Salute to Mike Brey

[IrishLax]

What if Abro didn't get hurt and Carlton Scott didn't bolt??? Would we be dominating this year?

I mean it is just amazing how he has taken the hand he was dealt (which was full of inexperience and questionable/undeveloped talent) and gotten the team to play winning basketball. This team was SO bad at the beginning of the year after Abro went down... which is very understandable when you lose your go-to scorer and captain out of the blue. But he has come up with gameplans to beat some really good teams and adjusted the team on the fly to get players playing to their strengths.

The most interesting thing to me is that Mike Brey of ~5-7 years ago could never do what this Brey is doing in terms of adjustments. It's been very interesting to watch this evolution.

 

[JD Irish]

Agree with everything. If he keeps this up, it's another BE Coach of the Year award for him!

 

[BurningRiver]

It's all about the turtleneck

 

[Mr. McGibblets]

Fire Brey!!!

 

[gkIrish]

It's all about the turtleneck

He wasn't wearing one today!

 

[Kak7304]

What if Abro didn't get hurt and Carlton Scott didn't bolt??? Would we be dominating this year?

I mean it is just amazing how he has taken the hand he was dealt (which was full of inexperience and questionable/undeveloped talent) and gotten the team to play winning basketball. This team was SO bad at the beginning of the year after Abro went down... which is very understandable when you lose your go-to scorer and captain out of the blue. But he has come up with gameplans to beat some really good teams and adjusted the team on the fly to get players playing to their strengths.

The most interesting thing to me is that Mike Brey of ~5-7 years ago could never do what this Brey is doing in terms of adjustments. It's been very interesting to watch this evolution.

Agreed. My one problem with Brey as a coach is when he has a star player, he tends to give that person too much freedom. Later in his career, Harangody started taking too many bad shots that killed our momentum. That's why our team performed better when Luke was out for a little bit and we stuck to the gameplan. Other than that though, Brey as been incredible. His "burn" offense is great at wearing down the other, often more talented, team and has been an integral part of our success against superior teams (the 96 second possession vs Syracuse).

 

[notredomer23]

We should make the NCAAs, but next year this team is going to be absolutely sick.

Atkins, Grant, Connoughton, Cooley, Dragevich, Garrick Sherman, Brooks(not a big fan), Knight, and then add in Auguste and Beidshied whom are the two best recruits Brey has gotten in a long time.

We will at least have an 8 man rotation maybe even 9 or 10. I have not seen an ND team with this kind of depth ever in my life time.

 

[arrowryan]

We should make the NCAAs, but next year this team is going to be absolutely sick.

Atkins, Grant, Connoughton, Cooley, Dragevich, Garrick Sherman, Brooks(not a big fan), Knight, and then add in Auguste and Beidshied whom are the two best recruits Brey has gotten in a long time.

We will at least have an 8 man rotation maybe even 9 or 10. I have not seen an ND team with this kind of depth ever in my life time.

If Brooks plays I am going to be sick. That kid is terrible. Auguste should pass him on the dpth chart in a heart beat.

I think this team will be really good next year and Garrick Sherman will be a good "big man" for us. I really hope we get Demetrious Jackson though, that guy is really good

 

[NDPhilly]

Keep in mind Martin and Abromaitis want to come back for 6th years

 

[gkIrish]

Keep in mind Martin and Abromaitis want to come back for 6th years

I actually have a source that tells me this is closer to 50/50 than 100%

Edit: to clarify, he doesn't know if he wants another year

 

[UPMich_NDfan]

The 'burn' offense at its finest today!! Always nice to win at UConn.

 

[arrowryan]

Keep in mind Martin and Abromaitis want to come back for 6th years

Scott Martin can come back for a 6th? Sweet!

 

[Redbar]

We should make the NCAAs, but next year this team is going to be absolutely sick.

Atkins, Grant, Connoughton, Cooley, Dragevich, Garrick Sherman, Brooks(not a big fan), Knight, and then add in Auguste and Beidshied whom are the two best recruits Brey has gotten in a long time.

We will at least have an 8 man rotation maybe even 9 or 10. I have not seen an ND team with this kind of depth ever in my life time.

No doubt and I believe we have one of (Coach K and Coach Izzo) the best coaches in college basketball, so glad he stayed in South Bend!

 

[MacIrish75]

I think Joey Brooks would be a more valuable asset somehow to the football program than he is to the basketball program. Dude is built...but seems to have all the offensive talent of an eighth grade girls B-team player.

 

[NDPhilly]

Scott Martin can come back for a 6th? Sweet!

Yea to break down his eligibility:

2007: played at Purdue
2008: Sat out. Transfer year
2009: injured
2010: played for ND
2011: playing for ND

He has only played 3 years.

 

[SaltyND24]

I can't agree more with everything you guys have been saying...Especially when Lax stated that 5-7 years ago we wouldn't have seen this. I remember being a freshmen and constantly watching us blow close game after close game...The successes of our basketball team the last couple of years makes it easier for me to forget about the Chris Quinn days...He always tried to do that floater in the paint and it more times than not didn't work out well.

6-3 in our final 9 games should guarantee us a spot in the tourney...March can't get here soon enough!

 

[NDJimmy]

He has always coached his teams to excel beyond their perceived talent level. You have to respect that. Recent successful seasons are getting the attention of some national talent and the recruiting is picking up.
Syracuse, Seton Hall on the road, and UConn on the road? I'd call that a good run for a roster that made you go "who are these guys?" two months ago.

 

[NDPhilly]

Brey after the win today. Lol.

Mike Brey - Locker Room Celebration - at Connecticut, Jan. 29, 2012 - YouTube

 

[NDJimmy]

Joey Brooks

Joey Brooks

TE?

Martin: NCAA can grant a 6th year based on injury.

Abro: Isn't he like a brainiac with great stuff waiting for him out in the real world?

 

[notredomer23]

For what its worth, love this team, but like a poster mentioned above, when Joey brooks is in the game its bad news. Can't defend and just turns it over

 

[FightingIrishLover7]

I have to embed this. LOL

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/rAjzSeWyFP8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[Old Man Mike]

Mike Brey is a very fine coach, and he probably operates under far greater recruiting disadvantages [due to Notre Dame's academics] than any football coach ever will. I used to believe that Brey had a fatal fault --- he didn't know how to coach in game with more than a six or seven man rotation. Even when he had depth, I felt that he forgot about it in the heat of the action. [This by the way is not that unusual for coaches: because the game is so dynamically complex, they like to try to simplify it by finding pillars-of-salt that they think that they can count on for consistency, and sometimes go Iron-Five all game]. But he's grown beyond that. If that ever was a fatal flaw it is not now. I believe that the Harangody injury "catastrophe" was the greatest good luck that Mike Brey could have had. The real coach exploded out of him and ND is much the better. So, for all that Big Luke gave us [and I'll be a fan forever], he gave us one unexpected huge present --- a better coach.

 

[Woneone]

If Brooks plays I am going to be sick. That kid is terrible. Auguste should pass him on the dpth chart in a heart beat.

I think this team will be really good next year and Garrick Sherman will be a good "big man" for us. I really hope we get Demetrious Jackson though, that guy is really good

I get that people are extremly low on Brooks because of his offense. He's been really bad in some cases. In others, eh, average at best.

But of the games I've watched this year that he's played in, Joey Brooks is one of only 2 guys on this team (Scott Martin being the other, and even then it has to be a certain kind of match-up) that I think I can stick him on the court and not have any doubts what-so-ever on whomever I put him on defensively.

He's a great on the ball defender, and he doesn't fall asleep off the ball (he's a very good help defender).

The kid can and I believe will have a role on this team next year as a situational defensive player.

 

[Buster Bluth]

Can anyone give me a projected two-deep for 2012-2013?

 

[gkIrish]

Can anyone give me a projected two-deep for 2012-2013?

I think it would be very difficult to do that accurately at this point because we don't know what will happen with Martin or Abro. We also don't know if Katenda can play or how the incoming freshman will fit in. If I had to guess the starting 5 will be...

Atkins
Grant
Biedscheid
Sherman
Cooley

Assuming no Abro or Martin

 

[GreatGolson]

who?

 

[NDPhilly]

IDK if Bieldshied starts. He will contribute significantly though

 

[FightingIrishLover7]

IDK if Bieldshied starts. He will contribute significantly though

I could see him starting... Either him, or Connaughton in that spot... imo

 

[FightingIrishLover7]

ALSO.

Notre Dame will be touring Europe this summer, meaning, Cam, Auguste, and Burgett will all be able to gain valuable playing time.

 

[gkIrish]

I could see him starting... Either him, or Connaughton in that spot... imo

Good uncertainty to have. Either one of them off the bench as the 6th man is solid