JotCast | Notre Dame December hoops chat

Notre Dame December hoops chat

Thomas Noie

2:39

That will do it for today. A+++ effort on short notice. We'll do it again in a couple weeks. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all. Take care and stay healthy!

2:37

You're right....totally impossible to even project. Go 11-9 in the ACC in a pandemic and play that non-league schedule, that probably gets you serious consideration. But what does the rest of the conference look like? The rest of the country? Too hard to even project what a team may or may not have to do to get in.

Mike from Madison, WI

2:35

This probably is an impossible question, but what kind of criteria do you think the committee will emphasize this year. Say ND goes 11-9 in conference, but that equals a 15-13 overall record do you think that may garner them more consideration than normal years?

Thomas Noie

2:32

Mike: When the question is....why is the roster the way it is....or why don't younger guys play more....or why do they not recruit the max guys or...the answer is obvious, isn't it?

Mike from Louisville

2:30

Tom, so many of your answers to questions -- whether its about roster management, playing time for younger players, recruiting, coaching defense -- seem to naturally come back to something akin to "because that's the way Mike Brey does things."

Thomas Noie

2:27

So by that thinking, they're one player short. They have 11 guys on scholarship. It's not so much being afraid of competition as it is not wanting to worry about keeping 12 guys happy. Go with a core 10 who learn how to play together rather than a rotation roulette.

Guest

2:26

Tom, why is Brey afraid to bring in competition every year. What is wrong with having 12 players that can play. Have 10 and 2 you make 5 year plan. If 2 leave you are still fine.

Thomas Noie

2:21

Not at all.

Joey from Highland, IN

2:20

I am asking if you think so.

Thomas Noie

2:20

They are? By whom?

Joey from Highland, IN

2:20

I mean are they looked at as a cupcake of the ACC.

Thomas Noie

2:18

Think the second part is how any team approaches any game. Watch out for A, B and C or you're going to lose.

Joey from Highland, IN

2:17

Let me ask you this. I know they haven’t beaten anyone, but, do you think teams want to play the Irish? Or do you feel they think the Irish offense is just possibly explosive enough to pull an upset?

Thomas Noie

2:17

Hard to say. Haven't seen anything from Taylor, haven't seen enough from Carmody and know nothing about how any Ivy League's game/skills will transfer to the ACC.

Terry

2:15

Is that player or two short Elijah Taylor Carmody or the Yale transfer?

Thomas Noie

2:15

Uh....he was hired with the understanding that he'd move up. Mike Brey has long wanted to add him to the coaching staff, but there wasn't room. Move up, then move back? Don't see it.

Walter from Indy

2:15

Back to the coaching staff question: they're short a coach right now anyway with Ayers' gone right? Why can't you bring in a hard-ass coach to replace Ayers and slot Martin back to his original role? Is Brey really afraid of upsetting Scott Martin and having him go from interim replacement back to what he was hired for?

Thomas Noie

2:15

Law of averages say they get at least one, right? Almost have to at this point.

Joey from Highland, IN

2:14

Do you think at the end of the year (if we get there) we will still be saying they haven’t beaten a ranked team or do you think they get 1 or a couple?

Thomas Noie

2:08

Both are true. The seven that Mike Brey believed would be his seven are in place. That doesn't automatically mean Top Eight finish in the ACC or NCAA tournament bound. They're still a player or two short - a player or two that they don't have on the roster.

Joey from Highland, IN

2:06

You said earlier you were optimistic about this team because of their rotation being set now. Then you say they’re a player short. Which do you think is more true?

Thomas Noie

2:04

Best player? Was he expected to be? Think Nate Laszewski had the biggest growth potential from that class. Maybe Prentiss Hubb because he was going to have the ball in his hands a lot. Hopefully we're not wondering what might have been with Robby Carmody. There's still time for him to fight his way back.

Herbert

2:03

Another thing - say Robby never got hurt. Is he the best player on the team as he was expected to be?

Thomas Noie

2:01

Herbert: I agree. There were ceilings to both Gibbs' and Pflueger's games and they hit them long ago. Laszewski and Goodwin weren't ready last year to do what they're doing now.

Herbert

2:00

Gimme this years team plus Mooney and we’re top 5 in the ACC. I think pflueger and Gibbs were holding us back, even though I love the guys, they were. I’ll take Nate and Dane over them any day of the week no questions asked.

Thomas Noie

1:59

Hank: Great question, one that I don't quite know how to answer. Never thought of it that way. I've covered Notre Dame football the last few years and definitely prefer hoops, if only because there aren't as many media all fighting to tell the same story. I can tell the stories I want to tell, not the ones that everyone else is telling. It's hard this year to dive too deeply because of COVID, but you find different ways. It's easier to develop relationships with players to the point where I can call almost any of them (there are a few that I won't get) anytime I want to do a story. I'm more of a hoops guy than football guy. There are more games, but the days are quicker, more high-pressure than all-day football games. Any pressure comes from within....like write everything better today than yesterday. As for being The Man? Nah, I'll pass on that title. Just a guy doing what he loves. That works for me, hopefully, for you the reader as well.

Hank

1:55

Personal question...Because Notre Dame men's basketball gets so little national coverage, you are kind of the authoritative teller of the ND basketball story. Do you feel pressure in that role? Feel like "the man"? Something else?

Thomas Noie

1:55

He also had the sweet reverse dunk off a break in an ACC tournament win over Virginia. Was thinking about him last night in prep for the chat. Great kid who came from a great family, but showed very little in his time at Notre Dame. He was supposed to be this athletic freak who won slam dunk contests in high school. He had how many dunks while at Notre Dame? Maybe that one against Virginia? Like, why was it so hard for him to let it all flow? I remember talking to one of his former high school teammates, Stanley Johnson, at the NBA combine one year and he raved about Rex and what he'd bring to the ACC. Five years later, we never really saw it.

Tim

1:52

Off topic but what the heck did Rex pflueger do in his ND career. Hit a layup against SFA freshman year but that is it my friend.

Thomas Noie

1:51

Irene: Jaden Ivey grew up around Notre Dame. His father went there and played football. His mother went there and played basketball. She was a coach there before leaving for the Grizzlies (nobody knew she'd be back as the head coach). South Bend was all Jaden Ivey knew. Sometimes, they need to get out and see what's outside the South Bend bubble, not be tied to a place because of family connections. Could Notre Dame use him? Absolutely, but it wasn't ever going to be Notre Dame.

Irene

1:48

Last year you said in one of these chats that it was best for Jaden Ivey to go somewhere other than Notre Dame, but you never really shared your reason for that statement. Was it because you expected his madre to come back as the women's coach in the near future? Or another reason?

Thomas Noie

1:48

Tim: Agree. I'd say no way against Michigan State. Tom Izzo really pulled the plug on that one when they went up by 28. And you should play solid against ... Detroit Mercy. Of course there's a scenario where they can bottle those efforts. Let's just hope we see it.

Tim

1:46

In my opinion ND has played 2 good half’s of basketball all year: first half against OSU and first half against Kentucky. You could argue that the second half against MSU and both halves against Detroit were solid, but those first two were really the big ones. Any scenario where every half we play are like the OSU and Kentucky i

Thomas Noie

1:44

Jim: There's talent there, but just not enough of it. Watch them play against Ohio State and Duke and Purdue and you think, they're still a guy or two short. Now, if the six or seven guys they do rely on all play at max effort and energy and everything else, we've seen what happens (first half, Kentucky). But that always has to be there to have a chance. There are signs that they might be good, but not enough to carry through for the next two months. They'll try hard, and sometimes play hard, but it's going to be hard to consistently win.

Jim from Philly

1:42

Hi Tom: Assuming the basketball year ends as it has started, I guess my question is whether you think the talent is there and not being developed by the coaches, or is the talent simply not there. Kind of like the Sixers back with Charles Barkley...eventually it came to “what you see is what you get”.

Thomas Noie

1:41

John: Usually Thursdays once a month/twice if the season's rolling along. Only reason we're here today is Syracuse game got wiped out and I needed an ND hoops fix for the day. Give me a follow on twitter (@tnoieNDI) where I usually will post when next one is. Probably shoot for first or second Thursday in January for next one.

John

1:39

Quick question - love these talks, how often do you do them and usually what days?

Thomas Noie

1:32

Clint: Here's what I say - who do subtract from the coaching equation to bring in said hard-ass? Not saying you're wrong, but how do you flush a guy who's been by your side for 21 years or two Notre Dame graduates who played for you? Here's a hint - you can't.

Clint from Winnipeg

1:31

I know you said earlier in the chat that you didn't anticipate Brey making any changes to the coaching staff. But doesn't it seem like something is just missing there? Maybe a hard-ass to get on the players. Not sure myself. What say you?

Thomas Noie

1:31

John: Great question, but gotta pass on that one. I don't have favorites and don't root for guys. I'll root for the best story, how's that?

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