JotCast | Notre Dame season wrap chat

Notre Dame season wrap chat

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Thomas Noie

2:04

Joe: You get that one team every year that comes from completely nowhere and plays way above its heads. Thought it would be Oregon State after watching them few times in Indy. But when you get someone like Johnny Juzang catching fire the way he has, you go to the Final Four. They completely made Michigan look so un-Michigan. Mick's a good guy. Happy for him. Never got the credit he deserved at Cincinnati.

joe from the south side

2:02

Tom: Not necessarily ND, but did you see the run coming out of UCLA? Boy was I wrong about Michael Walter Cronin. Never thought his style of play would sell outside of the midwest, especially not in LA.

Thomas Noie

2:00

Had to branch out a little bit with a lull in the queue. Now back to the men's program. Sorry.

David, Auburn, IN

1:59

When did you become the women's basketball beat writer? Seriously, though, do you think it might be good for one or two of the juniors to transfer and get some fresh blood in the program?

Thomas Noie

1:56

You mean the tap to Aminu Timberlake's chest? Seriously? Come on, my man.

John from Somers, CT

1:56

I hope you were joking about "step on the occasional fallen player's chest, give him a little nastiness".

Mike from The Land of Cheese

1:55

Blast from the past opposing players who should've ended up at ND: Jason Collier, Carson Cunningham (now coaches Incarnate Word; has a PhD), Bobby Hurley.

Thomas Noie

1:47

Again, too easy. Don't play? Find a place you can play. Not always a right/wrong question. It's a play/sit question.

Mike McFadden, Williamsport, PA

1:46

Hi Tom, Very sorry Tom but I could disagree with you more. Look at this real life example. Alli Campbell lives in Bellwood, PA, less than 15 minute drive to State College. She gets recruited for 3 long years to go to psU coach. psU fires the coach that ND hires, Ivey doesn't play her and Alli transfer to psU. I 100% agree with Terry. Something is wrong.

Thomas Noie

1:40

Simple answer - it takes more than talent. Is that group connected? All pulling in the same direction? Being coached properly? There you go. We now return to the men's basketball chat.

Terry

1:39

You didn’t answer the primary question about poor play!

Thomas Noie

1:36

Three freshmen decided to leave and something's wrong? Yeah, it's called college basketball, Terry. There are over 1,000 players in the transfer portal in the men's game. The women's game isn't that severe, but if you don't like something about your situation, you just leave, Also, wasn't each of those players who left the women's program recruited by Muffet McGraw or Beth Cunningham?

Terry

1:35

This is a Women’s BB question: How can a team with this much talent continue to have played so poorly this past season? Then 3 of that great freshman class takes a hike!! Something is wrong somewhere!!

Thomas Noie

1:35

Jaden Ivey had the advantage going into his freshman year at Purdue in that he played against better competition his senior year at LaLumiere. That prepared him for what he was going to see in the Big Ten. Wesley will have to make that adjustment - guys he's going to see in terms of athleticism and length in the Atlantic Coast Conference he hasn't seen a lot of played against often in high school. And for comparison's sake, given how much flak Prentiss Hubb gets, Hubb shot .392 percent from the field, .342 percent from 3. Ivey shot .399 percent from the field, .258 from 3. Had Ivey gone to Notre Dame, the narrative might have been, he shoots and misses too much.

Matt from NC

1:32

How does Blake Wesley compare to Jaden Ivey? Ivey looked like a borderline future star in the first round NCAA tourney game so just wanted to see how you gauge the two. Thanks!

Thomas Noie

1:24

Dennis: How about the law of averages finally swinging back Notre Dame's way. Look at the years the Irish have missed the tournament. How many of those seasons would be classified as "normal?" One? Give this program a non-pandemic year and a year where it doesn't lose a key contributor to a season-ending injury, then has to piece-mail a lineup together and let's see what happens. It's absolutely fair to expect at the least a trip to the NCAA Tournament, but how about under somewhat sane circumstances as well. Right?

dennis- Orange County, CA

1:22

With Brey returning and let's assume he makes no changes with his assistant coaches why should one Notre Dame fan have any confidence about our program? We are currently on our longest consecutive year stretch, 4 years, without making the dance since the 1990's. Brey MUST make changes now. Will he and if not I can't understand why he keeps his job.

Thomas Noie

1:22

Step on the occasional fallen player's chest, give him a little nastiness.

Ed, Greensboro

1:22

What would really help Nate L would be a little time with Christian Laettner. You know, a little attitude to add to his game.

Thomas Noie

1:22

Jim: Probably not. Even had T.J. Gibbs and Rex Pflueger and John Mooney been somehow granted an additional year of eligibility when the pandemic first hit in March 2020, none would've returned. It was time to move on, and it's time for Nik to do the same. Heck, he's leaving with two degrees, so he definitely maxed out the opportunity he was given.

Jim Tal, Valley Center, CA.

1:20

Tom, I understand why Nik D. felt his time had run its course at ND and he wanted to move on and yet, I was somewhat surprised that got involved with the portal and expressed a desire to keep playing somewhere else. If his role with the Irish had been more extensive, do you think he might have contemplated returning to South Bend for a sixth year?

Thomas Noie

1:20

Joe: Too easy a call. McNamara was always going to Syracuse. I can't think of one guy right off the top of my head, but may think of four or five as this chat continues.

joe from the south side

1:18

Tom: In all your years covering ND, who is the one opposing player, after watching him play, you thought, "Boy, this guy would have been a great fit at ND. We sure could have used him." Mine. Easy. Gerry McNamara. Irish Catholic kid from central PA. Even his family thought he was going to ND. Always liked his game.

Thomas Noie

1:18

Chris: Notre Dame has about 20 names of 2022 guys on its big board. Guys like Rodney Rice and Donovan Clingan are no-brainers to target, but the rest, it's more of needing to actually get out and see some of these kids in person, which the staff hopes it can do in July.

Chris, Dallas, TX

1:17

Tom: Thanks for your energy and wisdom in putting up with all this. What do you think the profile of the eventual new coach looks like? Someone like Brian Kelly, who's experience and won at a level down? Also, do you sense any momentum yet with high school juniors given the potential number of spots to fill in that class? Which brings to another question -- why not a more balanced class approach? Thank you.

Thomas Noie

1:12

Decent, but it's so hard to really analyze when he's guarding guys who are 5-10, 5-11 and have zero Division I ability. He's got the length and the basketball smarts to play passing lanes, or dig down and get steals. It will be interesting to see how his game translates to the next level.

HvG - Chicago

1:11

You've watched Blake Wesley - I haven't. How is he defensively?

Thomas Noie

1:11

Joe: As they so often say, the grass isn't always greener...and to get to the NBA, you have to first be open to being coached and adapting your game. Two areas that Harvey has had trouble doing. Thus, a third school in his college odyssey.

joe from the south side

1:10

Tom: Speaking of bad moves, I see DJ Harvey ended up at Detroit Mercy. I thought he went to Vandy so that Stackhouse could get him to the NBA.

Thomas Noie

1:08

Mike: Amen....it was stunning when a Matt Ryan shot didn't go in. Flawless. Effortless.

Mike from The Land of Cheese

1:07

Two shooters during my time watching ND basketball had flawless jump shot mechanics: Ryan Hoover and Matt Ryan.

Thomas Noie

12:52

Lee: Should Brey accept him? Absolutely. Would he? There we get into a murky area. After missing the NCAA Tournament for four years, I'm all for upsetting any chemistry concerns.

Lee from Lancaster

12:51

Hi Tom, if by some minor miracle a really outstanding "one and done" freshman recruit wanted to come to ND, should Mike Brey accept him or would this a player who is planning to leave after one year upset team chemistry to much?

Thomas Noie

12:51

Mike: Matt Ryan comes immediately to mind. He had one foot out the door at the end of the 2016-17 season, to the point where by the time he decided to leave it came as a surprise to nobody. He was going to Vanderbilt, but he made that decision more with his heart (he didn't want to come off the bench behind D.J. Harvey) than his head. Weeks later, he was back in the Irish basketball offices in tears believing he had made a mistake. He wanted to come back. The answer was nope. So he left. Imagine if Matt Ryan had stayed. He'd have owned every 3-point record in the program. Instead, he goes to Vanderbilt, he's OK. He then goes to Tennessee-Chattanooga. Never should have left South Bend.

Mike from The Land of Cheese

12:48

Tom, in your time covering the program, have there ever been any guys who left ND but then regretted it afterwards? I was just thinking of that with the explosion of transfers these days.

Thomas Noie

12:48

Deal my man!

Ed, Greensboro

12:48

I will save you a seat.

Thomas Noie

12:48

Caleb: Learned looooooong ago never ever to compare the women's program with the men's program. It's the same game, but it's totally different. Until recently, it also was easier to win consistently in women's hoops. Let's just look at the men's basketball program. You play in a league that has North Carolina and Duke and Virginia and Florida State and Louisville. So right away, you might at best be the sixth-best team in your own league. Has anyone ever stopped and really thought about this - is Notre Dame closer to being Wake Forest or Virginia in men's hoops. I'd lean toward Wake. The fan base won't want to hear it, but that just may be a harsh truth. Like, the 2015-16 seasons were the exceptions, and not the norm. Not for this program. Not for this league. Not for this institution. Notre Dame hoops fans may just want this program to be something that it just can't. And it has nothing to do with the coach or the league.

Caleb from Charlotte

12:44

Hi Tom, for much of the past 15 years the ND women's basketball team received more national attention than the men because they consistently made the NCAA tournament, won a championship, and had a hall of fame coach. But with their recent struggles and a new coach, this seems like a great opportunity for the men to become the best team on campus and regain the national spotlight. Do you think that will happen this upcoming season?

Thomas Noie

12:44

Ed: No deal. I have to watch this....you have to watch it! LOL

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