Tag: dane goodwin

Notre Dame shuts Bowling Green down in second half for win

Another nonconference game, another win.

Don’t be fooled by this final. It looked for a while like Notre Dame was going to let another inferior opponent hang around until the end. While Mid-American Conference member Bowling Green comes from a league slightly better than the Irish’s other nonconference opponents to this point, a loss to this program at Purcell Pavilion still would have been embarrassing. Fortunately, the Irish only have to think about an 82-66 win.

Although the Irish (5-0) led for most of the game, they couldn’t seem to shake the Falcons (2-3) completely. A [autotag]Nate Laszewski[/autotag] 3-pointer at the first-half buzzer gave the Irish a two-point lead, but the Falcons’ persistence continued into the second half, and they went in front, 61-59 near the frame’s halfway point. That’s when the Irish completely took over, outscoring the Falcons, 23-5, the rest of the way. They scored their final 17 points unanswered with the Falcons not scoring again until their final possession with seconds to play.

[autotag]JJ Starling[/autotag] had the best game of his young career with 23 points, six rebounds and three steals. Laszewski was just behind with 22 points, including four 3s. [autotag]Ven-Allen Lubin[/autotag] scored 12 off the bench, and [autotag]Dane Goodwin[/autotag] added 11. [autotag]Trey Wertz[/autotag] dished out a game-high six assists.

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Dane Goodwin will play for Sacramento Kings in NBA Summer League

Irish basketball fans will have at least one reason to watch summer action.

As expected, nobody from Notre Dame was selected in Thursday’s NBA draft. In fact, only five ACC players were picked. But that doesn’t opportunities don’t exist for undrafted free agents to land two-way contracts and NBA Summer League opportunities. For former Notre Dame guard [autotag]Dane Goodwin[/autotag], it’s the latter:

Goodwin just completed his fifth and final season with the Irish. Over his collegiate career, he averaged 10.8 points and 4.4 rebounds a game. In 2022, he made the All-ACC Third Team. Now, he’ll see how well he translates at a higher level of basketball.

If a certain trade hadn’t been made, Goodwin would have had a Notre Dame connection for a teammate. The Kings drafted Marquette’s Olivier-Maxence Prosper, the brother of Irish women’s basketball player [autotag]Cassandre Prosper[/autotag], with the 24th overall pick. They then traded  the rights Prosper to the Dallas Mavericks in an effort to gain cap space ahead of free agency. Oh well.

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Notre Dame guard Dane Goodwin: ‘I bring a lot more than just knocking down shots’

Rookie Wire caught up with Goodwin this week to discuss his pre-draft training, his college career, playing with Blake Wesley and more.

Dane Goodwin established himself as a knockdown shooter throughout his career at Notre Dame, but the 23-year-old is working to prove he is more than that.

Goodwin leaves college as the all-time leader in games played at Notre Dame (158); he surpassed Rex Pfleuger on Jan. 7. He played in every game possible in five seasons for the Fighting Irish after arriving on campus in 2018.

He finished with career averages of 10.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists on 39.1% shooting from 3-point range. He finished his college career by averaging 11.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and two assists on 38.8% shooting from beyond the arc this past season.

After a successful college career, Goodwin is looking ahead.

The 6-foot-5 guard signed with Pensack Sports and is training with other prospects at Impact Basketball in Las Vegas, Nevada. He participated in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament last month, averaging 9.3 points and 3.7 rebounds in three games.

He is working on improving all aspects of his game as he attempts to transition to the next level. Impact Basketball has helped send dozens of players to the NBA over the years, and Goodwin wants to be the next in line.

Rookie Wire caught up with Goodwin this week to discuss his pre-draft training; his college career; growing up with his father, who is a Division III coach; and much more.

Note: This interview was edited for clarity

Eight ACC players selected for Portsmouth Invitational Tournament

Two recent Notre Dame players could have an NBA shot.

There are several avenues for NBA hopefuls to make it to the league. One of the better-known ones is the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, which is open only to recent college seniors. This is the oldest amateur tournament in the country, so it carries some weight.

The tournament doesn’t generate NBA draft picks every year, but Tyrese Martin ended a four-year drought when he became a second-round selection in 2022. [autotag]Pat Connaughton[/autotag] was drafted after taking part in the 2015 tournament. Other notable tournament alumni include Jimmy Butler, Tim Hardaway, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, John Stockton, Dave Cowens, Earl Monroe and Rick Barry.

This year, eight recent ACC seniors have the opportunity to compete in the tournament. While there aren’t any guarantees for what happens afterwards, it’s a great way to get noticed by scouts. Here are the players who represented the ACC during the past season and will get a good look by folks who know the professional game well:

Photos of Notre Dame’s regular-season game against Miami

You probably watched the Gator Bowl instead of this.

Chances are you missed Notre Dame’s 76-65 loss to Miami during the regular season. That’s because it was happening at the same time the football team was playing in the Gator Bowl. Only the diehard fans of the basketball program and friends and family of players likely were in Purcell Pavilion that afternoon. The media interest was low, too, as evidenced by this tweet from Tom Noie of the South Bend Tribune:

All of that said, it simply was another forgettable game in a forgettable season for the Irish. The only reason it’s being brought back into the limelight is because the Hurricanes are in their first Final Four. The Irish should be honored they had a chance to play one of the remaining national championship contenders in South Bend. If the Hurricanes win it all, that honor will be even greater.

[autotag]Trey Wertz[/autotag] led the Irish with 15 points. [autotag]Dane Goodwin[/autotag] scored 14, and [autotag]Marcus Hammond[/autotag] had 12 off the bench. [autotag]Nate Laszewski[/autotag] came very close to a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds. [autotag]Cormac Ryan[/autotag] also grabbed nine boards and had five assists.

Here are the images of a game that would have been more forgettable had the Hurricanes been knocked out of the NCAA Tournament sooner:

Notre Dame drops tight one vs. Virginia Tech in ACC Tournament

So close to a bright spot in an awful season, but at least it’s all over.

Notre Dame fans were just waiting to be put out of their misery for this season. However, none of them could have anticipated an ACC Tournament first-round game with Virginia Tech that came down to the very end.

But like so many other times this season, the Irish just could not close the deal. A frustrating 2022-23 campaign came to an end with a 67-64 loss that gave the Hokies a second-round date with NC State.

The Irish (11-21), who finished the season tied for the most losses in program history, turned a 12-point first-half deficit into a five-point lead with 5:35 remaining. They were up four with 2:08 left, but the Hokies (19-13) scored five unanswered points to retake the lead going into the final minute.

With 42.5 seconds left, [autotag]Trey Wertz[/autotag] made two free throws to put the Irish back up, but Sean Pedulla also was awarded two free throws after [autotag]Matt Zona[/autotag] fouled out on a dead ball technical. Pedulla made only one of them, so the game was tied at 64 with the Hokies getting the ball.

Justyn Mutts blew past [autotag]Dane Goodwin[/autotag] and around a screen for a dunk to put the Hokies in front, the game’s 16th lead change. [autotag]Cormac Ryan[/autotag] tried to answer with a layup but was blocked by Rodney Rice. [autotag]Nate Laszewski[/autotag] was forced to foul Pedulla, who had two free throws to try and ice the game for the Hokies. Pedulla only made one, and the Irish had a chance to tie it with a 3 with 9.8 seconds remaining.

[autotag]Marcus Hammond[/autotag] had the first 3 attempt but was blocked by Mutts, who touched the ball as it went out of bounds. That gave the Irish one last gasp to send the game to overtime with 2.4 seconds on the clock. This time, Laszewski got the ball, and he got the shot off. It didn’t fall, and [autotag]Mike Brey[/autotag]’s tenure as Irish coach was over.

Grant Basile led the Hokies with 20 points, but Mutts was their best player with a double-double of 18 points and 13 rebounds. Pedulla scored 13, and Hunter Cattoor, the ACC’s co-leader in 3-point shooting, got nine of his 11 points from beyond the arc.

Hammond lead all scorers with a season-high 23 points, and Ryan scored 18. Zona had nine points on a career-high three 3s before fouling out.

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Notre Dame plays spoiler against Pittsburgh in Mike Brey’s home finale

Now that’s the way to close the home season.

Notre Dame’s home finale against Pittsburgh was a picture of what could and should have been this season. On paper, the Irish had all the talent to make a run similar to last year’s team that won twice in the NCAA Tournament. Instead, the inability to close out games tumbled them to near the bottom of the ACC, leaving them to play the spoiler role in the regular season’s final week. That they did against the Panthers with an 88-81 victory in [autotag]Mike Brey[/autotag]’s final home game.

The Irish (11-19, 3-16) were in control from the beginning on a night when the Panthers (21-9, 14-5) could have clinched a share of the ACC regular-season title. They led by as much as 20 in the second half and stayed in front by double digits until the game almost was at its final minute. The Panthers made it interesting, getting to within five with 38 seconds left, so that big cushion turned out to be very necessary. When there’s a second half with a collective 54 free throws attempted and 43 field goals attempted, you can’t come to any other conclusion.

In their final games at Purcell Pavilion, [autotag]Cormac Ryan[/autotag] and [autotag]Marcus Hammond[/autotag] tied for a game-high 20 points. [autotag]Nate Laszewski[/autotag] and [autotag]Trey Wertz[/autotag] scored 14 apiece in their home finales. [autotag]Dane Goodwin[/autotag] also played his last game in South Bend and scored 12 before fouling out. Even [autotag]Robby Carmody[/autotag] got to play on senior night, bricking two free throws in the last minute and also grabbing one rebound.

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Notre Dame nearly pulls off shocker at Duke

Can’t say the Irish didn’t care about this game.

No one is going to give Notre Dame any moral victories this season, especially when the season has been such a disaster. But all things considered, its game against Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium is as close as they’ll get to one this season.

With Mike Krzyzewski on hand to watch former assistant [autotag]Mike Brey[/autotag]’s final game in Durham, the Irish put up way more of a fight than anyone expected. Still, the result was the same as the Blue Devils won, 68-64.

The Irish (10-16, 2-13) fell behind by as much as 14 in the second half, but the Blue Devils (18-8, 9-6) let them hang around. They cut the deficit to four a couple of times before [autotag]JJ Starling[/autotag] hit some big shots to get the team even closer. A 3-pointer with 1:27 left got them within two, and he put them within one on a layup with 35.5 seconds to go. That was as good as it got as Mark Mitchell subsequently hit a corner 3 with 10.8 seconds left to put the Blue Devils up four and essentially ice the contest.

While the Irish did still have a chance, it was a slim, and it quickly became nonexistent. [autotag]Ven-Allen Lubin[/autotag] converted a layup with 3.9 seconds left to bring the deficit back to two. Forced to foul, [autotag]Cormac Ryan[/autotag] sent Tyrese Proctor to the free-throw line. Proctor sank both free throws to erase any remaining doubt.

A surprising theme to this game was only a few double-digit scorers. Future NBA player Kyle Filipowski was the lone such player for the Blue Devils with 22 points. [autotag]Dane Goodwin[/autotag], coming off the bench for the first time this season, had a season-high 25 points on an astounding 11-of-13 shooting. Lubin’s layup in the final seconds brought his scoring total to 10.

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Mike Brey, Nate Laszewski and Cormac Ryan speak after loss

The Irish seem almost speechless about this season.

SOUTH BEND – Wake Forest took Notre Dame by surprise in the second half, and you could see that after the Irish’s 81-64 loss. Sometimes, even after a tough defeat, you’ll hear plenty of words from Mike Brey and whichever players are selected to take part in the postgame news conference. This time, nobody seemed to be in a good mood. While Brey still has his usual bright and chipper moments, [autotag]Cormac Ryan[/autotag] and [autotag]Nate Laszewski[/autotag] looked completely at a loss as to what had just happened.

When a team already is at 10 conference losses and still has a month of games to go, it has to be deflating. That many defeats in league play will get to anybody, even a veteran-laden team like the Irish. The feeling in that locker room is obvious, and there’s no sign that anything on the court will change that feeling anytime soon.

Here is some of what was said after the loss:

 

ACC men’s basketball leaders as of Jan. 29

One Notre Dame player cracks the list.

We are prepared to leave January behind and enter February, the final full month of college basketball’s regular season. This is when we’ll really get to see whether the teams that have made noise to this point are legitimate or whether any struggling teams are just lying in the weeds. In the meantime, here are some of the players most making noise, specifically those in the ACC: