Chris Quinn – Syndication Server

The Notre Dame representation in the NBA Finals

Notre Dame might not have any players participating in the NBA Finals but they do have one assistant coach.

Notre Dame doesn’t exactly have a plethora of players in the NBA like the school does in the WNBA, but they’re still represented by one proud graduate as the NBA Finals get started this evening.

Chris Quinn, who played for Mike Brey’s Fighting Irish from 2002-06 and averaged over 17 points per game his senior season.

Quinn went on to play in the NBA for the Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs, New Jersey Nets and Cleveland Cavaliers from 2006-2013 and got into coaching after that.

Quinn joined the Miami Heat coaching staff in 2014 and will be on their bench as they take on the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2020 NBA Finals that start Wednesday night in Orlando.

For the heck of it let’s put it out on the record:

Heat in 7!

Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament: ’06-07 Irish Defeat ’05-06 Irish

The first of our two Cinderella teams in the quarterfinals of the Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament and the oldest in the field has fallen.

The first of our two Cinderella teams in the quarterfinals of the Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament and the oldest in the field has fallen. It had to happen against a heavy hitter sooner or later. Though the 13th-seeded 2005-06 Irish didn’t go down without a fight, it was the 2006-07 Irish that emerged victorious, 87-78.

The ’06-07 Irish got off to a fast start and were up by as much as 11 in the first half, but the ’05-06 Irish roared back and took their first lead right before halftime on a 3-pointer from their iteration of Colin Falls. The second half was close almost throughout with the ’06-07 Irish leading most of the time until the game was tied at 70 with four minutes to go. Then, led by their iteration of Rob Kurz, the ’06-07 Irish went on a 9-1 run that put the game out of reach with a minute-and-a-half left. All the ’05-06 Irish could do from there was keep the deficit close to where it was at that moment.

Kurz was the hero for the ’06-07 Irish with a double-double of 19 points and 13 rebounds. Luke Harangody came off the bench to score 14 points and have himself an 8-of-10 showing at the free-throw line. Russell Carter scored 12 despite shooting 4 of 15 from the field, and Falls added 11 before fouling out. Tory Jackson also fouled out, but not before scoring 10 points and dishing out seven assists.

Chris Quinn led the ’05-06 Irish with 22 points and seven assists. Torin Francis wasn’t far behind with 20 points and six rebounds, but he fouled out before he could catch Quinn on the scoresheet. Carter scored 12 points, and Falls added 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.

Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament: ’05-06 Irish Upset ’08-09 Irish in Opener

The Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament already has an upset after one game.

The Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament already has an upset after one game. The 13th-seeded 2005-06 Irish squeaked by the 12th-seeded 2008-09 Irish, 68-65, to open the first round. Like all great college basketball games, this one came down to the wire.

After leading for much of the first half, the ’05-06 Irish fell behind by eight at halftime. From there, they came back to take the lead, but the ’08-09 Irish stayed on their tail to the point where the game was tied at 65 with over two minutes to play. The score stayed there until Kyle McAlarney was fouled with 52 seconds left and hit two free throws to make it 67-65. Torin Francis then tipped away a jump hook from Tyrone Nash on the other end, and Rob Kurz came up with it, allowing the ’05-06 Irish to burn some clock.

After Russell Carter missed a shot, Francis collected the offensive rebound and got the ball back to Carter, who was fouled and had a chance to ice the game with two free throws with eight seconds left. Carter made the first shot, but missed the second, and Luke Harangody got the rebound, giving the ’08-09 Irish one chance to force overtime. Harangody missed a straightaway 3 at the buzzer, and the oldest Irish team in the field was able to celebrate. They will play the fifth-seeded 2016-17 Irish in the second round.

Chris Quinn led the ’05-06 Irish with 17 points, and Carter was just behind him with 15. Francis just missed out on a double-double with nine points and 13 rebounds. Kurz came up short on double figures in both of those categories at eight points and nine boards.

Harangody’s 21-point, 17-rebound effort for the ’08-09 Irish went to waste, as did a 12-point game from Tory Jackson.

Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament: No. 13 Seed – 2005-06 Irish

The oldest team in our tournament field, the 2005-06 Irish gave fans something to talk about early by jumping out to a 9-2 record.

The oldest team in our tournament field, the 2005-06 Irish gave fans something to talk about early by jumping out to a 9-2 record with the nonconference schedule. At the beginning of Big East play, Notre Dame nearly took down a then-perfect Pittsburgh team before falling in double overtime. The Irish never recovered from that as they ended up losing eight of their first nine conference games. Amazingly, their record never fell below .500, and despite being one-and-done in the Big East tournament, they earned an NIT spot.

Notre Dame made its mark in the first round of the NIT with a win at home over Vanderbilt. It traveled to Michigan for the second round and lost to the eventual tournament runner-up by three in double overtime. Playing beyond regulation time was not kind to the Irish this season as they dropped all five games that required longer than 40 minutes.

Chris Quinn was the big player on this team as he led the Irish in both scoring (17.7) and assists (6.4). Notre Dame also got double-digit scoring averages from Colin Falls (13.8), Russell Carter (11.5) and Torin Francis (11.6), who also was the team leader in rebounds (9.4). Six players started at least 10 games this season, and seven started at least nine.

Paced by Falls’ 102 field goals from beyond the arc and 70 from Quinn, the Irish were fifth in 3-point field-goal percentage (.403) and sixth in 3-pointers made (288).

Notre Dame Basketball: Playing Pitt

A two-game winning streak has Notre Dame trending in a small but positive direction, and Wednesday will give it the opportunity to sweep its three-game homestand when Pittsburgh comes to South Bend. The series between the Irish (13-8, 4-6) and Panthers (14-8, 5-6) goes back to 1927, and it’s the seventh most prolific series in Notre Dame history. The current ACC rivals also duked it out as members of the Big East.

John Mooney continues to approach personal milestones and climb lists. He needs only six rebounds to reach 800 for his career and become the sixth Notre Dame player under Mike Brey to achieve that milestone. With one more double-double this season, he’ll have 18, tying Bob Arnzen during the 1968-69 season for 13th most in a single campaign.

T.J. Gibbs has 1,443 career points and will catch Chris Quinn for 19th on Notre Dame’s scoring list. With 111 career blocks, Juwan Durham is five away from tying Jack Cooley on the program’s all-time list.