JotCast | November 22 hoops chat

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Thomas Noie

11:25

Anthony: Marcus Hammond may be one of the best players on the roster. Maybe, they best. That's not coming just from me. Buy it. You won't be disappointed. Curse? Yeah, sure, the two biggest media curses - my writing and mentioning how Player X has been perfect from the foul line this season. Or Pitcher B is throwing a no-hitter.

anthony

11:23

tom,can we assume marcus hammond will return sooner rather than later given Brey only used 6 players in games 1 and 2? also so much for your november 5,2022 article on hammond..you remember? a few of your wild quotes: 1. if hammond were stock BUY some! 2. buy it FAST!..3. gobble it up! 4. IT'S BLUE CHIP!..hours after you wrote that article,guess what? marcus hammond out with a knee injury..the curse of tom noie strikes again!!! HAD YOU WAITED TO PURCHASE HAMMOND STOCK YOU COULD OF BOUGHT IT PENNIES ON THE DOLLAR!!!.. i also believe a healthy marcus hammond is REAL good..his 2 games last year vs. big time programs,marcus was the best player on the court..thanks for consideration,anthony

Thomas Noie

11:20

Shorter the bench = fewer the headaches of keeping everyone happy. Like mentioned earlier, this isn't Little League when everyone has to play x number of minutes. And if Notre Dame doesn't go to a Final Four, it won't be because of short bench.

Guest

11:19

Tom not sure what happened. My question is why Mike Brey insist on such a short bench. Do you have any idea can a D1 program get to the final four with the increase of games and travel with such a short bench?

Thomas Noie

11:19

Me too. I've seen a lot and done a lot in 25 years on the beat, but never been to a men's Final Four. May never. That's OK...

Guest

11:18

Tom love your work. Lifetime NDMBB fan, I am still waiting for that second final four appearance.

Thomas Noie

11:18

Tim: They need to get a clue. They really do. College basketball has changed, but to many who follow Notre Dame, they're still in the 1970s. Play UCLA. Play DePaul. Recruit kids who now go to Duke and North Carolina.

Tim from Mishawaka

11:17

Heard from some fans complaining that ND shouldn't be playing teams like Radford and Youngstown State. I think it will prepare them for ACC games, as these teams are projected to win their conferences. Your thoughts?

Thomas Noie

11:17

Whiners. Transfer portal has changed everything about college basketball. Instead of playing against untested freshmen and sophomores, you're playing against 20-, 21-, 22-year-old guys who've been around the block. That matters. Not to fans. Nope. Whiners. Complainers.

Robert from Mishawaka

11:16

Do the complainers just look at the name on the front of the jersey(Radford, Youngstown St) and expect a blowout? Maybe look at the transfer portal kids that are new to those programs and understand they can play also.

Thomas Noie

11:16

Frank: Because fan is apparent short for clown. There's a segment of people who follow Notre Dame men's basketball that aren't happy unless they're unhappy. The coach doesn't do this. These guys don't play. The schedule stinks. Fire everybody. If you took a long look at how the program is run (with the mandate from the university), you'd be stunned to see the success that Notre Dame has had in not one, but two of the tougher conferences in the country. But it's not the 1970s, and that bums people out. So they whine.

Frank from Illinois

11:13

Year in and year out the so called lifetime Irish basketball fans have the same complaints. Why does Brey play a short rotation, and we need a big man. They won't be happy until there's three 7 footers, and there's a 10 player rotation. I don't understand why they just can't embrace what Brey does for this program, and realize where the program was before him.

Thomas Noie

11:07

No panic, my man. Just gotta reinforce some of the principles that may have gotten lost in the they're such a gifted offensive group that plays the right way shuffle over the summer. So much attention was paid by Brey on the other end of the floor, that I remember walking out of those summer/preseason practices thinking, what about the defense? We saw the shortcomings and the lack of attention to detail against Radford. They were better for a bit against Southern Indiana. They have to be better moving forward. Can't afford that step back.

Linas from Orange County, CA

11:05

Hey Tom! Love reading your column. So got to see the Radford game and ... where was the defense?? Many of the same guys back with coach Soloman, so what's the deal? The defensive improvement was a big reason (perhaps the biggest) for the Irish heading back to the tournament. Now, Radford played out of their minds on offense but there were an awful lots of unconstested layup and offensive rebounds. No need to panic in early November right?

Thomas Noie

11:05

Eric: A little attention to detail and an increased care factor would be good places to start. Associate head coach Anthony Solomon returned for his third stint a year ago and was charged with changing the defensive habits. Notre Dame got to the NCAA tournament in large part because of what it was able to do defensively. This year, it was as if they forgot everything they were taught. Truth be told, Notre Dame was better defensively in the first half of the Southern Indiana game, but there's still work that needs to be done. It shows that Prentiss Hubb and Paul Atkinson and Blake Wesley were really good defenders. Like, they got in a stance and guarded. That hasn't always happened this season for whatever reason. Brey was asked about it this week and said it's a work in progress - still teaching guys how to guard. Understanding that you have to guard. They can and should and will be better. Solomon will make sure of it. He takes that end of the floor personally. If he's not happy, Brey's not happy.

Eric G

11:02

It seems the offense will be fine, What do you think can and will be done on defense? Isn’t that usually influenced by Brey’s assistants?

Thomas Noie

10:44

Isaac: Notre Dame signed three guards during the early period in Markus Burton (MIshawaka), Brady Dunlap (Studio City, California) and Parker Friedrichsen (Bixby, Oklahoma). They're done - for now, but have the option to add a high school senior if the right one surfaces. Better bet - they nab somebody out of the transfer portal in spring. Other than that, it's on to 2024.

Isaac

10:43

Is Brey done with the 2023 class? Or are they actively pursuing anyone that you know of?

Thomas Noie

10:43

Slim, similar to J.R. Konieczy last season who played 22 minutes over seven games.

Isaac

10:41

What are the chances we see Campbell get meaningful playing time this season if everyone were to stay healthy?

Thomas Noie

10:41

Marcus Hammond could be available as soon as Tuesday for Bowling Green. Dom Campbell can be the eighth man this year - but a distant eighth man. Once Hammond gets healthy, this is a seven-man rotation moving forward. Campbell will be a contributor down the line. Not that he's been bad, but everybody's timetable is different. J.J. Starling was going to play as a freshman, and he's playing as a freshman. Same for Ven-Allen Lubin. Campbell may have to wait for his clock to start. That's OK.

Guest

10:40

When will Marcus Hammond be able to play? Does Mike Brey attend to play Campbell as maybe 8th man.

Thomas Noie

10:39

Edward: Banging that old defensive drum, huh? Not specific to your question, but everyone in general - do people conveniently ignore what Notre Dame did defensively last season because it doesn't fit the narrative? Why is that? Last year did happen. In Atlantic Coast Conference play, Notre Dame finished fourth in the league in scoring defense (66.9 ppg.), third in field goal percentage defense (.426) and second in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.296). It got back to the NCAA tournament in part because it defended. It went from 203rd nationally in adjusted defense at KenPom.com in 2020-21 to 69 last season. So, yeah, this team can defend good enough to win. This season's defensive issues have already been discussed. Notre Dame is at 137 in adjusted defensive efficiency at KenPom. That's got to be better. They know it.

Edward

10:36

Early, but the trend of ND having one of the worst defenses among the top 100 teams in the nation continues

Thomas Noie

10:31

Disclaimer - this is a football question in relation to Saturday's game against Navy in Baltimore, when Notre Dame's offense check out early. No, Bill, never seen anything like it. No adjustment. No creativity. No nothing. Woof! On to Boston College.!

Bill from Lexington

10:30

A win is a win but have you ever seen a worse 2nd half offensive performance?

Thomas Noie

10:30

Asked and answered earlier, my man. Notre Dame hoping to see what he could give them Tuesday against Bowling Green.

Steve

10:30

Any timetable on Marcus Hammond ?

Thomas Noie

10:30

DJ: Good stuff. Honest answer - I have zero idea what Tony Sanders can do, because he hasn't been able to show it. He suffered an ankle injury late in preseason and has been in street clothes for the exhibition and three regular season games. That's put him so far behind that he might be able to offer something late December. Maybe. But what does he do well? You better have something if you're going to crack that perimeter rotation. I don't know what that is, other than maybe being a good locker room guy. As for the bigs, it will be a rotation of Campbell, then Zona. Zona, then Campbell. Steal a minute or two in the first half, steal a minute or two in the second. We saw that last night, and saw that both have some ways to go before they can be counted on. Campbell has a higher upside than Zona. It was disappointing to see Zona get his chance, then get exposed defensively the way he was. It was like he wasn't ready to play.

DJ Burigsay/Castro Valley, CA

10:27

Has Sanders game progressed enough for him to be part of the rotation?
Which big sees more time this year, Campbell or Zona?

Thanks Tom!

Thomas Noie

10:26

Matt: The old two-parter. We do have to couch this by saying that nobody has any idea what the roster might look like in today's transfer-portal world. Guys may leave. Guys may go early for the NBA. Say it stays relatively intact. You would have nine guys at different stages of their college careers. They probably need three in the Class of 2024 to get to 12, but how do you go about getting those three? A true high school big (James Brown?), a guard, then maybe the portal. Playing six has ZERO impact on recruiting. Every kid any ACC program recruits believes they're good enough to play right away. Some can. Some can't. And remember - guys are going to Notre Dame for more than just the basketball experience. It's the total campus experience. That matters.

Matt

10:20

How big of 2024 class do you see Coach Brey bringing in? Do you think playing only 6 in the rotation hurts his recruiting?

Thomas Noie

10:20

...Matt Ryan is the ultimate what-could-have-been story for Notre Dame men's basketball. Right there with what happens if Chris Thomas' knees don't crumble his final two years and if Bonzie Colson doesn't break his foot his senior year. If Ryan would've stayed at Notre Dame, he'd have been the program's all-time leading 3-point shooter. Look at the teams he bailed on because he was worried about D.J. Harvey taking his minutes (seriously). Matt Ryan would've gotten so many shots his right arm would've fallen off. Instead, he panic-transferred. He got to the league, sure, but his college career wasn't all that great. It might've been had he stayed at Notre Dame.

10:18

Dan: Yeah, no kidding...back as the starting quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts after being benched, right? I kid, I kid. Not THAT Matt Ryan, but the former Irish swingman now getting minutes/carving out a role for himself in the NBA with the Los Angeles Lakers. Good for him, but honestly, I'd have been surprised had he not gotten a look from someone somewhere along the line. Matt Ryan may be among the best five, six, seven pure shooters to ever pass through this program. Guys like Ryan and Kyle McAlarney and Matt Carroll and David Graves and Colin Falls, every time they rose up, you figured it was going in. They were that good....

Dan - Chicago

10:16

My question is two words: Matt Ryan?

Thomas Noie

10:15

Are you new around here? Seriously. We saw the result of Mike Brey extending the rotation past six early against Southern Indiana and it wasn't pretty. It was tough to watch. The guys who can play, who should play are playing. This isn't Little League where everybody HAS to play, and then we all get ice cream afterward. Dom Campbell is going to be a factor for this basketball team - but that's down the line. It's best that he gets a few minutes here and there. The rotation's at six because the head coach most trusts those six. Don't like it? Be better in practice so Coach has to play me. That hasn't happened.

Guest

10:13

Why not go big and allow the freshman Dom to be a bully. Why does he only play 7

Thomas Noie

10:13

Mike: Freshman forward Ven-Allen Lubin is listed at 6-foot-8 and I would say he's every bit of that. His look is a little deceiving. He doesn't have that look of a true Atlantic Coast Conference power forward until you see him up close and personal. Then, he's every bit of 6-8. He's long and lanky and crazy athletic. Great thing about him is he's not shy. He knows how to play, whether making a high-low entry pass to Nate Laszewski for a layup or finishing at the rim. He might take the occasional quick 3, but that will come with a better understanding of where to optimize his skills within the system.

Guest

10:11

Mike from Fresno: Two simple questions: how tall is Lubin. I have seen 6’7", 6’8", 6"

Thomas Noie

10:11

...Wertz is shooting .633 percent from the field, .444 percent from 3 and .875 percent from the foul line. He's also drawn comparisons from Brey in post-game pressers to guards like Martin Ingelsby and Chris Quinn - guys who just played with a pace and a poise about them that allowed the head coach to breathe just a little easier in games. Trey Wertz has been an revelation the first week. Nobody saw this coming, except for maybe Trey Wertz.

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