Tag: niagara

Notre Dame’s Julian Roper II cleared for all basketball activities

That’s definitely a relief.

Notre Dame’s 2023-24 roster was brought together practically on the fly. As soon as he was hired, [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag] had to string together a group of transfers and his 2023 Penn State recruiting class.

One transfer, [autotag]Julian Roper II[/autotag] from Northwestern, was coming off an ankle injury. Fortunately, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports is reporting that that’s no longer a concern:

Roper’s injury kept him from participating in the final month and a half of the Wildcats’ surprising run to the NCAA Tournament, only the second berth in that program’s history. He undoubtedly is looking for a new start after last season ended in disappointment. Most importantly, he’ll be available to start the new season.

The Irish will get their first look at opposing competition when they participate in a secret scrimmage Sunday at Xavier. They’ll play an exhibition Nov. 1 against Hanover, and the season starts when they welcome Niagara to Purcell Pavilion on Nov. 6.

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Micah Shrewsberry speaks after winning first game as Notre Dame coach

Hear from the new coach.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Micah Shrewsberry has changed jobs quite a bit in his career. It’s gotten to a point where his family now has a tradition of taking a picture on the court after his first game coaching for a new team. That’s exactly what happened after Notre Dame beat Niagara, 70-63, in his program debut.

Before he could celebrate with his loved ones though, Shrewsberry had the duty of addressing the media. He came into the media room after [autotag]Markus Burton[/autotag] and [autotag]Julian Roper II[/autotag] had their own interview session. As one might imagine, he was in a good mood, so it’s unlikely he was too bothered about having to handle one of the duties that comes with his job.

A lot of questions were asked, and Fighting Irish Wire was able to get a couple of them in. Here is Shrewsberry’s opening statement and the answers to the two questions we asked:

Markus Burton, Julian Roper II speak after Notre Dame beats Niagara

These two were good in the opener.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – [autotag]Markus Burton[/autotag] and [autotag]Julian Roper II[/autotag] were only two of many players to debut for Notre Dame against Niagara. Both of them factored into the Irish’s season-opening 70-63 win.

Burton, a freshman from next-door Mishawaka, set the Irish record for most points in a debut with 29 while also leading his team with four assists. Roper, a transfer from Northwestern, had nine points, four of them coming during a crucial second-half run that helped decide the game.

Both players had the honor of addressing the media after the victory. [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag] did not enter the room with that and, in fact, was completely absent as they spoke. That meant two of the Irish’s newest players had to face reporters and camera operators all by themselves, but it’s unlikely they minded much given that they had just won.

Here are their answers to a few of the questions sent their way, including those asked by Fighting Irish Wire:

Notre Dame opens Shrewsberry era with tough win over Niagara

That’s the right way to start the year.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Nobody is expecting anything to come easy in [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag]’s first season heading Notre Dame. With a roster having come together on the fly, there will be a lot of tough days and growing pains. For now though, the Irish will be happy to start their new coach’s tenure with a hard-fought 70-63 win over Niagara.

The Irish, playing without [autotag]Kebba Njie[/autotag], never led in the first half and didn’t hold a lead until more than six minutes had gone by in the second. They were up front by as much as six midway through the frame before the Purple Eagles tied it at 51 a few minutes later. One only could guess how this one would end.

Even when the Irish regained a four-point lead late, the Eagles refused to go away, cutting that deficit in half with 4:05 remaining. Fortunately, the Irish made all the right plays in the final few minutes and, despite some tense moments towards the end, the Purcell Pavilion crowd home happy.

Mishawaka native [autotag]Markus Burton[/autotag] received the biggest cheers in the pregame introductions and made the most of his first collegiate game with a program-debut record 29 points and a team-high four assists. While it’s too early to tell if Shrewsberry’s offense will run through him all the time, he proved he will at least play a major role in it.

[autotag]Carey Booth[/autotag] had a similarly solid college debut with 10 points and eight rebounds. Among that line was a 3-pointer and a couple of two-handed dunks.

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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Notre Dame forward Kebba Njie will miss opener with right hand injury

This isn’t ideal.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – [autotag]Kebba Njie[/autotag] followed [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag] to Notre Dame, but he won’t officially start the new journey alongside him. The Penn State transfer forward injured his right hand in practice this past weekend and will not be available for the Irish’s season opener against Niagara.

Njie was expected to start against the Purple Eagles, but [autotag]Matt Zona[/autotag], one of the few incumbents on the Irish’s roster, will do so instead. Tom Noie of the South Bend Tribune was the first to report the news:

This is a tough break for the Irish as Njie is one of their more highly touted transfers. Ironically, Njie and Zona both accompanied Shrewsberry at the ACC Tipoff media session. Now, one of those players will have to step up for the other.

Zona’s only career start coming into Monday’s game was a January 2021 road win over Miami during his freshman year. He had two rebounds in the first four minutes. Interestingly, [autotag]Tony Sanders Jr.[/autotag], another Irish returnee, also started that game.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Notre Dame releases nonconference schedule for 2023-24

Make your plans accordingly.

Notre Dame is in a transitional period for sure. There’s a new coach in [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag]. Almost the entire roster is different, and the few returning players barely have seen the floor in their careers.

Needless to say, this does not stand to be a winning season in South Bend. However, games still need to be played because how else are you going to gain experience?

To that end, the Irish have released their nonconference schedule for the 2023-24 season. They should earn a few wins simply because some of their opponents don’t come from power conferences. Such is typical in the early days of the college basketball season. The only way the Irish could lose out is if they have absolutely no talent, and these players are with an ACC program for a reason.

Here are the nonconference games for the season, not including the Legends Classic on Nov. 16 and 17 in Brooklyn that will feature the Irish, Auburn, Oklahoma State and St. Bonaventure. The first-round matchups for that will be determined at a later date. For everything else though, mark your calendar:

Notre Dame to open season Nov. 6 against Niagara

Plan accordingly for the start of a new era.

We finally have an official start date for the [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag] era at Notre Dame. Even with Shrewsberry’s first season as Irish coach still five months away, it’s never too late to get excited about the start of the season. And now, you can mark your calendar thanks to this tweet from CBS Sports college basketball insider Jon Rothstein:

This is par for the course for a program in a power conference. They always set up their nonconference schedules in such a way that they will be in good shape once conference play begins. Given how challenging this season is sure to be for the rebuilding Irish, Niagara is a good opening opponent for them.

The Irish and Purple Eagles have met three times, and the Irish always have won. The first meeting was a 30-20 decision at Niagara back in 1909. The next two were an 80-59 victory in 2005 and an 89-67 final in 2012. Here’s a look back at the two most recent meetings:

 

Revisiting some of Mike Brey’s local media day comments

Do you think Mike is regretting any of these preseason quotes?

Back in October, Fighting Irish Wire was lucky to attend Notre Dame’s media day for South Bend outlets. [autotag]Mike Brey[/autotag] spoke with the assembled reporters before the players entered the room, and every answer he gave was a clue into the workings of his team. The atmosphere was an optimistic one as the Irish were coming off a couple of NCAA Tournament wins in the spring. Why couldn’t it happen again with all of these older players returning?

Well, the Irish have reached a crossroads much sooner than they would have liked. They are 8-7 and have lost their first four ACC games, tying with Louisville for last in the conference. The fun of last March has given way to frustration and bafflement as to how things have gone so wrong. Even most of the nonconference victories have not been very satisfying, and there is no reason to think this season will last beyond the ACC Tournament.

So how have some of Brey’s preseason words held up? Let’s take a look:

Mike Brey meets with media ahead of Notre Dame’s 2022-23 season

Here’s what we heard when we traveled to the Irish’s local media day.

[autotag]Mike Brey[/autotag] is coming off his best season coaching Notre Dame over the past few years. Irish fans will be anxious to see how his team will be able to build off last season’s success. Until they learn how or if that happens, words from the longtime coach will suffice. And he has plenty to say about it.

Fighting Irish Wire accepted an invitation to attend a media day for local media at Purcell Pavilion and was with the assembled group when Brey spoke. He addressed everything from the outlook of this year’s team to the ACC’s reputation to players old and new. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone by now, but he knows his team very well and is as much of an open book as you can imagine for a college basketball coach.

Here is some of what Brey had to say to the local media:

No. 10 Notre Dame hockey blanks Niagara

Notre Dame hockey bounces back with a 5-0 win

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The 10th-ranked Fighting Irish bounced back after a loss Saturday night to dominate Niagara for a 5-0 victory at Compton Family Ice Arena (3,374) Sunday evening.

Trevor Janicke and Cam Burke led the Irish offense. Each scored a pair of goals. Burke tallied Notre Dame’s first goal in the final minute of the first period and added his second goal in the second period. Janicke added two of his own in the second period, and sophomore Zach Plucinski scored his first goal of the season in the third.

Grant Silianoff had two assists, while seven other players had an assist in the contest, including goalie Ryan Bischel. The Irish offense tested Niagara for the full 60 minutes, outshooting the Purple Eagles 44-19.

Bischel earned his first career shutout in the victory. The junior tallied 19 saves, nine of which came in the second period.

“I knew that tonight we were going to come out and play a lot better than we did last night,” Bischel stated after the win. “The guys were fired up and we needed a response and had that tonight.”

Notre Dame improves to 13-6 with the victory.

The Irish power play was 1-for-4 on the night, and the penalty kill held Niagara to an 0-for-6 mark.

How It Happened

The Irish had the game’s first handful of chances, including a Trevor Janicke shot from the slot that went just wide and a Jack Adams backhander from in close that Chad Veltri made a pad stop on.

Midway through the first, Notre Dame goaltender Ryan Bischel made a save on Brandon Stanley to shut down a 2-on-1 chance.

With 40 seconds left in the first Burke opened the scoring with his fifth of the year, slamming home a rebound in front after Veltri made a save on a Ryder Rolston chance. Grant Silianoff set Rolston up in front for the initial chance to earn the second assist.

The Irish then scored three more goals in the first 7:18 of the second period to extend the lead to 4-0 after 40 minutes.

Trevor Janicke scored his first of the night at 2:06 when he cleaned up a rebound at the back post after Solag Bakich had brought the puck hard to the net.

Burke then scored a shorthanded goal at 5:07 to extend the lead to 3-0, after he took the a Bischel clear and scored on the breakaway chance.

Jake Sibell relieved Chad Veltri in the Niagara net after Burke’s second of the night.

Janicke netted his second of the night, crashing the net for a power-play goal at 7:18 with the assists going to Grant Silianoff and Chase Blackmun.

Notre Dame’s penalty killing unit came up big later in the period, killing off 1:40 of a Niagara 5-on-3 chance.

In the third, the Irish added another goal, this from Plucinski. Max Ellis’s shot was set up off of a pass from Spencer Stastney. The shot was deflected straight towards Plucinski who buried his chance to pick up his first goal of the season.

Next – Notes…

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