Tag: Bonzie Colson

Top 10 Notre Dame men’s basketball players according to ChatGPT

Let’s see what AI knows about Irish men’s hoops.

For the past few months, I’ve heard quite a bit about the AI information bot known as ChatGPT. It was the subject of an episode during this past season of “South Park”. More importantly, I’ve heard how it’s such a game-changer that writing jobs are done for. We’ll see about that as I’m not too worried about it, but then again, I’m sure newspaper employees said the same thing about the internet in the mid-1990s.

When our editor Nick Shepkowski decided to ask ChatGPT what it thought Notre Dame’s 10 best football players were, I decided to follow suit and ask the same question but for the 10 best men’s basketball players instead. Keep in mind that even the bot knows this list is subjective:

“Please note that there are many other outstanding players who have played for Notre Dame and could also be included on this list.”

So keep that in mind as you go over the following list, which also includes ChatGPT’s description of each player:

Mike Brey, Cormac Ryan, Marcus Hammond speak after Notre Dame loss

Read some final words summing up the season and a whole era of Irish basketball.

Notre Dame’s 67-64 loss to Virginia Tech in the ACC Tournament signaled the end of an era. Yes, it means [autotag]Mike Brey[/autotag]’s days as Irish coach are over, but it also means the end for many players on the roster, especially rotational players. Two of them are [autotag]Marcus Hammond[/autotag] and [autotag]Cormac Ryan[/autotag], players who didn’t begin their collegiate careers with the Irish but were the most impactful in Brey’s final game for the program. That allowed them to come out with Brey for the season’s last postgame news conference.

Hammond and Ryan sat next to Brey as he, among other things, called out the officials for a late lengthy review that ultimately resulted in a dead-ball technical for [autotag]Matt Zona[/autotag] that might have affected the game’s outcome. This came as the Irish were about to shoot their own free throws in a close contest. Brey has called out ACC officials before, and he apparently decided to do it one more time on his way out.

Here is what the Irish trio said after the game:

Notre Dame in the Crossroads Classic through the years

The Irish could have fared better during this event.

Notre Dame is set to face Indiana in what will be the final Crossroads Classic at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

The four-team event, which includes Purdue and Butler, has been held every December since 2011 but is coming to an end after this season. It’s a pity an event meant to celebrate all things basketball in a state known for the sport will not exist anymore, especially since it hasn’t been around for very long.

However, all things must come to an end, and the time for this one to wrap up is now.

The Irish are 4-6 in the Crossroads Classic, so they will have a losing record all time for the event. Here is how those games have gone:

Caleb Swanigan leads Purdue past Notre Dame in 2016 Crossroads Classic

RIP to a terrific player.

The basketball world is stunned by the news that former Purdue All-American and NBA player Caleb Swanigan is dead at 25. In two seasons with the Boilermakers, Swanigan averaged 19.7 points and 10.4 rebounds a game. He was a 2017 first-round selection of the Portland Trail Blazers and played 65 games for them over three seasons. He also was a Sacramento King for 10 games in between.

Swanigan played one game against Notre Dame. That occurred during the 2016 edition of the now-defunct Crossroads Classic in Indianapolis. Facing an Irish team that was coming off back-to-back Elite Eights, Swanigan was the straw that stirred the Boilermakers that day as he had a game-high 26 points to go with 10 rebounds in an 86-81 win. Meanwhile, the Irish got 23 points from [autotag]Bonzie Colson[/autotag] and 22 from [autotag]Matt Farrell[/autotag].

Our thoughts and prayers go to the Swanigan family during this difficult time. He might only have faced the Irish once, but his mark on basketball in Indiana never will be forgotten.

Notre Dame offers four-star Massachusetts forward T.J. Power

The Irish could use this kid.

If the next season began today, Notre Dame would have a whole lot of guards but not many forwards. Heck, it was like that this past season. However, could a power forward from Massachusetts help rectify that problem in a couple of years? Say hello to T.J. Power, a 2023 recruit who has received an offer from the Irish:

Power attends Worcester Academy and lights it up for that school, but he also plays for the Boston Amateur Basketball Club, of which Bonzie Colson is an alumnus. He’s done pretty well for that team lately, too:

And he’s catching the attention of at least one recruiting analyst:

So far, the Irish will have to battle with the following ACC rivals for Power’s services: Miami, Boston College, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest and Virginia Tech. Others in contention include Iowa, Penn State, Oklahoma, Marquette and Georgetown. A decision likely won’t come for a while, but let’s hope for the best.

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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Former Notre Dame star wins league MVP

Notre Dame great doing great things overseas….

Notre Dame basketball has struggled recently, not having made an NCAA Tournament appearance since the spring of 2017 where they lost to West Virginia in the Round of 32.

One of Notre Dame’s stars from that team and the most successful of Mike Brey squads has been excelling in the Basketball Champions League overseas and was just named their league MVP.

Bonzie Colson, now 25, averaged 18.2 points and 6.3 rebounds per game for SIG Strasbourg this season.

“It’s definitely a blessing for me to be the MVP. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting it. We heard it in the middle of the shootaround today, and I was excited,”

“All the hard work I put into this game, in the summertime, the grind, has all paid off. It definitely feels good. Another individual accomplishment for me. But I am still motivated, humble, and hungry.” – Bonzie Colson

Colson and SIG Strasbourg reached the semi-finals of the Basketball Champions League this season.

Pat Connaughton, Bonzie Colson stick up for Mike Brey

As Notre Dame slogs to the end of a disappointing season, calls for Mike Brey’s dismissal are growing.

As Notre Dame slogs to the end of a disappointing season, calls for Mike Brey’s dismissal are growing. The latest such campaign occurred at the end of the Irish’s loss to NC State on Wednesday. With a limited number of students allowed inside Purcell Pavilion for the first time all year, that group did not waste its opportunity to be heard. In response to this and restlessness from others in the fan base, former Irish standouts Pat Connaughton and Bonzie Colson both took to Twitter to back the coach who took them to the Elite Eight during happier times for the program:

I’m not going to pretend Brey has been infallible over the past few years, but he’s been put in a very tough spot. When you have a roster with very little depth and not enough talent at the top, a season like this is inevitable. The question is whether Jack Swarbrick trusts Brey enough to give him a chance to climb out of this whole next season. At least he can take solace in the fact that two of the better players he’s coached are publicly defending his honor.

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2015 ACC Champion Irish Have Twitch Reunion

In this time of quarantine, it can feel a little lonely.

In this time of quarantine, it can feel a little lonely. But when you were part of a championship-winning team, that loneliness has potential to go away for a bit. On Saturday afternoon, the 2014-15 Notre Dame men’s basketball team did just that.

The ’14-15 Irish, who won the ACC championship and were one last-second 3-pointer away from getting to the Final Four, got together on Twitch to reminisce about their team, arguably the best team Mike Brey has coached in his time in South Bend. Never mind that this team got bounced in the semifinals of our Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament. This is the team people think of first when it comes to recent Notre Dame men’s basketball.

Hosted by Demetrius Jackson’s channel and co-hosted by associate athletic communications director Alan Wasielewski, the ’14-15 Irish were well-represented, so there were plenty of stories to be shared. Besides Jackson, the players on the chat were Jerian Grant, Zach Auguste, Pat Connaughton, Steve Vasturia, V.J. Beachem, Bonzie Colson, Austin Torres, Austin Burgett, Martinas Geben, Eric Kantenda and Matt Gregory, whose father crashed the chat at one point. Incredibly, Matt Farrell was the only player absent. Also joining them were team chaplain and Notre Dame’s Director of Campus Ministry, the Rev. Peter M. McCormick.

There were nothing but positive vibes all-around. In the great scheme of things, five years removed from a memorable event is not a long time. Still, it had the feel of a 20-year college reunion. These boys became men together, so they all see each other as brothers.

At the time of this writing, the reunion still was going on, so you might still be able to check it out if you hurry. It’s clear they all still love each other. That’s the glimmer of light we need in these dark times.

Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament: ’15-16 Irish Hold Off ’18-19 Irish

Was it possible for the lowest seed in the Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament to work its magic again in the second round?

Was it possible for the lowest seed in the Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament to work its magic again in the second round? It nearly happened, but the fates said enough was enough. The 2015-16 Irish held on for just long enough to defeat the 2018-19 Irish, 85-78.

John Mooney closed a back-and-forth first half with a buzzer beater to give the ’18-19 Irish a two-point halftime lead. In the second half, they held a five-point lead and briefly turned a four-point deficit into a one-point lead with five minutes to go. But the ’15-16 Irish followed that with a 9-0 run to go up by eight. Over the final minute-and-a-half, unlikely hero Austin Burgett hit a dagger 3-pointer, then made all eight of his free throws to seal the win, scoring 11 of his 14 points during that stretch.

Steve Vasturia led all scorers with 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field. Zach Auguste scored 16 points, and V.J. Beachem had a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds. Demetrius Jackson coupled 10 points with six assists, and Bonzie Colson grabbed a game-high 14 boards.

Despite shooting 5 of 18 from the field, T.J. Gibbs led the ’18-19 Irish with 16 points. D.J. Harvey scored 15, and Mooney added another double-double to his resume with 12 points and rebounds apiece. Prentiss Hubb scored 11, and Nate Laszewski came off the bench with 10.

Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament: ’05-06 Irish Take Out ’16-17 Irish

The slipper still fits for the 13th-seeded 2005-06 Irish in the Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament.

The slipper still fits for the 13th-seeded 2005-06 Irish in the Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament. This time, they recorded a 95-85 win over the 2016-17 Irish, who had the highest seed of any team in the field with a first-round bye at fifth. As the clock kept winding down, it appeared this game would go the other way. Then, the unexpected happened.

After the teams went back and forth in the first half, the ’16-17 Irish went up 10 five minutes into the second. With seven minutes to go, the lead was at six. The ’05-06 Irish came back to hold a slim lead for most of the next few minutes, during which the ’16-17 Irish tied it back up and even briefly retook the lead. But Chris Quinn hit a dagger 3-pointer with 54 seconds left to put the ’05-06 Irish up six, and the ’16-17 Irish sealed their fate when they couldn’t score again.

Colin Falls led all scorers with 22 points and created a lethal duo with Quinn, who had a double-double of 20 points and 10 assists. Falls and Quinn made all 10 of their collective free throws, and they were a combined 8 of 14 from 3-point range. Russell Carter scored 14 points, and Torin Francis nearly achieved a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds. Luke Zeller scored 11 off the bench.

Steve Vasturia led the ’16-17 Irish with 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field. Bonzie Colson had a double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds, while Matt Farrell came close to one of his own with nine points and 10 assists. V.J. Beachem scored 16, and Rex Pflueger had 11.