Nonconference Notes: Backcourt

With only two nonconference games to go, a few midseason comments:

Starting Guards-

Tory Jackson- The senior point guard has been very efficient handling the ball so far. Though it has come against easy competition, Jackson has averaged over five assists per game. His 4.67 assist to turnover ratio is simply obscene. Scoring has been an issue, however. His two-point shooting percentage of 40% is by far the worst on the tam. Drawing up ineffective last minute plays for him won't help that any.

Ben Hansbrough- Has struggled at times to mesh with Jackson. The most athletic shooting guard we've had in a while, his style seems to conflict a bit with Tory. Can't argue with the results on offense, however. Take away his egglaying performance against Northwestern and he's shooting 56% from three point land. Even with that 0-7 effort, he has posted career bests in three-point percentage, points per game, and assists. On defense, he has struggled along with everyone else, but certainly has more potential than K-Mac.

Off the Bench-

Jonathan Peoples- Started the first eight games and has been terrible all year. His offensive efficiency (96.6) is 13 points lower than anybody else. The fact that his stats actually indicate a marginal improvement over last year's ineptitude indicate just how awful he was under the radar last season. Has failed to score in four games despite averaging 17.5 minutes in those contests. Somehow he managed to convince Coach Brey that he was talented enough to start for a Big East team despite being one of the most unathletic guards in the country.

EDIT: Originally I had intended to hand out grades to each player. Unfortunately, that's pretty tough to do (except for Peoples). We're a top 25 team on offense and everyone has had their share of failures on D.

Tory Jackson

Our floor general is an upperclassman this season. Following a campaign in which he averaged eight points and five rebounds a game with a 1.85 to 1 assist to turnover ratio, Jackson should blossom into a true team leader this season.

Tory needs to continue to develop his jump shot to add a scoring dimension to his arsenal and keep defenders from playing off of him. With the ability to create off the dribble, Jackson can cause a lot of damage by getting to the basket or dishing to open shooters on the perimeter. His man defense has been very strong since arriving on campus. One downside to his game has been a number of mental errors passing the ball. The talent is all there, he should become a more polished conductor in his junior year.

Tory Jackson

Tory Jackson- 5-11 / 193, Saginaw, MI-

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To understand the 2006-07 Notre Dame basketball season, one must look no further than Tory Jackson. At the beginning of the year, Jackson was a relative unknown. While talented and highly recruited out of high school, he stayed out of the spotlight in the beginning of the season behind starting point guard Kyle McAlarney. However, with McAlarney suspended, Jackson and the Irish burst onto the national stage with an 11-5 Big East record and return to the NCAA tournament. Simply put, Jackson was Notre Dame's season last year. Without him, the Irish would have had absolutely no chance of breaking their string of NIT appearances.

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Tory started 20 of 32 games last year, including the entire conference slate. He averaged 7.8 points and 4.3 assists in 27.8 minutes per game. His assist average rose to six in McAlarney's absence. In Notre Dame's Big East Tournament loss to Georgetown, Jackson singlehandedly kept the Irish competitive and took the team to the verge of a championship game appearance. His point guard play down the stretch was some of the best by any point guard in the country. Yes, folks, he was a freshman. Kid grows up fast.

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At the beginning of the year, Jackson struggled with a lack of communication with his teammates. Many no-look and behind the back passes hit wide open Notre Dame players in the chest, but bounced away resulted in turnovers. By the end of the season, those passes resulted in easy baskets for the Irish out of seemingly impossible situations. He will continue that development this season as Notre Dame's floor general. This year, however, McAlarney is back in the mix and will force opposing defenses to focus on two point guards, giving Jackson more freedom.

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While his passing and ballhandling skills are some of the best Notre Dame has had in recent memory, his outside shot needs work. If he can be able to make defenses worry about his shot as well as his dribbling, Jackson will become a serious scoring threat. Until then, his passing, defense, and leadership capabilities will make him one of the best sophomores in the conference, if not the country.