What was dissected/discussed in our most recent Notre Dame basketball chat?

Tom Noie: College basketball, anyone? College basketball, everyone! Welcome to our Notre Dame basketball summer chat, where we’ll talk everything Irish hoops – men’s and, from a sneak peak at some of the questions in the queue, women’s. Heck, throw some football in there as well (Who’s the quarterback?) To join in today’s discussion, be sure to include your name and hometown. And with that, you know the rest. Let’s light this chat candle (shouldn’t be hard in this heat!) …

Patrick K.: With T. Davis gone and a talented freshman class coming in will ND finally have an offense that isn’t based solely off one on one play as the shot clock expires? It just seemed like they never figured it out.Tom Noie: Patrick: We can hope, can’t we? Let’s start here – Markus Burton is a special talent who has done stuff that few thought he could do at this level. He’s been an All-Atlantic Coast Conference guard his first two seasons. He’s had stretches where he’s carried this team offensively. Sometimes, it seemed last season, that it was put the ball in Burton’s hands and let him figure it out. Sometimes, he did. But for Notre Dame to do more, for Notre Dame to be more, it needs more offensively than just Burton scoring and Burton driving and Burton decision-making and Burton shouldering most of the load. Maybe that happens this season with the arrival of Jalen Haralson. Maybe that happens this season with the experience of the returning guys. Maybe Micah Shrewsberry can better zero in on what this team and what it isn’t and can create better/more scoring options. More drive and kicks. More dives to the rim. More second chances. More guys who can go and get a bucket. Then we can truly see Burton at his best.

D9 Dave: What is your projected starting 5 for next season for the Irish & your projection for how they will finish in the standings of the ACC?Tom Noie: Dave: A great summer question to ponder. As of June 26, it seems that four of the starting five spots are pretty solid – Markus Burton at point guard, Braeden Shrewsberry at shooting guard, Jalen Haralson at wing guard and Kebba Njie at power forward. From there, we’re kind of in a gray area. How gray? To borrow a line from Fletch….charcoal…That fifth spot offers some intrigue. Maybe it goes to Garrett Sundra, who can give the Irish a true stretch four. Maybe it goes to Sir Mohammed, who can be a jack-of-all-trades kind of perimeter guy. Maybe Micah Shrewsberry floods the floor with shooting and tabs Cole Certa to pick up where he left off last season. Maybe graduate transfer Carson Towt, with his effort and energy, is someone who just has to be on the floor. This season, with this roster, the staff has something it didn’t have the first two years. Options.

Mike from Rochester, NY: Any rumblings about summer standouts among the freshman and sophomore groups?Tom Noie: Mike: We usually get a sneak peek of hoops at the end of summer school, which is still a couple of weeks out. It’s there that you can finally see how the pieces to the puzzle fit. Like, OK, that guy can offer something sooner than later or that guy is going need much of the year to adjust to the speed and size of college basketball. There continues to be great optimism around the sophomore class, which could be key to this season. Jalen Haralson is expected to play a major role from the jump, but if that sophomore class of Certa, Mohammed and Sundra can hit, this season will carry even more intrigue. None of those three were ready this time last year. Second time around, that can be a different story.

Bill: Is Shrewsberry on the hot seatTom Noie: Bill: Only if he’s sitting on it somewhere outside Rolfs Hall the past few days, where it’s been brutal even by Northern Indiana standards the last week. Just kidding. Any temperature change Shrewsberry feels from his chair comes from within. It’s been a rough go the first two years for myriad reasons, but Shrewsberry is the first to tell you that he believes in his system, believes he’ll win, believes that better days are ahead. Knowing that, this is a big year for him. Not to win x amount of games or get to the top of the ACC standings or get back to the NCAA Tournament. All of that matters, and matters a lot. but this is a big year because Notre Dame needs to show something it didn’t last season. Progress.Tom Noie: What is progress? It’s not necessarily tied into Notre Dame’s won/loss record or place in the standings or pursuit of an NCAA Tournament bid. Progress will be turning Purcell Pavilion into a homecourt advantage. Progress will be winning a game here or there that Notre Dame has no business winning. It will be stringing together three or four good weeks, not three or four good games, of high-level basketball. It will be going on the road and winning a league game that it shouldn’t win. It will be holding its own against a ranked team(s). It will be the fan base leaving Purcell Pavilion regardless of a win or a loss and saying, OK, I see where this is all going. We see progress in those areas, we’ll see progress in the other areas of wins and losses and league standings and, deep breath, NCAA Tournament dreams.

Tony: Tom, it seems that coach Shrews is sticking to his plan of building the program through the high school recruiting. The new S+C  coach sure did help. How many more do you think he will want for the 2026 class? If would transfer or go to the NBA. Do you think he will use the portal much?Tom Noie: Tony: Prior to the commitments of Jonathan Sanderson (read about him here: https://tinyurl.com/2zdtwn6n) and Ghana Solongo (here: https://tinyurl.com/yh5ecyth) the thinking was that Notre Dame would sign a three-man class for 2026. It might go to four if you assume (and we all know what happens when we assume) that Nick Shrewsberry will be part of that class. As for the transfer portal, look at this season’s transfers – Carson Towt from Northern Arizona and Matthew MacLellan from NAIA Madonna. The portal is not going to be an option at the front end of the roster. Back end? Yes.

Matt,: Tom, not sure who wanted Pat Garrity to be the GM. But, what a great call. When they talk about developing players. He is a great voice for that. I hope we keep our recruits. Make 3* a 4* and get us to where we used to be. Go Irish!Tom Noie: Matt: Pat Garrity is a home-run hire in so many ways, though I would be concerned that he will wear the GM hat for BOTH programs. How will he divide his attention while giving both programs his undivided attention? That’s a 100-hour a week job. Notre Dame women’s basketball deserves its own GM (I see you, Natalie Achonwa). Until then, Garrity will be a voice of reason in so many ways. He’s Example 1 of what Notre Dame basketball players still can be – on and off the court.

Ray: Hi Tom this is Ray from Southern California.  I’m trying to stay positive but I don’t see any realistic way that the Irish are dancing this year.  Logic suggested they needed to pick up at least two power 5 starters in the portal and they pretty much picked up 0.Tom Noie: Ray: That’s OK. There are reasons for your skepticism. Nobody looks at Notre Dame as it is currently constructed and says, yep, tournament team. Small steps this year – all the steps we expected to see from the program last year, steps that I outlined in an earlier post, maybe we see them this year. It’s obvious based on who Notre Dame has taken out of the portal even the last three years that the portal is not going to be an option. You can build it a different way, as long as you build it the right way.

Clint, Winnipeg: Can you explain the Dom Campbell switch to football and transfer to UCF? Was he that underwhelming in basketball at ND and Howard?Tom Noie: Dom Campbell was a power forward from Maine who played his freshman year at Notre Dame, transferred to Howard (I see you Rod Balanis!) and played two seasons. He played in the NCAA Tournament his first season with the Bison. Campbell recently committed to Central Florida … to play football. It’s an odd choice in so many ways, the first of which is …he’s never really played football. At 6-foot-9, 268 pounds, he’s got the build to be a future offensive lineman/tight end, but he’s also had a history of concussions – at Notre Dame and at Howard. How is that going to work playing a game where you’re banging heads with someone on every single play? Why UCF? Campbell’s family relocated in recent years to Orlando, so there’s that. Campbell’s younger brother, Demetrius, is a freshman offensive lineman at Miami (Fla.) Maybe Dom Campbell saw his brother have success in that sport and thought, yeah, I’ll give that a try. Other than his size, there’s really nothing about him that says he can make that transition.

Bill: Is this  a tournament teamTom Noie: Bill: What tournament?

Peter: Is the ACC projected to be improved this year? It’s kind of embarrassing how bad the league has become. As it stands, I would think ND would need to finish in the top 5 to even be considered for the tourny.Tom Noie: Peter: Can the Atlantic Coast Conference get any worse? Of course it can. The league’s been on a downward trajectory the last few years, but look at the exodus of coaches – Tony Bennett, Rick Pitino, Mike Krzyzewski, Roy Williams, Jim Boeheim, Jim Larranaga, and that Brey guy who took Notre Dame to places it had no business being. Duke was able to make the transition from K to Jon Scheyer relatively seamless, but it’s hard for all those other programs to reboot. The ACC also suffers from group think. One or two or three national voices bashes the ACC and pretty soon, everyone’s bashing the league. It needs a national voice to champion the league in January and February and March. It doesn’t have that. Instead, it has mediocre basketball, which made last season that much more frustrating. Notre Dame had a chance.Tom Noie: It had a chance to move into the top eight or the top seven or the top whatever. It let so many league games get away. A Top Five finish this year? That’s a big ask for a program that has one top five finish (2021-22) since 2017.

Mike from Rochester, NY: Have you heard from Pat Garrity outside of the initial presser to see how he’s settling into his role?Tom Noie: Mike: Pat may have a chance to come up for air sometime in April. Asking him now how he’s settling into his role is like asking that married couple how they like marriage – barely a month in. They don’t know what they don’t know. Garrity likely is in the same boat – he still doesn’t know what he doesn’t know. Every day is different. Especially in that role.

Mark from Rochester, NY: Tom, thanks for doing this as always. With a new AD in the fold and basketball taking a backseat, is there any real pressure on Shrews to win in Year 3? I feel like his bosses haven’t turned up the heat enough. I understand it was supposed to be a long rebuild but going backwards last year had to change things.Tom Noie: Mark: No pressure? No heat? I disagree based only on this clip from Shrewsberry’s presser following the loss to Louisville. (Here: https://tinyurl.com/5n72x4us). That’s not somebody who’s like, yeah, there’s no pressure on me to win. There is. Some of it comes from within – a lot of it comes from within. Shrewsberry is the one who said during his introductory presser in March 2022 that he believes Notre Dame can win a national championship. He went out on that limb. Nobody nudged him. This was going to be, at least, four years, before the program might be in a position to be an NCAA Tournament team. Pete Bevacqua has given Shrewsberry his support, but he also has to give him something else. Time. That said, don’t be fooled into thinking Shrewsberry’s on Easy Street in 25-26. Goes back to what we discussed earlier. It’s time to see and show progress. If that doesn’t happen this year, when will it?

Colin: With 2 prospects committed in the 2026 Class, how many total commitments should we be looking for in that class? Nick Shrewsberry next on that list?Tom Noie: Colin: Maybe one more, not counting Nick Shrewsberry, who will be a senior at South bend Saint Joseph and will be one of the top players in the area. Shrewsberry is one of those prospects who can be added anytime (for obvious reasons).

Kevin, Lemont: If we are better next year will it be primarily because of better coaching or which one of the following: more balanced attack for Burton; addition of Towt; breakout by Haralson; growth of Mohammed? Loved your top25 articles, thought Carter would be higherTom Noie: Kevin: Great question. Let’s go with an A, B, C and D or 1, 2, 3, 4. Notre Dame will be better in 2025-26 because Jalen Haralson is as good as advertised as a possible one-and-done. One element Notre Dame has lacked is that of a connector. Haralson can be that. Burton can make an initial pass to Haralson, who will have the dreaded Basketball IQ to just know whether he should make the next pass to someone for an open shot or finish on his own. Haralson’s No. 1. Number 2 is Mohammed, who has the makings of being the ultimate wild card kind of a guard. He can handle. He can facilitate. He can make the extra pass. He can score. He can defend. Most of all, he has to stay healthy, something that torpedoed his freshman season. Number 3 is coaching – enough of the high ball screens and read. Loosen the reigns and let basketball players be basketball players, which leads to No. 4 – a more balanced attack. We’ve seen Markus Burton be a scorer. Let’s see him be a true point guard. It’s time.

Jim, Charlottesville VA: Hello all! Tom, Niie has often played with stiff hands and grounded feet. Ahnerman: Freshman. What did you make of Shrewsberry not signing a capable Big from the Transfer Portal? The rest of the roster is filled with skilled players who had complete games in High School. How do you recommend the Coach and Staff  proceed in developing them competitively in College?Tom Noie: JIm: The coaching staff will see my “recommendations” and tell me to go pound sand. They’ve got this. Or, they better have this. They don’t need any suggestions from this guy. No big is the transfer portal isn’t necessarily news. Notre Dame has needed a capable big for the last two years. If it hasn’t happened yet, it’s not going to happen. Find another way. Ahneman will need time, just as Ghana Solongo at 7-foot-1 will need time.

Greg from Las Vegas: Outside of the obvious, who are you betting on being the breakout player this year?  And odds of making the NCAA tournament this season?  Everyone said it wouldn’t be until year 3 (despite many other schools doing it in one- hello Louisville).  Well, year 3 is here for ShrewsTom Noie: Greg: Seeing Notre Dame practice would provide a better answer, but that’s not an option. I’m intrigued by what Sir Mohammed can do and can be this season. There’s too much there as a Top 50 recruit to just be another guy. He doesn’t need to be the main handler with Markus Burton around, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be a versatile guard/guy who offers something one game, then offers something different the next. NCAA Tournament? Not going down that road, at least not this year. Even in Year Three? Absolutely. You’re asking/expecting Notre Dame to make a massive leap and do stuff we’ve not seen this program do. Louisville? Apples to oranges. Louisville operates in a way that Notre Dame never could. Louisville could rebuild faster through the portal. The portal’s not an option for Notre Dame. That’s been made clear by who the Irish have/haven’t taken, really the last three years. Really, since Paul Atkinson in 2021-22.

Guest: ND men’s basketball would be a more enjoyable experience if they didn’t have a DJ blasting hip-hop music throughout the game. With the poor attendance changing this and lowering the ticket prices would encourage more fans to go to games.Tom Noie: Old man standing on his porch and yelling at the clouds time. Not saying you’re not wrong, but Notre Dame needs to worry more about the product on the floor before changing the product around the floor.

Mark from Rochester, NY: Irish in year 1 were pesky defensively and then last year forgot how to rebound and guard for the most part while focusing on offense. What is the identity supposed to be this year?Tom Noie: Mark: Question Number One for Micah Shrewsberry when it’s sit-down time with the media this summer or early fall. Why might we (OK, me) slow-play the notion of getting to the NCAA Tournament this season? This team doesn’t have the identity to go and do what it needs to do to get there. Now, if they suddenly find it in summer and show it early in fall, that’s a different conversation. But the first step for this program before chasing down its first NCAA Tournament since 2021-22 is to decide … who are we? We still don’t know.

Guest: Tom, what do you see Logan? I roll this year with the team. JOE FROM RIVER FOREST, ILLINOIS.Tom Noie: Joe: that would be junior guard Logan Imes. I’ve been one of the few media dopes who has stayed in Imes’ corner. There were times last year when Imes would do this or wouldn’t do that and someone up there on press row would be like, yep, time for him to transfer. Imes strikes me as one of those program guys who’s not caught up in minutes or stats or anything else than being a true team guy. How can he help? What can he do? You could say that he was asked/expected to do too much as a freshman, and at times last year. If he can be a serviceable backup guard who can max out whatever minutes he has, that’s Logan Imes. At the end of the day, there’s nothing wrong with that.

Ryan: Tom with all the freshman Coming in which will play The most I’m thinking Haralason GO IRISH Tom Noie: Ryan: Let’s list them in order of potential playing time. Let’s go with Jalen Haralson, who will be a main guy right away, Then Ryder Frost for his ability to stretch the floor with his shooting. Maybe he becomes the express version of Cole Certa last year. Certa wasn’t ready to help until late, and then he helped. Frost might help from the start. Brady Koehler may need a year in the weight room. He’s just so … skinny. It will be hard to get to Tommy Anheman with any regularity. Kebba Njie’s going to play. Carson Towt’s going to play. A third big isn’t.

Clint, Winnipeg: What do we know about this Matthew MacLellan that you mentioned as a transfer? Where does he fit, if he even does?Tom Noie: Clint: Matthew MacLellan is a 6-foot-9, 215-power forward who played last season at Madonna (Mich.), an NAIA school. He averaged 14.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 28.3 minutes. He played in 31 games and made 30 starts. He shot .573 percent from the field, .321 percent from 3 and .675 percent from the foul line. He was a second team All-Wolverine/Hoosier Athletic Conference pick…and he’s now a scholarship member of the Notre Dame basketball team. Where does he fit? Back end of the rotation/insurance guy, someone the staff took a flyer on as a one-year guy. If he hits, it’s a bonus. If he doesn’t, it’s OK, too,

Bobby from Virginia: In what ways does Micah Shrewsberry need to grow as a coach and leader in year 3? Will Pat Garrity’s role help in relieving some off-the-court load that maybe spilled into on-the-court stress during year 2?Tom Noie: Bobby: Trust. In his guys. In his system. In the direction of the program. Trust that what he and his staff are teaching them during the week in Rolfs Hall will translate to the court on game nights, to the point where he doesn’t have to coach every single second of every single possession. Trust that the five on the floor will figure it out. There’s still so much there that we haven’t seen. This is the year to start seeing it.

Mark from Rochester, NY: I have mentioned this a lot in chats throughout the year but I just don’t understand the infatuation with iso ball for Burton or the departed Davis. Will we see more sets run? Or is the iso a product of his team not being very good?Tom Noie: Mark: The best basketball is when sets AREN’T run. The game flows. The players know where the ball should go before they get it. They just play. Sets are fine in the halfcourt, but it’s so much nicer to see five guy out there thinking and playing and operating as one. Not looking to the bench to hear what set the head coach wants to run. That’s no indictment on any head coach. Still believe that the most important coaching a head coach does is from 3:30 to 5:30 every day on the practice court. Then, come game night, you let what you taught come through. Isolation ball can work if you have a counter or two or three off said Iso. If it’s just, ah, just try to get to the basket, which is what we’ve too often seen, that’s not going to work. Notre Dame can still run a high ball screen, but run it with the thought of, I can do this and this instead of just this.

Paul from SB southside: With an upgrade in talent, any hope Shrews doesn’t coach every pass, cut, shot, of every player every minute? Let the boys play!Tom Noie: Paul: See above answers…

Chris: Who is the player on last years team that has to up his game for the team to be noticeably better? I’m not saying for them to be Sweet 16 good. But make that jump and it causes everyone to take the Irish a lot more seriouslyTom Noie: Chris: We’ve talked a lot already (and it’s not even 11 a.m.) about Garrett Sundra and Sir Mohammed and Jalen Haralson, but the most obvious answer is Kebba Njie. Notre Dame hasn’t been taken all that seriously the last two years because Njie doesn’t do enough for other teams to be concerned about what he does do. If he can catch and finish with absolute regularity, it can open so many other options. Njie is on the floor for his defensive presence and ability to communicate/help teammates, but it’s time for him to do more. Third year at Notre Dame. Fourth year in college, a guy who toyed with turning pro. It’s time to be the old, good (serviceable) guy, not just the old guy.

Illinois Fool: Hey Tom, which player do you think will need to improve the most for the Irish to be successful?. My thought is SIr MohammedTom Noie: Se above. Sir Mohammed doesn’t necessarily need to improve as much as he needs to stay healthy. Kebba Njie? Improve. Big leap from the big man.

Clint, Winnipeg: Have any of the assistant coaches been rumored to be going elsewhere, or are they all pretty tied to Shrewsberry?Tom Noie: Clint: The staff’s been intact for three years. That tells you all you need to know.

Mike C, Oak Lawn: Tom, speaking of turning Purcell into a home court advantage, is there any chance the powers that be will take a look at the game experience?  None of the usual halftime performers have been in evidence; I can’t remember the last Red Panda appearance.  The focus on the screen and the constant DJ din can be a real turn-off.  I know I sound like an old man yelling at a cloud, but I think if they want to get the crowds back in the arena, in addition to winning basketball, they need to think about stuff like that.Tom Noie: Mike: Amen. A winning program would work wonders, to the point where all that nonsense isn’t necessary. When the question comes up as it invariably does about what’s wrong with the fan experience of Purcell Pavilion, it’s not just one area. It’s everything. Going to a Notre Dame men’s basketball game is like having not showered for a week and just spraying some deodorant over your stink and saying, all right, let’s go. The whole atmosphere needs a cleanse, something that winning will certainly help.

Dave from DC: Any idea whether AD Pete Bevoqua and Coach Shrews are considering a foreign tour for the team in the near future?Tom Noie: Dave: College teams can go on a foreign tour during summer once every four years. Notre Dame went to Spain last season, a trip that should have helped but really didn’t, so it has to wait three more years after this one before it can go again.

Paul from SB southside: I agree Kebba has to improve and I don’t mean suddenly stepping out and knocking down 7 threes a game, just finish consistently around the basket! Any idea how much Sundra committed to offseason weight training?Tom Noie: Paul: Word is that we won’t recognize Garrett Sundra now compared to the end of last season. Let’s see.

Mike C, Oak Lawn: Tom — also, what are your thoughts on the pending changes in the NCAA tourney to 70+ teams.  Is the NIT dead (or at least more dead than it already was)?  I think they’re diluting the product in the name of content.Tom Noie: Mike: Hate it. If you’re going to allow 76, why not allow all 352. Everybody plays! That’s really what’s driving this – coaches insist that it’s too hard to get access to it, which leads to them being fired. So the fix is ….everybody in the pool. Hate it.

Clint, Winnipeg: Was Tae Davis transferring simply about NIL money that ND didn’t have or wouldn’t give him?Tom Noie: Clint: Tae Davis had an offer he couldn’t refuse. It’s the way of the college basketball world today.

Mike C, Oak Lawn: Speaking of weight training, I’m guessing the team’s access to their own S&C coach has paid some dividendsTom Noie: Mike: Having Jon Sanderson devoted solely to men’s basketball should help, but we might want to pump the brakes on that one. Greg Miskinis, the previous strength and conditioning coach for men’s basketball, followed Micah Shrewsberry from Penn State. He was going to be men’s basketball and men’s basketball only at Notre Dame and was for much of his first year, until he had other sports/duties tossed atop his desk. By early last year, he was like, yeah, this isn’t what I signed up for. Enter Sanderson. If he’s men’s basketball and only men’s basketball in two, three years, then we’ll assess.

Mike C, Oak Lawn: What’s your impression of Pete Bevacqua so far, at least from a hoops perspective?  Good, bad, too soon to tell…..?Tom Noie: Mike: Blank slate, mainly because he’s not been available on just about everything. No idea what his thoughts on anything men’s basketball. If you see him, ask him for me. Tom Noie: Probably a different level of disdain if his name was Nick Smith.

Chris: If they asked you to pick the next 3 people to go into the Ring of Honor who would you take??id go Brey, Chris Thomas, and Pat GarrityTom Noie: Chris: Great question with (almost) no wrong answer. I’d go with John Paxson, Chris Thomas and Pat Garrity. Still too soon for Mike Brey. He’d probably agree. Let’s wait until the program is good again before we roll out the former guy and celebrate all that he did.

Dave from DC: Why has Shrews had such a difficult time finding reliable big men? We haven’t had players who could score in the post since Paul Atkinson. Never mind rim protection, offensive rebounding, lob threats, etc.Tom Noie: Dave: Fair question, complex answer. The staff may have missed the first two years believing they could just go to the transfer portal for a serviceable big. Admissions may have said, yeah, that’s not how we’re going to operate. Then it was back to recruiting, where it takes two to tango (that’s what they say). Notre Dame came up empty its first two recruiting cycles, then signed Tommy Anheman. Not saying he’s the second coming of (insert elite big) but you have to start somewhere. In some ways, in a lot of ways, this staff is still figuring out what works and what doesn’t at Notre Dame in terms of recruiting.

Clint, Winnipeg: Any update on where, if anywhere, the graduating seniors might have landed for basketball (presumably overseas), if anywhere?Tom Noie: Clint: None of the four (Matt Allocco, Burke Chebuhar, Nikita Konstantynovskyi, Julian Roper) have been added to Eurobasket database for 2025-26 season. Stay tuned. If they’re playing somewhere next season, we’ll find them…

Mike C, Oak Lawn: Tom – any chance of them resurrecting any kind of Midnight Madness or the open practices they used to have on home football weekends?Tom Noie: Mike: Not likely. Midnight Madness at Notre Dame? Select dozens would go. And those open practices fell victim to lack of usher staffing at Purcell Pavilion on home weekends. Don’t think those are coming back anytime, either.

Clint, Winnipeg: What are the chances that Coach Shrewsberry backs off somewhat on his in-game micro-management? You have spoken about this before — that most of the coaching should be done in practices, not games — and I have noticed it myself.Tom Noie: Clint: Micah Shrewsberry is someone who is who he is when it comes to coaching. It’s just the way he’s wired.

Clint, Winnipeg: What are realistic expectations for Sir Mohammed this season?Tom Noie: Be a capable/quality Division I college basketball player, one who is in shape, avoids injury and starts to show his myriad skills that made him a Top 50 recruit. That never happened for Mohammed last season, and right from the start where lingering knee pain shut him down before he showed anything. He has a chance to show a ton this year.

Traci, Columbus: Let’s keep our conversations/questions to ND Hoops summer chat 2025, and not bad talking Nick Shrewsberry. He has not had an offer from ND, so not sure why a grown adult is commenting so negatively.Tom Noie: Traci: Thank you for being a voice of reason. Example No. 3678 why I try to do as little with recruiting as possible. They’re high school kids. I have no idea who or what they’re going to be in two, three, four years, let alone when they arrive on campus. I will say that a head coach’s kid, in any sport, has a way tougher time than his classmate. Especially if said head coach has struggled the way Micah Shrewsberry has for two years. No more Nick Shrewsberry talk for today.

Pete from Berrien Springs: Is the team still looking for an experienced guard from the transfer portal or is the roster set for 25/26Tom Noie: Pete: Not sure if this is a men’s basketball or a  women’s basketball question, but both rosters are now what they will be in the fall. No additions to either program are expected.

joe from the south side: Tom, I don’t hold my breath on functional bigs.  They are like DE and DTs in FB.  There are maybe 3 or 4 kids who come out of HS and are ready to contribute Day 1 at the D1 level.  Those guys go to Georgia, Ohio St., LSU etc……ND has 2 options.  Luck into an Atkinson type transfer or take a project like Anheman and hope he stays long enough to develop into something.  I think where Shrews missed the boat is that these guys are like QBs.  You have to take one almost every year and certainly every other year.  It’s too easy to transfer out and then you are back to square one.Tom Noie: True.

Jim Tal, Valley Center CA.: After what has taken place over the last two seasons, why should anyone have confidence that Micah can figure out how to get a productive offense to mesh with a solid defense simultaneously? Thus far, there have been no indications that he can do that.Tom Noie: Jim: Fair. And, honestly, true. The easiest explanation would be to say how much more experienced/talented this roster is than when Micah Shrewsberry first walked in the door, but you know what would’ve impressed the hell out of a lot of people who know hoops? Had Shrewsberry taken that roster his first year, and then taken that roster he had, one that was depleted by injury last year, and figured out a way to make chicken salad out of chicken #@$%^. Then we could’ve seen – and said – OK, there’s something there. What sets one coach apart from all the rest is the coach who stares down the barrel of long/impossible odds and still figures out a way to win a game that he has no business winning. Like, that team has better players and/or pros? Fine, watch this …. That’s what we haven’t seen (or seen too rarely) over the first two seasons. So, why should anyone be confident that this season is the season we see it? Maybe because we kind of have to see it, right?

Mike in St. Pete: The biggest advantage of having a super-talented freshman class isn’t necessarily how many minutes they’ll play this year, but how they’ll be able to push the starters in practice. Tough to handle the Cooper Flaggs of the ACC (glad he’s gone!) when you can’t replicate that game in practice. I’m looking forward to a more exciting product this season!Tom Noie: Mike: I’d go with super-touted. We don’t know how talented this group is. Yet.

Andrew from RI: Hey Tom don’t mean to call u out but you said this earlier in the chat “Brey guy who took Notre Dame to places it had no business being.” You have also voiced you don’t believe ND can really use the portal(recent history would backup your claim). Based on these comments I feel you don’t believe the ceiling for this program is very high. Why is that? This is Notre Dame, sorry to everyone else in athletics but that name alone should really make your ceiling unlimited. Program has history too? Football has donors so the money is here? Just don’t beilive is shrews?Tom Noie: Andrew: Four hours in and the first call out….love it! What took so long? This answer could go on for pages and page and take hours to craft, but I’ll try to be brief. If Notre Dame was serious about being serious about its men’s basketball program, it would’ve followed the blueprint of Louisville last season. When Micah Shrewsberry arrived, he had three returning players on his roster. A program that believes it should be elite would allow the head coach to rebuild the roster by any means necessary. Notre Dame rebuilt its roster with one transfer from Northwestern and another from Penn State. That’s it. It followed the second year by deepening said roster with transfers from … Princeton, Monmouth and Lehigh. This year? Northern Arizona and Madonna. Tells you a lot about what Notre Dame thinks of quick fixes. The portal will rarely (i.e. never) be an option. If not the first three years, then when? You mention Notre Dame football and basketball together. The programs aren’t even on the same planeTom Noie: …it’s clear that Notre Dame is structured to do anything/everything to win a national championship in football. Administration aligned? Check. Facilities? Check. Staff salaries? Check. Go and win. Now, ask those football “donors,” hey, how about a little something for men’s basketball? That program could be good. You’d be told, yeah, not happening. Notre Dame basketball has always operated in football’s shadow. That will  continue. They’re not equals. Not even close. Notre Dame football is a national brand. Basketball is over here on the side. And not believe in Shrewsberry? More of knowing how that place works. Let me flip it – what is YOUR ceiling for this program? I’d point to 2015 and say, 32-6, Elite Eight, ACC Tournament title, national buzz, that’s about as good as it’s going to get, whoever the coach.

john from naperville: Tom- thanks for the Chat. Two questions: 1) You mentioned Miskinis being unhappy getting dumped other duties, was brining in Sanderson part of an amicable break or more Sandersons connections with HS recruits?  2) was Brian Snow’s departure a direct result of bringing on Garrity for essentially the same role? Snow and Shrews had been close for years, so was wondering what cause the split thereTom Noie: John: Micah Shrewsberry has known Jon Sanderson for years. Not sure there was ever an idea that the two would work together at Notre Dame. Miskinis was Shrewsberry’s strength coach at Penn State and had long worked with Braeden. He was expected to be here for the long haul, until he wasn’t. Brian Snow left, in part, because he and Grady Eifert shared similar recruiting job titles. Notre Dame being Notre Dame was like, why are we playing two people to essentially do the same job? Think it’s safe to say that Brian Snow wanted to work for Micah Shrewsberry, but didn’t want to work for Notre Dame. Pat Garrity needed to be added because that’s the way of the college athletics world – your program needs a general manager to handle everything programs have to handle.

Oscar: How competitive do you feel the ND women will be this year with only 11 players and do you anticipate Leah Macy contributing this year? Go Irish!Tom Noie: Oscar: Notre Dame women’s basketball will be competitive in 2025-26. Will Notre Dame women’s basketball be successful in 2025-26? Not sure, at least not to the levels that you’ve come to expect. There’s been no word either way on the availability of Leah Macy for 2025-26.

Fritz Frommeyer: Are any additional players being sought for ND’s women’s team, or is the roster set for the 25-26 season?Tom Noie: Fritz: Both the Notre Dame men’s and women’s basketball rosters are likely finalized for 2025-26.

THE JET FROM EVANSVILLE: What do we know about why Miles, Koval, Risch, and Watson transferred?Tom Noie: Jet: We’ll keep this as straight forward as possible, but have you paid any attention to the way of the college basketball world the past few years? What happened when four Notre Dame players transferred was not unique. It was par for the course. Players are allowed to leave whenever they want and do not have to sit out before playing for their new school. Those four wanted to leave, so they left. Nothing new. Because it happened at Notre Dame, Notre Dame fans are left dumbfounded. Like, there has to be this secret reason. Welcome to college athletics, 2025…and beyond

E: I hope you don’t regard this as a silly question, much less call it one, But I still want to know from ND Athletics WHAT happened with the collapse of the women’s basketball team over the last 5-6 games or so of last season. I am a season ticket holder, and I’ve read your informed speculation about what happened, but recall nothing from the team itself. I know that team management is always incredibly close-mouthed about injuries, and that’s OK, but this issue transcends injuries. I just felt like something happened behind the scenes that stopped the team’s incredible march through an amazing season dead in its tracks, and an honest accounting of what happened has been and continues to be withheld. Thoughts?Tom Noie: E: Here’s what Notre Dame would say – it’s none of your business. The 2024-25 team failed to reach expectations but we’re moving on to a new season with a new roster. You or me or the fence post will never get a true/accurate explanation why last season went so sideways.

Jeff from Schererville, IN: Thanks for having the chats, Tom, and as a season-ticket holder for the last 10 years or so, I second, third, fourth just about everything that has been said about the in-game experience beyond the actual basketball.  When it comes to scheduling, it seems like teams will have 2 extra games to fill with the ACC going from 20 games to 18.  I know ND is back in Vegas for the 3-game Players Era event (and 17 teams will join them this year), will host Missouri in the ACC-SEC thing and presumably visit Ohio St in the first of a home-and-home.  Should we expect the other 8 to be (allegedly, see Cornell and Elon) easier home games?  If they’re smart they’ll play a couple of them on the Friday nights before the Navy and Syracuse FB games to get more people in the stands.  I think it’s sensible for where is program is right now but I wouldn’t mind seeing one more notable opponent in there someplace.  What say you?Tom Noie: Jeff: I know Micah Shrewsberry is of the mindset of playing anybody, anywhere, anytime, but I’d like to see that dialed back a bit, at least until Notre Dame can be a team that can win three, four, five, six, seven straight. Notre Dame scheduled over its collective head during Shrewsberry’s first two years. The most important aspect of this schedule is for this team to get confidence – and get wins. Get them at home, then carry that over to road games in league play. Notre Dame shouldn’t be in such a hurry to play here and play there and play anywhere against anyone. Get good first, then get that schedule where it should be.

Jeff from Schererville, IN: Agreed with what you said.  Is home and home with Purdue still a possibility down the road after ND improves?  I know there was chatter about that for awhile and they’d be the preferred in-state home and home opponent.  If IU comes to town that is the 2000 Nebraska football game all over again.  Smart exhibition games with Butler and DePaul too for whatever you can glean from exhibitions.Tom Noie: Jeff: Anything is possible schedule-wise, though it may be more important for Notre Dame to get good enough to the point where it can get back to Madison Square Garden for a Jimmy V event than playing Purdue. Those exhibition games with Butler and DePaul matter in that you’re seeing where you stand against other Division I teams, not some token Division III scrimmage.

Jeff from Schererville, IN: Since it’s NBA Draft time and you’ve seen countless players over the years, who’s the one guy (ND or opponent) who has surprised you the most after he made the leap to the NBA, like you thought he was good but not THAT good.Tom Noie: Two from the top of the memory bank – and it’s a pretty deep bank. I didn’t think Steven Adams would last as long as he did in the league. He was outplayed in his one year at Pittsburgh by Jack Cooley. Also, you could see sitting courtside that night in 2017 that Jayson Tatum was the best player in the draft. His top-three pick started that night against Notre Dame in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship. The two opponents you could tell were one-and-dones were Carmelo Anthony and Zion Williamson. Best shooter ever saw? Ray Allen. And best pro from Notre Dame remains Troy Murphy. First time I saw him play, in The Pit the summer before his freshman year, I thought, 10-year. The dude was just different. Sooooo many guys through 27 years. And counting!

Jeff from Schererville, IN: Here’s to 27 more for you with several more seasons like 2015 and 2016 mixed in there!Tom Noie: Where do we sign up?

Illinois Fool: Especially after last night’s NBA draft I don’t see a future for Blake Wesley in San Antonio. What would be a good landing place for him?Tom Noie: IF: Anywhere but San Antonio. He’s become just a guy – a guy with a nice paycheck, but a guy nonetheless. He doesn’t have that one specific skill that separates him from someone else. That’s how fast it happens (or doesn’t) in that league. They draft on potential, and then figure out whether you’ll hit that potential. Sometimes, it happens for guys on their second team. That has to happen for BW.

Jim from Virginia: I have read that ND’s sports money will be divided, roughly, as follows:  75% for football, 15% for men’s basketball, 5% for women’s basketball and 5% for the other sports.  Do you know if this estimate is even remotely accurate?  !5% for men’s basketball and 5% for women’s basketball makes no sense given the stature of the two programs.Tom Noie: Jim: If anything, it would be more like 85 percent football, five percent men’s basketball, five percent women’s basketball and five percent other. If it’s not football, the motto at Notre Dame is do more…and do it with less.

Jim from Virginia: Thanks Tom for your quick response and doing these chats.  More questions: How is it then that schools like Texas, South Carolina, LSU, etc., are able to support high level teams in multiple sports?  Do they have that much more money to spend than ND?Tom Noie: Jim: Yes. Notre Dame doesn’t hurt for money. What Notre Dame wants to do, what Notre Dame always has done, is win/compete on its own terms. On terms of being in the college athletics business, not the professional sports business (which college sports now is). That’s what has made the all-in aspect of football such a stark contrast of what Notre Dame has always preached. Now, it’s like, for football, do whatever it takes. Whatever. It. Takes. Other sports, it’s do what they’ve always done. Stay within the margins and make sure, above all else, not to give the impression that Notre Dame puts more of an emphasis on athletics than it does academics.Tom Noie: That will do it for today. Solid effort for early summer. Enjoy the rest of the season. We’ll circle back maybe in August. If you have a question or comment that cannot wait, you can always drop me a note at tnoie@sbtinfo.com. Thanks!

Follow South Bend Tribune and NDInsider columnist Tom Noie on X (formerly Twitter): @tnoieNDI. Contact Noie at tnoie@sbtinfo.com

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: What was dissected/discussed in our most recent Notre Dame basketball chat?

Reporting by Tom Noie, South Bend Tribune / South Bend Tribune

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