2008 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Hoops Preview

The days of Notre Dame sneaking up on the Big East frontrunners are over. Two years ago, with the Irish projected to finish in the bottom third of the league, Notre Dame went 24–8 overall and landed in the No. 4 spot in the conference. Last year, expected to finish in the bottom half of the Big East, the Irish went 25–8 overall and tied for second in the conference.

Sorry, Notre Dame, no more sneak attacks.

“The dynamics have changed,” acknowledges ninth-year head coach Mike Brey. “There’s been talk about the top 5 (nationally). Based upon what has happened the last couple of years, we kind of deserve that. (The players) have earned that.”

Whereas the Irish had to replace scorers Colin Falls and Russell Carter last season, only 6'9" captain and steadying influence Rob Kurz is absent from the team that tied Louisville for the second-best record in the Big East, and then advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament before losing to Washington State.

Frontcourt

The loss of Kurz goes well beyond his 12.5 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. “He was a dirty-work guy for us,” Brey says. “He guarded the post, rebounded, he was our best screener. … He did so many of the little things.”

That means even more of the burden falls on junior Luke Harangody, the reigning Big East Player of the Year whose emergence into stardom in 2007-08 caught the conference by surprise. Harangody averaged 20.4 points and 10.6 rebounds per game overall. His numbers increased to 23.3 and 11.3 in Big East play.

So what can Harangody do for an encore?

“He’s got to be able to handle double teams quickly, early and for longer periods of time,” Brey says. “He’s got a great supporting cast and he has weapons to kick the ball out to.”

Help up front also must come from seniors Zach Hillesland and Luke Zeller, whose playing time should expand significantly from the 22.4 and 11.8 minutes per game they averaged respectively in 2007-08. “The one thing about (Hillesland) is you can get him to do just about anything,” Brey says. “He’s one of our best voices. His basketball IQ is really high.”

Zeller, the former Mr. Basketball from the state of Indiana, has never quite lived up to his billing. But he’s improved his interior defensive play, and at 6'10", he is an extremely difficult match-up when he pops out for the 3-pointer.

Tyrone Nash is the most likely candidate of the frontcourt reserves to take a step forward this season, but he played only 59 minutes last season.

Backcourt

What senior Kyle McAlarney and junior Tory Jackson lack in stature, they make up for in savvy and clutch play.

“You feel good when you have veteran guards who have won together, who love to play together, and really know how to play off of each other,” says Brey.

McAlarney is the sharpshooter, averaging 15.1 points per game while connecting on an incredible 44.1 percent of his 3-point attempts (108-of-245). Jackson is the playmaker (5.8 apg), rebounder (5.1 rpg) and defensive pest.

Senior Ryan Ayers is a combination guard-forward who can light it up from beyond the arc (45.1 percent) yet has the length to be a defensive stopper and rebounding presence.

Junior Jonathan Peoples is much more valuable than his numbers indicate. His 84.4 percent shooting from the free throw line came in handy late in games last season.

Sophomore Ty Proffitt, who played only 22 minutes his rookie season, likely will have to wait another year before seeing his playing time extended.

Final Analysis

With a 49–16 combined record over the past two seasons, including 25–9 in Big East play, expectations turn to grander postseason visions.

“We need to be fearless and go for it,” Brey says. “Playing deeper into the Tournament is something that is very realistic with this group.”

After losing by 20 points and being limited to just 41 points in the second-round NCAA Tournament loss to Washington State, Brey wants to see his players put their experiences to good use.

“I hope they would look at themselves a little bit like Washington State, who had an older, veteran team,” Brey says. “You look at it as your time to make a run.”