson, who arguably was the team's most valuable player last season (I'd lean toward Dane Goodwin). Right now, there is no concrete second choice, though the Irish staff will continue to monitor the transfer portal.

Linas from Aliso Viejo, CA

9:54

Hey Tom, Thanks for keeping the "hot stove" league alive in the off season for all the hard core Irish fans. I assume Basile will decide soon, if he hasn't already by the time you read this. If not Notre Dame, have you heard about any other transfer portal players scheduled for a visit? Also, any concerns about Hammond fitting in with his less than desirable (compared to Prentiss Hubb) assists to turnover ratio? Have not seen him play but I assume Brey and staff have done their homework and found a guard to shares the ball as well as all of Brey's teams have done during his tenure here

Thomas Noie

9:54

Bob: Is "Too early to tell...." an option. Right now, it would be just a guess, with a possible big man (or two) to be named later. Right now, the number of bigs on the roster is slim - junior to be Matt Zona and incoming freshmen Dom Campbell and Ven-Allen Lubin. Notre Dame may (stress may) add another big via the transfer portal and may (again, stress may) get Nate Laszewski back for his super senior season. Those two possibilities may be a coin flip. Stay tuned.

Bob

9:51

What is your best guess on the big men on NDs roster next season ?

Thomas Noie

9:47

Who will be the breakout Irish player for the 2022-23 season?

J.R. Konieczny (44.4% | 28 votes)

Matt Zona (3.2% | 2 votes)

Tony Sanders (0% | 0 votes)

J.J. Starling (47.6% | 30 votes)

Ven-Allen Lubin (3.2% | 2 votes)

Other (1.6% | 1 vote)

Total Votes: 63

9:43

Welcome to May and welcome to another Notre Dame men's basketball chat. There's been no shortage since we last met - players coming, players going, schedule stuff, etc. To join today's chat, be sure to include your name and hometown. And with that, let's light this May chat candle...

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