Tag: Mike Brey

Notre Dame hoops lands highest-rated recruit in internet rankings era

Ladies and gentlemen, we got him.

If there was any doubt about [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag] and his staff to get top recruits to commit to Notre Dame, that officially can go away.

[autotag]Jalen Haralson[/autotag], a five-star forward and the top-rated player from Indiana in the 2025 recruiting class according to 247Sports, has committed to the Irish over other finalists Indiana and Michigan State. That makes him the highest-rated commit to the program since internet rankings began in 2000.

The previous high mark for Irish commits was JJ Starling, who transferred to Syracuse after one year after [autotag]Mike Brey[/autotag] departed. Since Haralson is Shrewsberry’s guy though, his chances of leaving South Bend are much lower, as least as long as Shrewsberry’s around.

Haralson is the second Indiana-based recruit to commit to the Irish this week after four-star forward [autotag]Brady Koehler[/autotag]. It fits perfectly with the vision of focusing on talent in the basketball-rich Hoosier State that Shrewsberry had when he took over.

If you missed the announcement live, here it is:

Irish fans understandably will get antsy waiting for over a year to pass before they get to see Haralson in an Irish uniform. For those who don’t live far from Notre Dame though, they can catch him during his senior season at La Lumiere in La Porte.

Here’s to this being the first of many memorable moments Haralson will provide for the Irish and their fans.

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Former Notre Dame coach Mike Brey criticizes ACC for fining system

You go, Mike.

Anyone who covered Notre Dame basketball when [autotag]Mike Brey[/autotag] was coach will tell you he’s a pretty easygoing guy. The way he spoke at times, you wouldn’t mind if he pulled up a seat next to you at the bar and just start telling you one coaching story after another. That’s just who he is.

If Brey felt his team was being put at a disadvantage though, he wasn’t afraid to tell it like it was. Such was the case when he criticized the officiating after the Irish lost a close game at Florida State in January 2020. The ACC responded by fining Brey $20,000.

Nearly five years later, Brey has left college basketball, but ACC coaches across all sports continue to be fined for being critical of officials. Pittsburgh football coach Pat McMurphy was just fined $5,000 for it.

However, Brey seems less bothered by McMurphy’s fine than the apparent inconsistency in the amount for which coaches are fined:

 

Look, we’re not going to pretend to know what goes into determining how much coaches get fined for things. But if one coach is losing four times as much money as another for the same action, it might be time to reevaluate your practices. Otherwise, it’s pure chaos.

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2002 ESPN highlight of Notre Dame’s upset win over Pittsburgh

Remember this game?

Notre Dame had a pretty good 2001-02 season. [autotag]Mike Brey[/autotag] was in his second year at the helm and on his way to coaching the Irish to their second straight NCAA Tournament appearance. One reason they got that far came when they visited Pittsburgh, then a Big East rival.

The Irish were down five late before scoring the game’s final eight points and winning, 56-53, thanks to a late 3-pointer by [autotag]David Graves[/autotag], whose 12 points tied [autotag]Ryan Humphrey[/autotag] for the second-most on the team. [autotag]Matt Carroll[/autotag] was the Irish’s big player with game highs of 15 points and nine rebounds.

ESPN recapped the game after it was over as such:

The loss temporarily knocked the Panthers out of the rankings, but they bounced back to where they became co-Big East champions and ultimately placed ninth in the season’s final poll. Needless to say, this was a highlight for the Irish in a season full of them.

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Blake Wesley, Mike Brey reunite before respective NBA teams battle

Reunited, and it feels so good.

In his first season as an Atlanta Hawks assistant, former Notre Dame coach [autotag]Mike Brey[/autotag] has met up with some people. Look at what he’s put out on social media, and you’ll see him frequently encountering people connected to Notre Dame. His most recent such meeting was with [autotag]Blake Wesley[/autotag] before the Hawks hosted the San Antonio Spurs in a Martin Luther King Jr. Day matinee:

Wesley didn’t play when the Spurs and Hawks met earlier this season, but he’s gotten many more minutes lately, so this had to feel extra meaningful for him. It had to be more memorable than the three points and three rebounds he had in a 109-99 Hawks victory.

This isn’t the first time this season Brey has reunited with one of his former players currently in the NBA. In late October, he got to see [autotag]Pat Connaughton[/autotag], Notre Dame’s other current NBA representative, when the Hawks visited the Milwaukee Bucks:

Brey could right a book about this season alone. He should have more time now that he’s not the head of a major college program anymore.

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Shrewsberry, Brey meeting night before Notre Dame plays Georgia Tech

This should be cool.

After over two decades as Notre Dame’s coach, [autotag]Mike Brey[/autotag] is taking it easier these days. No, he hasn’t left basketball altogether. He’s on the coaching staff for the Atlanta Hawks. Coincidentally, the Irish are about to play Georgia Tech in the same city as the NBA’s Georgia-based franchise.

With the Irish’s past and present coming together in the same city, [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag] intends to take advantage of that. Tom Noie of the South Bend Tribune is reporting that Brew and Shrewsberry will be together at the Irish’s Atlanta hotel Monday:

Some of you might be thinking that Brey might try and spread his influence to the first-year Irish coach and thus corrupt him with old and tired ideas. If Shrewsberry really was worried about that though, do you really think he would have extended this invitation? I think he’s secure enough to know that won’t be possible.

No. This is a way for the two men to get to know each other. They might both even become better for it. That would be beneficial for their respective teams, which is good for everybody.

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Notre Dame wins over teams at least eight games above .500 since 2018

The Irish haven’t had many recent wins like the one against Virginia.

In a season that figures to have few true highlights, Notre Dame had one Saturday. Virginia entered Purcell Pavilion with a 10-2 record and having received votes in the most recent Top 25 poll. That didn’t matter to the young Irish because they crushed the Cavaliers, 76-54. If anyone tells you they saw that coming, they’re lying.

This wasn’t only an upset against a quality program and Micah Shrewsberry’s first ACC win. It represented a rarity for Notre Dame in recent years. The Cavaliers’ record coming into this game meant they were eight games above .500. Since the Irish last made consecutive NCAA Tournaments from 2015 to 2017, they have beaten opponents who were at least eight games above .500 coming in only seven times.

So forgive the Irish if they go a little over the top in celebrating this latest such instance. This doesn’t happen to them very much these days, so they definitely are cause for celebration every time. Here are the most recent of these occurrences:

Micah Shrewsberry speaks after Notre Dame beats Western Michigan

Here’s some of what the head man said after his latest win.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – All things considered, Micah Shrewsberry has to be pleased with how his Notre Dame tenure has started. With the roster almost completely turned over from a season ago, any victory should be considered progress. That’s what happened when the Irish defeated Western Michigan, 86-65.

That’s not to say there aren’t some things don’t have to clean up. While he was happy to get the win, there also were some things he feels the Irish need to improve on. He made that clear during his postgame news conference.

One thing the media members covering the Irish have learned is that Shrewsberry gives very detailed responses to every question he’s asked. [autotag]Mike Brey[/autotag] also gave detailed responses, but Shrewsberry really loves to talk about his team and make it sound interesting, even finding humor in some of the answers he gives.

Here is Shrewsberry’s opening statement after the win and his answers to the two questions we asked him:

Micah Shrewsberry, Kebba Njie, Matt Zona speak during ACC Tipoff

Hear from a team that figures to have many challenges this season.

Notre Dame is facing a challenging season with a new face and a mostly new roster. [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag] fielded questions about that during the ACC Tipoff on Oct. 25 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Alongside him were [autotag]Kebba Njie[/autotag], a transfer who came over with Shrewsberry from Penn State, and [autotag]Matt Zona[/autotag], one of the few returnees on this year’s Irish.

Here is what they had to say:

Photos of Blake Wesley’s season at Notre Dame

What was your favorite moment from Blake Wesley in his time at Notre Dame?

One-and-done isn’t a term that gets thrown around the Notre Dame basketball program very often but it did in regards to freshman [autotag]Blake Wesley[/autotag] who has officially declared for the [autotag]NBA draft[/autotag].  It remains to be seen if he will be a first round draft pick as he’d become Notre Dame’s first since 2016 to do so.

Wesley averaged 14.4 points per game for Notre Dame, twice scoring a career high 24 points in a single contest (at Illinois, at Wake Forest).  Before he gets his name called on NBA draft night take a look back at Wesley’s season at Notre Dame that saw the Irish reach the NCAA Tournament’s second round.

Look at Notre Dame’s current 2023-24 roster

Do you have confidence in this group as it stands?

There still is time for Notre Dame to add to its 2023-24 roster, but don’t count on a game-changer suddenly emerging onto campus. Barring an unforeseen circumstance, the players the Irish have now figure to make up the core. That’s not a strong vote of confidence for Irish fans, but remember that first-year coach [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag] practically has to start from scratch after the program lost all of its rotation players to graduation and the transfer portal.

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that this is going to be a very bad season for the Irish. The few holdovers from [autotag]Mike Brey[/autotag]’s tenure have played very little. While Shrewsberry was able to bring his 2023 Penn State recruiting class and one of his Nittany Lions starters from the 2022-23 season, that’s not a lot of college basketball experience coming in. He must be in one of, if not the least envious position in the country.

Hopefully, the day will come when Shrewsberry has built the Irish back into a winner. Until then, try and get behind these players who are just there to do their jobs and play basketball: