JotCast | Notre Dame men's hoops chat - May | 5/5/2022

Notre Dame men's hoops chat - May

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Thomas Noie

3:27

And with that, our marathon hoops chat has come to an end. Thanks to all who participated. We'll be back around again to talk Notre Dame men's basketball in June. Maybe spring/summer will be here by then. Have a question or comment that can't wait? Drop me a note at tnoie@sbtinfo.com. Have a great rest of the month. Take care and all the best to you!

3:15

Mark it down. Buck's got it first!

Buck

3:15

You will hear about Bidunga from Kokomo. Tall (6-10), athletic (scored some triple doubles as a sophomore) and I think made second team all-state. Foreign exchange student that speaks 4 or 5 languages. Great defender. Worth a long look!

Thomas Noie

3:15

Joe: Nothing concrete, but I'd be surprised if it's something that Mike Brey would be behind. I'd think it would be the opposite. I always go back to 2008-09 when this team was laboring through a horrendous losing streak (six straight in the Big East) and then went out to UCLA and got boat-raced by 26 points. At the time, it was the program's most lopsided loss under Brey. Afterward, he vowed that never again under his watch would his team step out of league play for a non-league game. It threw off the rhythm of the season. Brey held true to that vow up until this year when they played at Howard on MLK Day - and nearly got beat. Afterward, he felt same way - never again step out of league play in the middle of league play. It's too important.

Joe, Chicago

3:11

Have you heard anything from ND regarding interest in the newly proposed "bracket buster" 2.0 that conferences have been discussing for the 23-24 season?

Thomas Noie

3:11

JDub: That would be more stunning that Blake Wesley returning for his sophomore season. This staff really found something last year - a good/effective mix of young and old, new guys and old guys. Not just the coaching staff, either. Pat Rogers as a support guy really offered a fresh perspective. Mike Brey's not going anywhere. Neither is Anthony Solomon or Antoni Wyche or Ryan Humphrey. Same for Rogers. There's always a chance DBOB Scott Martin decides college basketball's not for him and returns to private business, but this is a good group that did a lot of good last year. Time to go be great.

JDub, Fort Wayne

3:09

I agree. I like your word "edge" to this team, more desire to dig in and defend than past years. Do you hear any rumblings of any offseason staff changes coming this off season?

Thomas Noie

3:04

JDub: Short answer - on a scale of 1-to10, the addition of associate head coach Anthony Solomon was a 20. Seriously. Not going to entirely give the guy they call Slo all the credit, but what he was able to do with that group defensively, and from a coaching standpoint, he was a massive reason why this team nearly went to the Sweet 16. They needed an edge. He gave them that. And more. There's a reason why Mike Brey believed he was the most important addition last offseason. That Notre Dame was in San Diego playing with a chance of going to the Sweet 16 was proof. He was that good. He was that needed.

JDub, Fort Wayne

3:02

Having had time to think back about the season, how do you assess the job Anthony Solomon did this year? Did Notre Dame achieve more success with him, or about the same success, than they would have without him?

Thomas Noie

3:02

Joe: Unlikely. That's a tough date to fill - the Saturday before Christmas. The "premier" dates on the non-conference next season will/are Marquette at home on Dec. 11, Saint Bonaventure (and maybe a second game) at UBS Arena over Thanksgiving weekend and the ACC/Big Ten Challenge home game in early December. With a younger/less ACC seasoned roster (Starling, Hammond, Lubin) and still not sure exactly what the league schedule will entail in terms of home and homes, it might be more important to stockpile some early confidence/wins before January/February/March arrive.

Joe, Chicago

2:58

With the Crossroads going away, will ND fill that weekend before Xmas with a premier non conference game?

Thomas Noie

2:56

Mike: Where were you to get me at the airport on Saint Patrick's Day after my all-night travel from Dayton? Ferry me to and from Viejas Arena for four days? Send me a case of tri-tip sandwiches from Phil's and you're hired!

San Diego Mike

2:55

Tommy, let me know if you need some help this upcoming season. I can be an unpaid intern. Can box my things up in SD and be in SB by early September. Sleep on it brother

Thomas Noie

2:50

Sorry, not touching that. Too many variables that we don't know about - schedule, roster, rhythm of the schedule, etc. Let's paint with a broader brush - 20-plus overall wins, double-digit league wins, top six league finish and trip to the NCAA tournament AT THE VERY LEAST. We're done with this program treading water. Time to ride the momentum of last season back to the Sweet 16 - and maybe beyond.

Section 116

2:48

Tom, give me a prediction on the season record for next year? I understand that the roster isnt complete yet but what should we be expecting as far a w/l record for next year? Thanks brother!

Thomas Noie

2:48

Mike: I want to say one, but with the whole COVID bonus year, who knows. It messes everything up.

face_with_rolling_eyes

Mike from the west coast

2:42

Do we have 2 years left with Cormac or 1?

Thomas Noie

2:42

JDub: Better late than never...told my editor I wasn't ending the chat until you checked in with at least one question. Cormac Ryan was the team most valuable player the last five weeks of the season. Especially postseason, where you really saw a Hansbrough type of effort. It was a case of a guy finally figuring out where he fit. He's always had the voice - he'll be a three-time team captain this season. This year, especially late, he played with a better pace. Like, he wasn't in such a hurry. Last year, everything he did seemed rushed. This year, it flowed. To the point now where you're intrigued to see what he can offer from the start next season. All-league guy? Absolutely.

JDub, Fort Wayne

2:39

A little late to the party, but in reading through the previous questions and answers, your response earlier about Cormac Ryan being the second coming of Ben Hansborough. Something clicked in Cormac the last several games of the season and into the tournament. He seemed more vocal. Did I just miss this during the year somehow or did something change with him?

Thomas Noie

2:22

Joey: Let's say the Irish have an exhibition game tonight. The starting five would be Cormac Ryan, J.J. Starling, Marcus Hammond, Dane Goodwin and Ven-Allen Lubin. Trey Wertz and J.R. Konieczny off the bench. Maybe some Matt Zona. Who's ready to roll with that look?

Joey from Highland, IN

2:21

Do you see Wertz starting or Hammond? Not sure if this has been asked.

Thomas Noie

2:10

IF: Where you been? One season at a time around these parts, my man!

Illinois Fool

2:10

Looking beyond the current off season, are there any post players (hopefully 6'10" or taller) the Irish have a chance to add to the roster?

Thomas Noie

1:42

Joe: There have been plenty of conversations inside Rolfs about how to proceed with Basile not an option. That's not the issue. The issue is finding the right guy. Paul Atkinson was this and he was that when we first saw him, but at the end of the year, he was the right guy at the right time. Notre Dame needs to duplicate that.

joe from the south side

1:40

Tom, Qudus Wahab is still out there as far as I can tell. I am not saying he is a FIT for ND, I am saying that there are other options beside Basile. Wahab is a legit D1 center, who played in big time conferences, is from the DC area and won't demand the ball on the OFF end. Just a conversation starter.

Thomas Noie

1:40

Bret: I would push back on the "big mistake" part of your comment, because we don't know what goes through the mind of a young man or his family when presented with the situation Blake Wesley is presented with - the chance to play basketball at the game's highest/elite level. Is it enough for a young man - Wesley, anyone - to just GET there? Make it the NBA, sign a contract, live that life for however many years they can live that life? Or do they really want to STAY there? Make it a 10-year career? Some kids want to GET there, some want to STAY there. In the end, no matter how it turns out, they're afforded a chance to live a life they never dreamed. Hard to classify that as a big mistake.

bret

1:37

Joe from the south side is spot on. Usually a one and done player shins in big games. Wesley was at his worst. Every time he touched the ball in the last 5 minutes of the Texas Tech game Notre Dame fans were not confident. I understand leaving for the money but in the long term Wesley is making a big mistake leaving after one year.

Thomas Noie

1:37

Mark: Notre Dame was among the first schools to be in with Xavier Booker. That should mean something - it did when Jaden Ivey committed to Purdue. Unless Booker has made it known otherwise - and he hasn't - there's always a chance. Haven't heard of Bidunga. Sophomore year still a little early. This isn't football....

Mark Kruz from Mishawaka

1:35

Tom realistically does ND have a shot in getting Xavier Booker from Indy Cathedral? Lately he has picked up offers from some of the elite programs. Also is Flory Bidunga from Kokomo on ND's radar? A relatively unknown sophomore during the season he had a breakout tournament and has been rising up this spring on the AAU circuit

Thomas Noie

1:34

Johnny: Nothing. But for someone who struggled to create/finish/score against elite athletes, you'd think you'd want to play against elite athletes. Unless there's something you don't want teams to know/learn about you....

Johnny

1:32

What does that Blake Wesley news that you just mentioned about May 16-22 mean for notre dame? Just curious if I missed something.

Thomas Noie

1:32

MS: Good question. Think it's just assumed/understood that schools A, B and C aren't interested just by the a decrease in communication. If a coach called a kid every Tuesday during the contact period, but now the deeper you go in your season and your phone stays silent on those contact period Tuesdays, you get the idea that they're no longer interested. The chance that Notre Dame will add another young big to this recruiting class is slim. They've got two young bigs in Campbell and Lubin. A veteran big with college experience would be welcomed yesterday.

MS

1:29

Tom: When the staff decides it is no longer interested in recruiting a player, do they let the player know? I'm just thinking about from this year's class, Aidan Braccia and Avery Brown, who both ended up committing to low-D1 programs after ND seemed interested earlier in their high school careers. Or does the staff just stop calling? Also, any chance the staff might pursue a class of '22 big if someone decommits from another program?

Thomas Noie

1:29

I'd put both local guys in a class by themselves when it came to adjusting to everything about college life. The guys who haven't struggled have far outnumbered the guys who have.

joe from the south side

1:28

Tom, Mentor being Hubb. And how did that work out with Demetrius J? It was me who called him the timid teenager when he tanked his FR season.

Thomas Noie

1:27

Joe: All true, but he believes he can make it. So let him go try.

joe from the south side

1:27

Tom, My assessment of Wesley was, is, and will be that he should have stayed for one more year. His game was not NBA ready, and will need G League seasoning. Also, I fully agree with you that the 2nd NBA contract is the big one, not the first. I think he is going to have a tough time overcoming the knock on him, and that is, when the lights shone the brightest, his game tanked. I wish him well, but he has an uphill climb.

Thomas Noie

1:20

Joe: Uh.....you're assuming Lubin NEEDS a mentor. All that stuff you mentioned, some kids (no names being used) NEED all that stuff. Others get it right away and hit the ground running. And we're wringing out collective basketball hands in May about a player (Bacot) who might only be on the schedule one time? For what I've been told about Lubin and how he's thought of inside Rolfs, he'll be fine.

joe from the south side

1:18

Tom, Wesley could hit the campus with a snowball. VAL probably has never seen a snowball. Wesley had a mentor. Who is VAL's mentor? Big Zone? It's not just adapting to ACC BBL. It is also being a FR and being far from home for the first time. And budgeting your time for practice, classes, and studying. That is a lot to ask a kid and then say go handle Bacot for 35 minutes.

Thomas Noie

1:17

JT: They're going to have like 20 guards (OK, maybe seven) and limited bigs. Four-around-one and running sounds good. But going deeper into the bench? You new around here? Yeah, not happening.

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