JotCast | November 23 Notre Dame men's basketball chat

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Tyler from Granger

9:59

Tom, have you had any talk/touch with Coach Brey since the spring? I see the Hawks play at home on 01/10. ND is in Atlanta 01/09. Do you think he comes & watches or just lets it be?

Thomas Noie

9:59

Patrick: Love the enthusiasm (optimism) but let's see Notre Dame get back to the NCAA tournament before we cross that bridge. Still kind of sorting through everything there was to see - players, rotation, sets, Shrewsberry on the sideline. It was a lot to take in. You want to see everything, but just can't. Let's just say there was a lot to like.

Patrick NYC

9:56

Tom, all ears for your impressions on how we looked: who surprised and impressed, what kind of early coaching emphasis did you see? But I'm sure there will be a lot of questions like that so let me ask a trivia question I could not find the answer to online. Has any NCAA men's coach won a championship with his son on the team? (Or, to make it a smaller list if there has been, as a starter) We likely have 4 years of the Shrewsberrys...

Thomas Noie

9:55

TJ: Ahhhh, the annual rotation question. Some things never change. The head coach and the staff and the roster does, but we always circle back around to ... how many guys are going to play? I'd say nine is a safe number right now. Maybe some nights, it will be seven. But nobody playing more than 21 minutes? That's nice to see, isn't it? Maybe the days of heavy minutes are done. Maybe.

Toledojohnnyfromgeorgia

9:53

Hello Tom - miss your articles. Had to drop several subscriptions due to inflation, food, fuel and payroll. Listened to the Exhb. game and is it safe to assume that Coach Shrews rotation could be more than 7 and even up to 9 or more?

Thomas Noie

9:53

Andrew: Good stuff, but here's the best part of the box score - the points in the paint. Notre Dame scored 50 without the benefit or concentration of a proven low-post presence. The Irish made it a point to get Kebba Njie, the only true power forward in the starting lineup, some touches early in the post. Then it was motion offense. Instead of settling for 3s (a good shot) they followed Micah Shrewsberry's mandate and found great shots (often, unimpeded drives to the rim). Plenty of layups against a team like that. The 3 still has to be a weapon, but it won't be the only weapon.

Andrew, Plymouth

9:50

The first thing that jumped out at me from the box score was the balanced scoring. Without having watched the game it looked like ND wasn’t jut jacking up 3’s all game and there was a flow to the offense. The second thing that jumped out was only having 13 assists on 37 made baskets. Was it just that easy to get to the basket and can Burton be the distributing kind of PG?

Thomas Noie

9:50

If you listen to Micah, why not dream about it this year? Sure, they can dream that, but I don't know if that dream is based on reality. Wednesday was a good first look, but the lack of experience in that league is eventually going to catch up with them. So is the lack of size down low. It just is. That this was a complete rebuild had the back to the NCAA tournament timeline at three years. I'll stick with that rebuild schedule. But let's revisit it in March once we've seen this team and this staff navigate an entire season.

Zach

9:47

How long until we can expect to see some results (NCAA tourney bubble or better) under Coach Shrewsberry?

Thomas Noie

9:47

Hopefully, you were able to find it on radio. We were told by Notre Dame that the game would not be broadcast and went with that for our pre-game info box. Notre Dame apparently learned Tuesday afternoon that the game would indeed be on the radio. Our apologies.

Guest

9:46

I was disappointed that the exhibition game wasn’t even on the radio.

Thomas Noie

9:46

Agree, but let's not get carried away with the whole "play defense" mantra with this group. They're not locking anybody down and they're not going to Virginia you on the defensive end. What the are going to do defensively is dig in collectively and finish out the possession. It's a group thing. Look at the defensive rebounding stats from Wednesday - Julian Roper had three, Markus Burton had three, Braeden Shrewsberry downplayed his board work, but he grabbed six. When your guards get in there and dig out some rebounds, your defense is better. As Micah Shrewsberry has said, effort is non-negotiable. He doesn't coach it, but you better bring it. They brought it Wednesday, at least in the first half. The head coach wasn't thrilled with the effort in the second half, but when you're up 28 at half, that slippage is going to happen.

Tim Hale

9:43

There may not be many victories this year, but it will be nice to see a ND Mens team give maximum effort and play defense. Agree?

Thomas Noie

9:40

Tom: Markus Burton already has the keys to the Irish car in his pocket and he's not giving them up. He knew before summer school even started that he was going to be the starter at the point, and the only true handler. He's not as dynamic as Thomas, but that's OK. As long as he stays healthy during his career.

Tom Mulloy

9:37

In 2001 Mike Brey gave freshman Chris Thomas the keys to the offense. Do you picture Markus Burton having a similar role this year? Thanks

Thomas Noie

9:37

Chad: A ton. He led the Irish in playing time Wednesday (21:16) and had a team-high 18 points with four rebounds and two assists. He's undersized and he's going to have his moments, but he's been doubted every step of his basketball life. He's answered those doubts to date. Watch him do it again.

chad from elkhart

9:34

How much playing time will Marcus Burton see?

Thomas Noie

9:34

Chad: Not 15th. I know Wednesday is such a small sample size and it's hard to project anything that might happen in the Atlantic Coast Conference based on what Notre Dame did against an undersized and overmatched Division III team, but Notre Dame is not the 15th place team in the ACC. Having not seen anything of the Irish before the ACC ballots were due, I picked them 13th. After Wednesday, I might have slotted them 10-12. We still don't know how it's all going to play out, but there's something about everything that is that program that says they're going to be better than first thought.

chad from elkhart

9:32

The Irish were picked last week to finish dead last in the conference. Where do you think they will end up?

Thomas Noie

9:32

As for Carey Booth, you kind of answered your own question. Booth played at Brewster Academy, which sent nine seniors off last year's team (including Booth) on to Division I scholarships. So that roster was loaded, and Booth got a lot of long looks from recruiting guys. But again, it's recruiting, which is a migraine all its own. Who's really a one-star or a three-star? Micah Shrewsberry said it himself after Wednesday's game - Markus Burton at one point was a zero star. Braeden Shrewsberry and Logan Imes were barely three stars. Those three went for 46 points, 11 rebounds and six assists Wednesday. That's recruiting for you. And recruiting "analysts."

9:29

Mark: Absolutely. There are some great stories with the five walk-ons (which takes some getting used to seeing). They were only officially added to the roster last week. We had to see exactly how they would be acknowledged in that they were not part of the team picture. Were they walk-ons or just a practice squad during the week? Look forward to diving into a few of their stories as the season moves on. First, though, I have to get to know the main guys. Get to know the head coach.

Guest

9:27

Mark from Kansas City: Love your work. I just read your article on the 11 scholarship players. Two thing: First, how about a story on the 5 Walk-on/Practice players? It would be interesting to know their backgrounds and abilities. Second, how does a player (Booth) who averaged 10 points and 7 rebounds as a high school senior get ranked 49th nationally as a recruit? I'm sure Brewster Academy was loaded and his dad was an NBA player, but that still seems a stretch.

Thomas Noie

9:27

Linas: Prior to Wednesday's exhibition game, there was no buzz - actually, less than zero buzz - about Notre Dame men's basketball. Nobody knew really anything. Wednesday was our first look, like, oh, OK, I see how these pieces might fit. Maybe that buzz now builds, especially after Micah Shrewsberry's not-so subtle message to the student body (link: https://fightingirish.com/irish-show-out-in-96-62-exhibition-win/). This team might be fun to watch. Maybe they win a few games they're not expected. Only then, over on that campus where basketball is a tough sell, will the buzz build.

Linas from the OC

9:24

Hi Tom, Not sure how many practices you've attended (or been allowed to attend) the past month, but wondering if there is a "buzz" around any of the ND players who have particularly impressed since practice started last month. Thanks

Thomas Noie

9:24

Kyle: J.R. Konieczny wasted a year of eligibility as a true freshman in 2021-22 when he played all of 22 minutes over seven games before sitting out last season to preserve a year. Why? Was he not ready? Well, yes, but also look at the rosters of those teams during JRK's first two seasons. He considered himself then - and still does now - as a guard. Where were those guard minutes going to come from? Was JRK going to play ahead of Prentiss Hubb or Blake Wesley or Dane Goodwin or Cormac Ryan? The argument could be made - and I wouldn't argue - that he should've been given minutes over Trey Wertz last season, but that's a discussion for another day. JRK wasn't ready to be a legit college player those first two years. He had to fall back in love with the game under Micah Shrewsberry. I love his stat line from Wednesday - 12 points (6-of-8 from the field), no threes, everything in the lane or going to the basket. He fancied himself a stand-still shooter. Now he's moving and cutting and playing and contributing.

Kyle Thibideau

9:19

Is there any plan of playing J.R. this year? He was the class with Wesley, so I felt like Brey did not play him because he wasn't ready to his standard.

Thomas Noie

9:19

Pat: Asked and answered above. Or below. Or however the chat appears. To say it was a surprising outcome would be fair. No one saw that coming. Not from this group. Not this early. But when Micah Shrewsberry said in the days heading into the road trip to Cincinnati that he was preparing like it was the national championship, the thinking changed. Like, whoa, this guy's going to win. Maybe sooner than later.

Pat H., Springfield Illinois

9:17

What can you report about the not so secret scrimmage at Xavier? Thanks for taking the time to do this

Thomas Noie

9:17

Bob: What secret scrimmage? Did it really happen if nobody around Notre Dame will acknowledge it? It was zipped lips for any and all information on Notre Dame's end. Did get a few nuggets - the freshman guards (like Wednesday) were really good. The Irish turned it over a lot, but they also scored 90-plus points against a team that was going to get after them physically. All swings back to the belief that Micah Shrewsberry and his staff are going to scheme their ways into a few league wins that we don't see coming. Yes, Xavier was missed its two main bigs, but everyone figured it was still going to roll Notre Dame. Didn't happen.

Bob from chicago

9:15

Hi Tom, do you have any insight into the secret scrimmage against Xavier ?

Thomas Noie

9:15

Who will leads Notre Dame in scoring this season?

Markus Burton (64.9% | 24 votes)

Braeden Shrewsberry (21.6% | 8 votes)

Kebba Njie (5.4% | 2 votes)

Logan Imes (2.7% | 1 vote)

J.R. Konieczny (5.4% | 2 votes)

Other (0% | 0 votes)

Total Votes: 37

9:13

Jim: You new around these parts? You new to college basketball? You have to be to take that stance. If you knew Micah Shrewsberry, you'd probably think otherwise. Let's set aside the 96 points and the 34-point victory in the exhibition. Is this season going to be rough? Probably, given the state of the program that Shrewsberry inherited. But the guy can flat-out coach, and maybe even build. It was easy to slot Notre Dame 15th - last - in the Atlantic Coast Conference, but given Shrewsberry's acumen, I picked ND to finish 13th. After the exhibition, that might be a bit low. The talent level needs to improve and the culture is being built from the ground up, but something tells me it's not as dire as everyone predicts. Or fears. It's still going to take time, but it's nowhere near as dire as you fear. Watch.

Jim from Berlin, Ct

9:09

Tom, let's be real. Shrewsbury has got his hands full heading into the new season. He has no depth or experience on the team and it looks like the Irish will be lucky to win more than eight games. Do you see Notre Dame heading into a long down period where they're not regarded as a serious factor in the ACC or nationally.

Thomas Noie

9:03

College basketball is back! That means, so is the marathon Notre Dame men's basketball chat. There's still such a long way to go and so much we don't know about these Irish, about this head coach, about the future. We got a peek at everything Wednesday as Notre Dame opened (and closed) exhibition play with a 96-62 victory over Division III Hanover. What did you think? To join, make sure you include your name and hometown. And with that, you know the rest ... let's light this chat candle for 2023-24!

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