Hansbrough Transfers to Notre Dame

In a bit of old news, Ben Hansbrough has decided to leave Mississippi State and restart his career for the Irish. The 6'3" brother of player of the year Tyler, Hansbrough should be a nice addition to the backcourt in two years. He will help out in practice next season as he sits out his required year.

ESPN Profile

Sorry about the delay, but I was hoping to pair this post with one about Scott Martin of Purdue. The four star recruit from a year ago has decided to leave the Boilermakers. Odds are on either ND or Valpo. He would be the bigger catch of the two transfers if completed, so I'll postpone my full transfer post until further notice.

Cross to Toledo

Congrats to coach Gene Cross who has agreed to take the head job at Toledo.

This guy will be missed. He made the most noticable impact as a new assistant coach that I have ever seen. The players seemed to relate to him and he was the go-to guy on the bench from day one. At every substitution, Cross knelt down by the player being taken out and broke down his performance. In addition, Cross was a dedicated recruiter who could always been seen with high school players after home games.

Best of luck to Coach Cross as he enters the head coaching realm. He should be a good one. I will certainly miss seeing him on the bench and talking to him from time to time. He's one of the nicest and hardest working guys in the business and a true up-and-comer.

Looking Forward to 2009

Happy Easter, first of all.

Looking at next season, there are several positives. 4 starters return, four rising sophomores enter the equation, and both the Big East Coach of the Year and Player of the Year will be back.

Projected Starting Lineup-

PG- Tory Jackson
SG- Kyle McAlarney
SF- Tyrone Nash
PF- Zach Hillesland
PF- Luke Harangody

Sixth Man- Ryan Ayers
Question Mark- Carleton Scott

Backcourt-

Tory and Kyle return with the same roles. Tory will run the offense while K-Mac looks to shoot three pointers. Jonathan Peoples will again see about 10 minutes a game backing up both guards. Ty Proffitt may get some playing time as another backup, but is currently at the back of the depth chart.

Wings-

Zach Hillesland played the 3 for most of the season this year, but I am looking for him to take the most responsibility for Rob Kurz's role next season. In Zach's absence, there are plenty of options. Ryan Ayers will certainly get a look. He started the first half of the year and can provide an extra deep threat. However, Notre Dame lacked a good penetrator from the perimeter this year. With a good shooter in McAlarney and an inside threat with Luke Harangody, I see Ayers playing the same sixth man role that he held at the end of the season.

Who will provide that needed athleticism? Tyrone Nash is the first choice, a former three-star recruit from Queens. His 6-8 frame will provide a needed mismatch against three guard lineups with the ability to get to the rim. Redshirt Carleton Scott should be in the mix, but his broken foot will keep him out of summer practice. If he keeps the muscle added during this season, Scott could be ready for serious minutes off the bench at the beginning of the year. Tim Abromaitis has shown athleticism in practice and could be a Zach Hillesland clone. If one of the three is ready to start, the Irish will be in good shape.

Frontcourt-

Big East Player of the Year Luke Harangody returns. He still has plenty of room for improvement and may visit a big man camp in the summer. With some added post moves and a more polished attack, the post will be fine. Zach Hillesland looks to make up for Rob Kurz's departure. He can pass well out of the high post and perimeter and can drive against slower forwards. Time will tell if he can be a post scorer with Harangody on the bench or in foul trouble.

Luke Zeller will also get a look for a starting position on next year's team. He is the obvious choice for a power forward at 6'10", 239. However, he has never shown the ability to be an inside scorer and lacks the physicality to defend the big guys in the Big East. He could be a Pittsnogle type who blossoms in his senior year with limited rebounding and a strong three-point stroke, but will have to improve his defense to deserve the playing time.

Overall, I think we look strong for next season. Most of the top players return and there are a lot of unknown talents entering the rotation. If at least one of them turns out before October, this team could be even better.

Finally, thanks to everyone who read and contributed to the blog over the past several months. It has always been a great experience writing these posts and I look forward for next season.

Special thanks to Bryan, Lucid, Luke, Golden Monkey, Sebastian, Craig, and everyone else who contributed over the course of the year (I'm sure I left out plenty of you, so leave a comment to remind me). Knowing I'll be ripped to shreds for some of my comments is great for keeping this blog fresh.

So I'll be on hiatus until October unless anything comes up before then (a coaching change, surprise recuit, etc). If you have any important news or tidbits to add, drop me a line at hondahusduc@sbcglobal.net. Thanks again, and have a great offseason!

Season in Review

November, December, January, February, March... it's been a long five months.

I predicted a 22-8 record for the Irish through the regular season. They would finish 24-6, a two game improvement. Losses to Baylor and Georgia Tech at the Paradise Jam started the season off roughly, but the team rebounded with a neutral site win over Kansas State. The rest of the cake nonconference schedule rolled by without incident.

In the Big East, the Irish took on an 18 game schedule for the first time and were very successful. A 14-4 record landed the Irish in a tie for second in the conference. After lopsided losses at Marquette and Georgetown, Notre Dame closed out the season 11-2. Another unbeaten year at home kept the winning streak alive for another summer.

In the Big East Tournament, another disappointing finish sent the Irish home after a quarterfinal loss to rival Marquette. Notre Dame picked up a 5 seed in the NCAAs and used solid defense to send first round opponent George Mason home early. Unfortunately, the Irish came up short of their Sweet 16 goal by losing badly to Washington State.

Grades-

Coaching Staff- B

This could have been an A two weeks ago. Mike Brey picked up his second straight Big East Coach of the Year award in the leading the Irish from a predicted bottom half finish to a tie for second in the league. However, another early exit from New York and a blowout loss to Washington State ended the year on a sad note. Overall, a great performance in the regular season, but marred by another disappointing end of the year.

Rob Kurz- B-

Brought leadership to a team that desperately needed it after the graduation of Colin Falls and Russell Carter. However, he seemed to disappear in some close games. Rebounding dipped a bit due to the emergence of Luke Harangody, but also turned the ball over more than in the past. Shooting percentages were down considerably as well. Made most of his impact off the court and as a leader on the floor.

Kyle McAlarney- B+

Welcome back. He was expected to make an impact as a three-point shooter, but no one knew how he would play side-by-side with Jackson in the backcourt. It turned out very well. In 36 minutes a game, he scored 15 and dished out 3.5 assists. A shooting percentage of 44% from beyond the arc placed second in the conference with the most threes made. Became a scorer from the oustide that was definitely needed. Had a few cold shooting nights that really hurt the team but should improve even more with a second year playing the 2.

Zach Hillesland- B

Came off the bench to the starting lineup halfway through the year. Added life in a squad that looked flat out of the gate far too often. Not a big stat guy, 6.2 PPG/5.3 RPG/2.5 APG, but does a lot of little things. Was the only attacking wing, a problem that should be remedied with Nash and Scott next season. Shot 51% from the floor, a product of his ability to get to the basket for layups. Biggest problem is lack of an outside game. If he can develop a consistent mid-range jumper with some threes, he will have more opportunities to get to the basket.

Tory Jackson- B

Played well with McAlarney in the backcourt. Proved that he deserved the starting PG role. Scoring got a little bump from last year, but rebounds and assists shot to new heights. 3.2 turnovers a game is a little high. Still not a great shooter, but got smarter from outside as the year wore on. Though he was 30% from three, his shot selection became more surgical as we went 12 for 27 (44%) from the end of January until the first round of the tournament. Still needs to cut down on mistakes and continue to develop his finishing ability when driving, but made some strong steps forwad.

Luke Harangody- A-

What do you say about this guy? Went from unknown to Player of the Year over the course of the season. Averaged 20 and 10 and showed the ability to knock down outside shots. 22 rebounds in the final game demonstrates his ability to control a contest even while being terrible offensively. Needs to play within himself next year. He got a little frustrated at times and forced shots. Also needs to stay on the block and limit his touches 7-10 feet from the basket. Overall, he is still not ready for the NBA (good for us) due to his size and still unpolished style. The thought of him improving even more is scary.

Ryan Ayers- B-

Took his benching with dignity and was able to contribue off the bench. Can be a dead-eye shooter when he looks for a shot. Became more confident as the year went by. Still needs to be able to create scoring opportunities and become more of a part of the offense on the floor. Can grow into a Colin Falls-type scorer with very good defensive skills.

Luke Zeller- C+

Some flashes of improvement, but still not where we was expected to be at this point. Will never be a force down low, but could provide meaningful minutes on the outside. Shot 39% from three and had a very good rebounding games down the stretch. Must continue to develop with the departure of Kurz due to his extended minutes next year.

Jonathan Peoples- C

He and Zeller didn't get a lot of chances to show their stuff this year with 12 minutes a game. Partly due to Coach Brey's strategy, but their ability certainly plays a factor. Peoples showed a little range with 36% beyond the arc, but didn't get enough looks per game to really prove himself as a scorer. Has been a steady hand at the wheel when Jackson needs a break, but not much more than that. Needs to improve his scoring ability or defense or will continue to be used sparingly.

Freshmen- INC

Coach Brey decided to go with an eight-man rotation this year. Should Nash and Abromaitis have been used more? Probably. Should they have been reshirted? No. Although the freshmen were very small parts of the lineup, they picked up valuble experience off the bench. Scott has the upside to be a five-year guy, but the others do not look like candidates for a fifth year, so the redshirt was probably well played. In the end, the lack of depth was not the cause of their final defeat, so Coach Brey's strategy worked well enough.

It will be interesting to see who of the four scholarship freshmen breaks from the pack to merit serious playing time (even a starting spot?) next year. Nash gives the team a playmaker that we were lacking. Scott is even more talented towards that end, when healthy. Abromaitis and Proffitt were less heralded recruits who could enter the rotation as well.

That should put a cap on this year. Later today or tomorrow I will look forward to the next season.

Washington State 61, Notre Dame 41

Superman meet Kryptonite. Washington State expertly controlled the pace and held Notre Dame to 25% shooting to end the Irish season in the Round of 32.

A pretty awful way to end the year. Luke Harangody grabbing 22 rebounds was the only highlight of the night as every shooter in black was harrassed constantly. Congrats to the Cougars for an excellent job on defense and taking ND out of their game.

What happened? WSU ran the half-court offense very well, draining the shot clock and picking up just enough offensive rebounds to keep possessions to a minimum. On defense, they never let the Irish get out in transition and played lock-down D in the halfcourt. They only had one or two guys crash the offensive glass, ensuring a high number of rebounds for Bamm-Bamm but also keeping Notre Dame from turning quick outlet passes into layups at the other end.

There were two ways for Notre Dame to win this game: accept the slow pace and shoot a high percentage from the field or get turnovers to speed the game up. In the first half, they tried plan number 1. Unfortunately, Forrest and Cowgill were mostly able to take away Luke Harangody one-on-one. That left Wazzou's quick guards free to roam the perimeter and take away outside shots. The 18% from three point range tells the tale of their success out there.

In the second half, Coach Brey made a solid adjustment to full-court man defense. This made Washington State a little more frantic and brought the Irish within 7. Unfortunately, WSU was able to adjust and beat the press. Notre Dame never opened the game into a sprint and were not able to convert half court opportunities. Game, set, match Washington State. The Irish go home.

Tory Jackson was a little razzled today. He tried to push the pace on occasion and turned the ball over. Certainly looked like a sophomore. 7 points, 4 rebounds, but only 2 assists. Not that there were a lot of field goals to assist.

Kyle McAlarney finished a resurgent year 2-8 from three point range. We have consistently lost when Mac shoots such a low percentage and tonight was no different. 12 points, 3 rebounds. Great to see him back in an Irish uniform, however, and here's to a spectacular senior campaign.

Zach Hillesland was pretty quiet. Only 2 points with 4 rebounds. 0-2 from the field. It will be interesting to see what is role will be in next year's squad. He was a welcome addition to the starting lineup halfway through the year and a great part of our success in the Big East.

How about Luke Harangody this year? No one would have predicted what we would become by year's end. A disappointing way to end the Big East Player of the Year's season. 10 points, an amazing 22 rebounds, but only 3-17 shooting. He was taken out of the offensive game in a way no one could have predicted.

Sad to see Rob Kurz go, but that's how it must be. 8 points, 3 rebounds in his final game. A great captain and terrific senior leader. His leadership will be missed and the Irish will need to find a solid high post guy to help Harangody next year. Good luck to Rob in the future.

Off the bench, a really tough night for Ryan Ayers. He showed the willingness to take shots tonight, but finished 0-4. No points. When he is on, he makes a great case for a starting slot, but we will see what happens. Jonathan Peoples with two late free throws. He was a quiet guy this year, just the backup point guard. Has some range, but rarely uses it. He may be a four year backup for us. Luke Zeller with nothing to show for the last game of his third college season. He has shown some improvement, but never became the post player that many had hoped for. Next year, he will help out at the high post and on the wing. It will be interesting to see how he handles some of Rob Kurz's responsibilities.

Abromaitis and Nash with mopup minutes. Those two guys could be the gamechangers next year. Really wanted to see more of them, especially Nash, but Coach Brey stuck with an 8 man lineup. Hard to second guess that now, as we had so much success with the eight veterans and the freshman probably would not have changed the outcome of this game. However, next year could be as much as 9-10 guys deep. Where do Abro and Nash fit in? I would guess they each get 8-10 minutes a game. What about a guy like Scott when he is healthy? He probably has the most upside of the freshmen. Even Proffitt could contribute. We shall see.

Just a poor game against a team that really matched up well against us. Hats off to Washington State for holding Coach Brey's team to its lowest scoring and shooting night of his career at ND. We never got into our game and they were incredibly efficent at theirs. Stats like their turning the ball over only once in the first half shows how well they were able to control this game.

Tough way to end the year, as always. However, great strides were made with the best Big East record and making the second round of the tournament. Next season should be even better.

Tomorrow and Monday I will recap the season and look forward to next year. Thanks to everyone who has contributed and I eagerly anticipate another season with all of you.

A Couple Upsets

My bracket was perfect yesterday, but has been destroyed by a few upsets today. Great to see Western Kentucky's win over Drake. Drake would have been a feel good story if they went deep, but had their season ended by a buzzer beating three in OT. One of the best games I have seen in the last few tournaments.

Missed San Diego beating UCONN today, but that looked like a great one as well. There goes one of my Final Four squads. Mark WKU and San Diego on your calendar for Sunday. Both teams playing for the pride of being the year's Cinderella.

EDIT: What is in the water in Tampa? San Diego and Western Kentucky both win, 13 and 12 seeds respectively, and 13 seed Siena is handling Vanderbilt 46-34 at the half. Feel free to bet the farm on Villanova tonight against Clemson. No way the favorite wins that game.

Breaking Down Last Night

First off, news of Carleton Scott breaking his fifth metatarsal broke during the day yesterday. He will be rehabbing for up to the next four months, but should be fine for the team's trip to Ireland in August. Tough break for the guy who could become a very important part of the lineup next year and in the future. He has been a little injury-prone in the past, so hopefully this is the only problem he will have to deal with at ND. His redshirt year has gone very well by all accounts, as the 6'7" wing has gained 25 pounds and now weighs a formidable 213. As long as he can keep that strength, Scott should be a very good player for this team contributing as early as next year.

Last night was probably the most nerveracking night I have ever experienced while watching the Irish play... way too much to lose with not a whole lot to gain. Even with the lead in double digits in the second half, my blood pressure was through the roof until the final buzzer. Today is much better. Very good win, easy if not dominant. Obviously, Washington State will be a tougher task. Just look at how they handled Winthrop in the second half last night.

But we're playing with the house's chips now. Win or lose, the season is still an overall success. Obviously, a Sweet 16 appearance would be the perfect way to keep the good feelings going.

Should be wearing the black jerseys tomorrow. That's a good thing for two reasons. One, the Irish will be reminded of the importance of the game. This isn't like playing a semi-home contest against an inferior CAA squad. Washington State deserves to wear their home whites and will be the favorite to win. Two, this should be the second leg of a business trip. We're on the road in somewhat hostile territory and need to keep the focus. What was most encouraging about yesterday's performance was that the Irish never looked like they wanted to get caught up in the festivities. It was just another game in what should be an everlengthening season. That mentality will be great for Saturday.

Plenty of positive notes from the game. Worst case scenario for a win would be an absolutely perfect performance against an easy team. The law of averages states that had everything gone perfectly, a below-average performance would be sure to follow. The Irish won while strengthening their weaknesses. They improved on defense and were able to walk the ball up the floor to win without getting into a shootout. Most teams don't have their second best defensive performance on March 20th.

As for the negatives, they were mostly our strengths not being in the spotlight. Kyle McAlarney overcame a poor shooting half to be solid overall for the game. He will need to be better than that Saturday, but experience says he can light up the scoreboard when needed. Luke Harangody was below the season average scoring, but still played very well. Needs to stay in the paint and not get so trigger happy from 10-15 feet out.

The role players really stepped up last night. Zach Hillesland and Ryan Ayers look like the best tandem small forward in the country. Hillesland with that athleticism and hustle grabs the rebounds and creates matchup problems on the wing. Ayers continues to gain confidence and can knock down any shot on the floor. Luke Zeller hit a three and grabbed a few boards. He continues to improve into a solid option off the bench. Rob Kurz, normally a solid double-double guy, was in foul trouble and played a below average game overall, but can usually be counted on when needed. Picked up his 1,000th point as well, so good for him.

Game is at 6:40 Eastern tomorrow. Looking forward to that one more than I was for last night. The Irish have the talent needed to win, but will be in for a tough fight. Win, and the program takes a huge step forward. Even a close loss would close out a year that has been a strong improvement from last season.

However, we all want a shot at the #1 team in the nation. Let's get that W and take on Carolina in Charlotte.

Notre Dame 68, George Mason 50

A quick blowout would have been nice, but the Irish were able to slowly put the game out of reach against an awful shooting George Mason team. Strong defense for the entire contest allowed Notre Dame to overcome a sluggish night offensively.

First half, Notre Dame jumped out to a double digit lead quickly using three pointers from five different players. Luke Harangody was dominant when he got the ball in the lane, but played too far away from the basket at times.

In the second half, the Irish looked perfectly happy wearing down the opposition. Instead of putting George Mason away with a quick run to start the period, the team kept the lead in the teens the rest of the game. Down the stretch, lots of spacing on the offensive end ran down the shot clock and drained the blood out of the Patriots.

Good to see that senior Rob Kurz did not end his career with this contest. Only 6 points while fouling out early. 2-4 from three, not much else to mention.

Luke Harangody with yet another double-double. 18 points, 14 rebounds. Really came back to take control in the second half after playing too far out in the first period. 8-19 from the field is a little deceiving as he missed four in a row on tip-ins. Was able to dominate in the paint against the smaller Patriot lineup. Hillesland and Kurz spent most of the game guarding Will Thomas, but Harangody can take some of the blame for Thomas going off. Other than that, however, a very solid night.

Tory Jackson with 6 points and 8 rebounds. Made some dumb mistakes turning the ball over, but played an overall solid game. Broke down the defense a few times with drives in the key, hitting layups or dishing to an open teammate.

Kyle McAlarney was harrassed by the George Mason defense from the start, but overcame a poor first half shooting to finish with 15 points on 3-7 from beyond the arc. Had plenty of help stretching the defense from the rest of the team tonight, as well.

Zach Hillesland scored six, but more importantly grabbed 11 rebounds and 5 assists. Great job with the all-around game as usual, making important contributions in every category.

Off the bench, how about Ryan Ayers? 12 points on 5-9 shooting. Showed great poise hitting two pointers on the break. Could have had 6-9 more had Brey allowed him to continue to shoot threes as the game wound down and he got looks in transition. Jonathan Peoples played sparingly. Luke Zeller hit a three. Tim Abromaitis and Ty Nash got some playing time, so good for them. Abro even got his first NCAA tourney points.

For George Mason, Will Thomas finished his career with a great performance. 25 points, 7 rebounds. Seemed the wear down in the second half as the Irish looked far fresher than their opponents. No other Patriots in double figures. Folarin Campbell had a terrible night shooting and just could not knock down anything all game.

Kind of a boring game, but will definitely take it. More analysis when I get a chance tomorrow, but great way to start the tournament with an easy win. Solid D was nice to see for the first time in a while. Bring on Washington State.

Are You Ready?

First round for the Irish tips at 9:40 tonight.

As always, Bryan has you covered at his blog with a tournament preview. Check it out here.

HALFTIME UPDATE:

Irish started great but sputtered to the half and finish up 33-21. Great defense, but scoring was off down the stretch. Harangody needs to stay in the middle and get touches inside. No reason for him to be 3-8 for the half. The rest of the lineup is stepping up nicely in spite of lower scoring for both Bamm-Bamm and McAlarney.

George Mason Preview

Everyone's favorite story two years ago is a 12 seed after finishing the year 23-10 with an RPI ranking of 61.

Joe Lunardi on Notre Dame
George Mason
Washington State
Winthrop

Offensive Efficiency- 70
Defensive Efficiency- 123
Good Wins- vs. Cleveland State, Dayton, Kansas State, Virginia Commonwealth
Bad Losses- vs. East Carolina, Georgia State

Starters-
Dre Smith- 8.6 PPG, 1.4 APG, 38% 3PA
John Vaughan- 12.6 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 33% 3PA
Folarin Campbell- 15.9 PPG, 3.3 APG, 37% 3PA
Louis Birdsong- 6.2 PPG, 3.9 RPG
Will Thomas- 15.8 PPG, 10.5 RPG

Bench-
Cam Long- 4.1 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 41% 3PA, 17.8 MPG
Jordan Carter- 2.8 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 33% 3PA, 16.6 MPG
Vlad Moldoveanu- 2.3 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 15% 3PA, 11.6 MPG

More depth than the 7 man rotation in 2006. Campbell and Thomas are the only holdovers who played serious minutes on that team (both were starters then as well).

Both Carter and Moldoveanu have been banged up and may only see limited time.

My Feelings About the Upcoming Tournament

Lose in the First Round- We accomplished a lot this year, but it was all for naught again. Losing to George Mason would be even more disappointing than last season's exit due to the poor showing in NYC and higher expectations. While it was great to just make the tournament last year, this team is should do more.

Lose in the Second Round (Washington State)- Not great, not awful if it is a close game. Losing to a team with a higher seed is expected, but still tough to stomach. Will be a bitter end to the year, but won't ruin all the joys of the regular season. Will hopefully inspire next year's team to a Sweet 16 run or deeper.

Lose in the Second Round (Winthrop)- Same as above, but a little tougher to watch. Would involve another exit to the lower seeded Eagles and be especially rough after last season. Still would make the year a general success and keep up expectations for next year.

Advance to the Second Weekend or Further- Great job by all involved getting over the hump of a poor BET showing and finishing the year the way they should. While a lopsided loss to Carolina or another top 10 team would be a tough way to end the year, still would be a great way to send off Rob Kurz. Will be restless until the team begins play next season after what would be an overall successful year.

Scenario #1 is a step back of sorts, the program stalls after two great regular seasons. Coach Brey needs to show much more in the postseason after providing a pair of strong campaigns. A deep run in the BET and NCAAs in '09 would be required to take away the sting of two embarrassing first round exits.

Scenario #2 and #3 are solid, but not steps forward. Finish off the year as expected and will start next season as a top 20 program. However, deeper runs in March are required to take the Irish to the next level.

Scenario #4 shows improvement for the program. Next year will be the third year of a rebuilding project that started in 06/07. Hopes will be soaring as Harangody continues to improve and the senior class looks to go out with a bang.

Obviously, scenario #4 is preferable. I'll take a 1-1 record and be satisfied with the entire body of work, but this team can accomplish much more. Anything less than survival until Saturday is unacceptable.