Tag: South Bend Tribune

Digger Phelps speaks after Juwan Howard incident

A Notre Dame legend has an opinion.

Few if any names are bigger in the history of Notre Dame basketball than Digger Phelps. So anytime he gives his take on something, Irish fans and at least some college basketball fans in general tend to listen. After Michigan coach Juwan Howard threw a punch at the end of his team’s loss to Wisconsin, Tom Noie of the South Bend Tribune reached out to Phelps to ask what would have happened to him in a similar situation. Phelps couldn’t have been more clear in his response:

It’s hard to believe that any athletic director or university president would tolerate what Howard did even now. However, we’re not in charge of making these decisions, so we don’t know what grounds today’s leaders have for immediate dismissal of a coach. What we do know is that Howard’s actions are completely unacceptable, and anything less than a swift and harsh punishment for him would be mind-boggling. Let’s hope that’s exactly what happens.

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Georgia Tech’s Pastner compares Notre Dame to Golden State Warriors

A little too much respect from the opposition?

It appears Georgia Tech coach Josh Pastner is impressed with Notre Dame. Maybe a little too impressed.

In previewing the teams’ upcoming game in Atlanta, Pastner let be it known that he has taken note of the Irish’s effectiveness from 3-point range lately. Indeed, the Irish have made at least 10 3-pointers in each of their past four games while making 46.9 percent of those shots. However, he might have given the Irish more credit than they deserve when he dropped this quote:

“They’re like the Golden State Warriors, the way they play.”

Tom Noie, Notre Dame’s beat reporter for the South Bend Tribune, was not impressed with this in the least:

Noie has a point. While the Warriors have the greatest 3-point shooter of all-time in Steph Curry, no one on the Irish even ranks in the top 10 of 3-pointers made in the ACC. Even if that was the case, Pastner has his own 3-point weapon in Michael Devoe that he can counter with. Still, if Pastner wants to believe this, let him.

Tom Noie: ‘Zero chance’ Notre Dame’s Robby Carmody plays this season

This wouldn’t be good.

Robby Carmody last played for Notre Dame in a loss to Maryland on Dec. 4, 2019. That was the game in which he tore his ACL. While recovering from that, he broke his kneecap on the same knee, and he missed all of last season. Now, if Tom Noie, Notre Dame beat reporter for the South Bend Tribune, is correct in a Tuesday sighting, Carmody won’t play during his final season either:

Indeed, Carmody’s collegiate career has been one of unfulfilled promise. 247Sports has him ranked 10th among the Irish’s top recruits since 2000. Missing this season would just be the final insult on a ride he didn’t ask to be on. To not be healthy for even half of your career is not something anyone should have to think about, and yet, the possibility exists here.

It’s just a shame that all of the hype in the world never promises success. Sadly, that’s how life works, and Carmody has been dealt one bad hand after another. Some people simply aren’t meant to have what they thought they would get.

Antoni Wyche returns to Notre Dame as assistant coach

A familiar face is coming back to South Bend.

Notre Dame continues to shake up its coaching staff ahead of what many expect to be a big season. The Irish have hired Siena assistant coach Antoni Wyche to be in the same role under Mike Brey. This is the second time Brey’s staff has been shaken up after adding Anthony Solomon earlier in the offseason. As Tom Noie of the South Bend Tribune points out, this move affects longtime Irish assistant Rod Balanis:

Longtime Irish fans will remember Wyche as a four-year player for the program at the end of the 1990s. During his career, he averaged 7.6 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists a game on 40.4 percent shooting from the field. After serving as a regular bench player during his first two years, he started all but one game for his final two years. He saved his best for last as his 11.2 scoring average his senior season was behind only Troy Murphy and David Graves on the team.

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Noie: Notre Dame likely to play Kentucky at home for 2021-22 season

During the past season, Notre Dame and Kentucky played each other the first of three consecutive years.

During the past season, Notre Dame and Kentucky played each other the first of three consecutive years. The Irish barely hung to win after dominating most of the game. It’s possible that this game being played on the road had something to do with it. Regardless, that might not be a problem for the upcoming season because Tom Noie of the South Bend Tribune is reporting that the next game appears headed for Purcell Pavilion:

While it would be nice to have two teams with great expectations play at Madison Square Garden this year, maybe it’s better to end the current series on the big stage. Of course, there’s no telling how good either team actually will be this coming season, let alone the next one. That’s just a gamble they’ll have to take.

The Irish trail the all-time series with the Wildcats, 43-20. These programs last played in South Bend as part of the Big East/SEC Challenge on November 29, 2012. The Irish won that game, 64-50, behind 16 points from Eric Atkins, 13 points from Jerian Grant and a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds from Jack Cooley.

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Notre Dame Schedule Thrown for Loop After Clemson Game Postponed

Suddenly, Notre Dame is scrambling to find a new opponent for Wednesday.

Suddenly, Notre Dame is scrambling to find a new opponent for Wednesday. That’s because of a positive test for COVID-19 within Clemson, the program that was supposed to come to Purcell Pavilion. The subsequent quarantining and contact tracing has forced the game’s postponement. This comes less than a day after the Irish earned their sixth ACC win in their past eight games against Miami.

Per Tom Noie of the South Bend Tribune, Mike Brey says the Irish exploring other avenues to fill the void. North Carolina, which currently does not have a game scheduled for Wednesday, initially was seen as an option. However, the Tar Heels are choosing not to travel this week, so that’s off the table. It’s looking increasingly likely the Irish will have to look outside the conference if they want to fill that void.

If the Irish can’t find a new opponent quickly, they’ll have to wait almost a week between games. Their next schedule contest is Saturday at Syracuse. Having that long of a layoff at a time when the team has been gaining some serious momentum lately could be damaging. This is the last thing it needs to have happen.

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Notre Dame vs. Alabama, eight years later is there a difference?

It’s been eight years since Alabama and Notre Dame faced off against each other, is there a difference between the two programs since?

The quick turnaround from Championship weekend to the College Football Playoffs and the subsequent matchup for Notre Dame against Alabama has many of us thinking about their last matchup in 2012. The Crimson Tide handled the Irish to a tune of 42-14, a mark that many Notre Dame fans want to forget.

In the eight years since their last meeting, both sides have made changes. Alabama and Nick Saban used to rely on a devastating defense and a ground-and-pound offense. They’re now a vertical passing offense with a much more athletic defense. The Irish have changed as well, but will it be enough to make a difference this time around?

The South Bend Tribune’s Eric Hansen looked into if the Irish have closed the gap  between them and the Tide, and it seems like no school has been able to do it. Hansen noted that the Tide have added championships in 2015 and 2017 since their beating of Notre Dame, with their recruiting making the biggest difference.

Saban continually signs big time prospects, 75 Rivals top 100 players in the time frame since their last meeting, while Kelly has signed just 25. For context, the other two playoff participants, Ohio State and Clemson, have signed 66 and 40 respectively.

Recruiting isn’t an exact science, but it’s a good judge of the kind of talent a team possess. What this shows is that Alabama continues to widen the gap between themselves and the rest of the nation.

But they aren’t unbeatable. Any team that expects compete with the Tide will have to bring their A-game, A+ in fact.

It’s not all about recruiting however, it’s also about developing that talent, something that Notre Dame can hang their hat on. Yes, they haven’t been bringing in the top 100 guys like the other three CFP schools, but what they have done is develop at a high level.

Hansen singles out the latest Butkus Award winner, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramaoh, a signing day flip who was a 3-star out of Virginia. He goes on to note that “Oklahoma and Notre Dame are the two schools that are producing well above their recruiting grades,” a sign that Kelly has been able to take the lower rated players and coach them up.

This year the Irish have been playing above their “recruiting rankings” due to sticking to a very solid game-plan, controlling the ball. They’ll need to get back to their ways after it failed them against Clemson in the ACC Championship game. If an upset against Alabama is in the cards, the Irish will need to keep the Tide’s uber-talented offense on the sidelines.

There is a difference between the two programs since their last meeting on the field. The question still remains, will it be enough for an Irish upset?

Blake Wesley Will Stay in South Bend, Signs Letter With Notre Dame

Blake Wesley won’t have to go far for his next basketball venture.

Blake Wesley won’t have to go far for his next basketball venture. The recruit out of Riley in South Bend has signed a National Letter of Intent to join Notre Dame next season. Tom Noie of the South Bend Tribune was on hand when Wesley made his announcement Friday:

Mike Brey had this to say about the consensus four-star recruit:

“We have been watching Blake work on his game since middle school and he has developed himself into a complete guard who has great length with court vision – and is a big-time defender. He has a natural ability to score the basketball. To welcome in another local basketball talent is exciting not only to our program, but the South Bend area.”

Wesley, who was the area’s leading scorer with 26.0 points a game last season, is the second South Bend product in two weeks to sign a letter of intent with the Irish. J.R. Konieczny of St. Joseph was the first. Clearly, there will be a strong local presence for Notre Dame basketball in the near future. And at least with this particular signing, that’s just fine with former Irish star Demetrius Jackson, who met Wesley at the program’s summer camp years ago:

Blake Wesley Will Stay in South Bend, Signs Letter With Notre Dame

Blake Wesley won’t have to go far for his next basketball venture.

Blake Wesley won’t have to go far for his next basketball venture. The recruit out of Riley in South Bend has signed a National Letter of Intent to join Notre Dame next season. Tom Noie of the South Bend Tribune was on hand when Wesley made his announcement Friday:

Mike Brey had this to say about the consensus four-star recruit:

“We have been watching Blake work on his game since middle school and he has developed himself into a complete guard who has great length with court vision – and is a big-time defender. He has a natural ability to score the basketball. To welcome in another local basketball talent is exciting not only to our program, but the South Bend area.”

Wesley, who was the area’s leading scorer with 26.0 points a game last season, is the second South Bend product in two weeks to sign a letter of intent with the Irish. J.R. Konieczny of St. Joseph was the first. Clearly, there will be a strong local presence for Notre Dame basketball in the near future. And at least with this particular signing, that’s just fine with former Irish star Demetrius Jackson, who met Wesley at the program’s summer camp years ago:

Notre Dame Press Box Pays Tribute to Vaughn McClure

Even if you haven’t covered Notre Dame football in years, it doesn’t mean you’ve been forgotten.

Even if you haven’t covered Notre Dame football in years, it doesn’t mean you’ve been forgotten. That’s the case with Vaughn McClure, the former Irish reporter for the South Bend Tribune, who died this week at the age of 48. McClure, whose picture was in Notre Dame Stadium’s press box for Saturday’s game against Louisville, wrote about the Irish for both the newspaper and its Irish Sports Report magazine during a tenure that spanned from 1999 to 2004. Since 2013, he had been ESPN’s beat reporter for the Atlanta Falcons.

Eric Hansen, the Tribune’s assistant sports editor and columnist, also used to be the aforementioned magazine’s managing editor. In the paper’s story about McClure, Hansen said the following:

“To try to sum up Vaughn McClure’s impact in a couple of paragraphs is like trying to pour the Pacific Ocean into thimble.

When we hired him in 1999, his goal — his obsession, really — was being better at his craft than the day before. And I’ve never seen someone grow as fast and as dramatically in our business as Vaughn, which isn’t even the most impressive thing about him.

What was? It’s who he was at his core, a man who wanted to make a difference in the world. Through his writing. Through some very frank late-night talks about life in America. Through his hugs. Through his disarming smile.

He didn’t just crush his mission of getting better. He made all of us, who came in contact with him, better people along the way.”