JotCast | Notre Dame season wrap chat

Notre Dame season wrap chat

Thomas Noie

3:00

And....we're about done. Five-plus hours of hoops talk. I knew you had it in you. Thanks for hanging with us on a winter-like day in Northern Indiana. We'll circle back and talk hoops at least once a month during the offseason. If your question or comment can't wait, drop me a note at tnoie@sbtinfo.com. Take care and stay healthy!

2:54

Rinse and repeat. Rinse and repeat.

joe from the south side

2:53

Tom: Wade: And what has anyone else done? Dane Goodwin can score. That's it. He doesn't rebound and is clumsy on DEF. Cormac Ryan proved he has a long way to go in the ACC. Completely inconsistent. JD developed about as nicely as you could expect, but is not an OFF threat. Wertz? Backup ACC at best. Nate? I am 60 years old and I could defend him. He's an open book. Matchup at the three point line and he has no answer. He can't dribble. God forbid he could beat a defender while handling the ball. Hubb did as much as he could with a LIMITED supporting cast. Won't change next year either. Insanity---Doing the same thing over nd over and expecting different results.

Thomas Noie

2:53

it sure as heck is. In the end, that wasn't good enough. For anyone. Like I said, I watched it and lived it for three years. I banged the 30-5 drum harder and louder than anyone. In the end, it was nothing but....yeah, but....Analogy fits like a glove.

Wadelite

2:52

Yes all Book did was win, hence the comparison to Hubb is not your best analogy.

Thomas Noie

2:52

Jim: He wouldn't have recruited that big of a junior class. It messed everything up in terms of recruiting flow. Taken a transfer or two to get a better mix. Not put so much stock that the guys expected to deliver actually would. I don't know if he has it in him to change. We'll find out this year, right?

Jim Tal, Valley Center, CA.

2:50

Tom, if Mike Brey could go back in time over the last four years, what do you think he feels he could have done differently that might have prevented or at least mitigated against the disappointing slippage that has taken place. And in your opinion, does Brey have it within himself to do real serious self-evaluation and make some hard decisions the way that Kelly did when forced to do so. Admire your stamina!

Thomas Noie

2:50

Come on, Wade. Did you follow football coverage much last year? 30-5 might as well have been 20-36. The stuff Book had to put up with was beyond what Hubb has had to deal with. Can't throw deep. Can't beat a good team. Can't do this. Can't do that. All he did was win. In the end, that wasn't good enough. I watched it for the last three years. It's so often about who/what is next instead of what's now.

Wadelite

2:48

Come on Tom. Book was 30 and 5 as a starter with 3 of the losses to Clenson and Bama. Hubb 20 and 36 in ACC regular season games.

Thomas Noie

2:48

Probably only virtual like last year.

Mike McFadden, Williamsport, PA

2:48

I did not see the annual awards come out yet? Will there be an annual banquet and ceremony?

Thomas Noie

2:48

Wade: Does he play 1-on-5. Does he taked every shot? Grab every rebound. Have to initiate every play. It's not just Hubb, but when it's time to dump on one guy, it's all on him. Funny, no mention of Laszewski or Goodwin or Durham. Just Hubb No, the middle finger is in no way defensible. Or excusable. But the kid did take it upon himself to write/post an apology on his own before the head coach suggested it. Yeah, I know, Eric Atkins would've done it better or wouldn't have done it. I get that.

Wadelite

2:45

So that behavior by Hubb at the end of the Wake Forest game was not a concern to you? Did exhibit great leadership traits? Yes, I have lamented about on Hubb on past chats, but that incident just happened. Bit unfair to lump that in as part of previous comments? Please tell me what was untrue about Hubb seldom ever making a play to beat an NCAAT caliber team. ND is 20 and 36 in ACC regular season games with him as the point guard with 5 of those wins versus BC.

Thomas Noie

2:43

We're limping to the end with Alex Wade references....but I'll power through. I know there's still another good question or comment out there lurking. Gotta end on a strong note. Somebody will deliver.

Ed, Greensboro

2:42

Tom, did not mean hire the UVA coach, but when Brey leaves find a young talented guy like Bennet. Thanks for the long chat, and putting up with all of us.With you till the finish.

Thomas Noie

Prentiss Hubb = Ian Book. Never good enough and someone else somewhere should be better. Fans....sigh

2:42

Joe: Voice of reason speaks yet again. Thanks my man. Hubb's this and Hubb's that and he's not this and he's not that. We've been down this road too many times. Eric Atkins isn't walking through the door. Neither is Chris Thomas or Tory Jackson. Or David Rivers. (insert palm to face emoji here)....lol

joe from the south side

2:40

Tom: Chatters: So if not Hubb then who? Wertz? Please. That's as loose a handle as I've seen in a while. Maybe he adjusts to the ACC, maybe not. If you are from Charlotte NC and you are playing for Santa Clara, that tells me something. Actually, a lot. Hubb is what you have to work with. Is he a classic PG? No. But he has guts, unlike the rest of the team, and is probably the best athlete, which isn't saying much. Is he good enough to get to the NCAA? Yes. Barely. But it also takes a supporting cast. One that rebounds. One that hustles,. One that has heart. One that plays D. That's not all on Hubb.

Thomas Noie

2:38

You've won a national championship at Virginia. Why would you take a pay cut and the job at Notre Dame? It's the question I always ask when someone floats Coach A, B or C to Notre Dame. There's never an answer....

Ed, Greensboro

2:37

Tom, Williams is retiring, Coach K and The Syracuse coach cannot be far behind.If I am Swarbrick, I am thinking this league is having a changing of the guard. Time to make a move, open up the checkbook, and find a guy like Tony Bennett at UVA. Thoughts?

Thomas Noie

2:33

Sigh...

Mike from The Land of Cheese

2:32

I'm not saying he will ever get significant minutes, but it appears to these eyes that Alex Wade will be the quickest player on the team. Definitely could start at the low D-1 level, possibly even mid if he adjusts.

Thomas Noie

2:32

NOW it's a Notre Dame hoops chat! Prentiss Hubb can't play comment. We're limping toward the finish line in this one. Thing is, I think you've written that same post three or four times this year. Yeah, we get it. But he's the guy, so you have no other choice.

Wadelite

2:31

I know you defend Hubb a ton and I get it, because he has a pulse. But swagger is not the same as leadership. His numbers are good because he plays the most minutes and takes the most shot. Let's look at the key plays he has made in 3 seasons to win a game versus NCAAT caliber teams. There are not many. But he will raise a middle finger after a come back versus an awful team they previously beat by 20. I'd rather have the cerebral consistency of Eric Atkins leading a team than a shoot first point guard who shoots poorly. ND will never make the NCAAT with him as the lead guard. He's at best a 3rd option on a good team.

Thomas Noie

2:22

Ed: Really, how many other teams annually say the same? More are in Notre Dame's non-Final Four boat than the other one.

Ed, Greensboro

2:21

Tom, and using Brey’s style of play, how many final fours have we been to? Lol-sorry, but I could not resist.

Thomas Noie

2:21

Don't hold your breath, my man. Don't see it happening.

dennis- Orange County, CA

2:20

Not playing even average defense makes zero sense. Any coach who can't or refuses to coach offense or defense does not deserve to be given a long leash after 4 consecutive failed seasons. If Brey does not bring in an assistant in the next couple of months who can improve our defense he will continue to fail our program.

Thomas Noie

2:20

Wade: Notre Dame. Because this class eventually has to show why it was Top 15 nationally, right? Right???

Wadelite

2:20

Serious question: if you had to bet your house next season on who has a better season would you go with "motivated" Brey with the coldest coaching seat in the country or IU with the coaching hire you were critical of. For IU, let's go with the assumption Jackson-Davis returns.

Thomas Noie

2:16

Easy. It's not in the head coach's DNA. Never has been. Too late to expect it now. It's entertaining to see that Houston is making its first Final Four in 37 years and Baylor in 50 and UCLA in what, 13, but all of a sudden, everyone believes that that's the way Notre Dame has to play.

dennis- Orange County, CA

2:15

Defense wins championships. The teams that are still playing have solid defending teams and all 4 are rated in the top 45. Not once in Brey's history of coaching has his team finished in the top #45 for defensive efficiency (Pomeroy). The last four years we have finished #203, #100, #107, and #68. If I'm in charge of Notre Dame basketball this would be the first thing I fixed. Obviously Brey can't teach defense so why not bring in an assistant who can? If we want Notre Dame to make consistent tournament runs over an extended period of time we must improve our defense. It makes me sick to watch teams play us and have wide open shot after wide open shot. Please explain why this continues year after year?

Thomas Noie

2:14

Joe: You lost me at Bob Knight and Digger Phelps. My ears might still be bleeding from those two. Ugh

joe from the south side

2:14

Tom: Many years ago, ESPN used Digger AND Bobby Knight as color commentators on the same game. Must watch TV. Anyway, Digger said something about the style of play and Knight said to him, "Richard, how many championships have you won with the style of BBL that you teach?" I get that was Knight being cocky, but there is an element of truth. Where are the slap the floor defenders? The guys who demand rebounds? The guy who, late in the game can block a jump shot or steal an inbounds pass? I don't see it.

Thomas Noie

2:13

Jim: Heck, we're not even at the end of regulation right now. As long as the questions keep coming, I keep answering. That's the deal. Both should be better next season - remember both were transfers in their first years. Lot to ask of them to become main guys from the jump, but that's the deal in the ACC. Difference-makers? Probably too much to ask. But solid guys who can be part of something better? No reason not to expect that.

Jim Tal, Valley Center, CA.

2:12

Man Tom, I'm impressed with this lengthy and informative chat. This is like to going to quadruple overtime. Shades of ND versus Louisville. In your opinion, what is the ceiling for both Cormac and Trey? Do either one of these players have the wherewithal to become true difference-makers or is it a case of what you currently see is what you'll get. I feel at least one of these guys has to make a quantum leap in impact for ND to have a resurgence in 2021-22. What say you?

Thomas Noie

2:12

Absolutely...hope when June rolls around, life will be somewhat back to normal to where Notre Dame can have summer school and I can watch the 2021-22 play pickup, which usually gives you the best indication on how the next season will be different from the previous one. We already know a lot of what's coming - Paul Atkinson will be an addition. The staff is expected to look different. There may or may not be one more addition via the transfer portal. The core will be a year older. Time to deliver.

Ed, Greensboro

2:10

Tom, will you have the chance to do a one on one interview with Brey in the off season? I would be interested to hear what changes he is making to make things better next year

Thomas Noie

2:09

Neither does his stop-score style...lol

joe from the south side

2:09

Tom: Speaking of style of play, I always try to watch Iowa. I thought Fran had arguably his best team with Garza, Wieskamp, his kids......And then Oregon. It made me think of ND in many ways. Talented offense, great shooters, would like to win games 88-80, and then you saw Oregon's athleticism just dismantle Iowa. Similarly, for Brey, that was always another issue. His style of play doesn't translate to long post season runs.

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