Nov. 25, 2004
Notre Dame, Ind. –
Notre Dame-Charleston Southern Men’s Basketball Gamenotes in PDF Format
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Date: Friday, November 26, 2004
Place: Joyce Center (11,418)
Time: 7:00 p.m. (EST)
Radio: Notre Dame Sports Properties (Jack Lorri, Jack Nolan) originates the Notre Dame Radio Network which includes: WZOW 97.7 FM and 102.3 FM (South Bend, Ind./Michiana Region); ESPN 1000 AM (Chicagoland area); ESPN 950 AM (Indianapolis, Ind.); WGL 1250 (Fort Wayne, Ind. and Northeast Indiana); WEFM 95.9 (Michigan City and Gary, Ind.), WLUV 96.7 FM and 1520 AM (Rockford and DeKalb, Ill. and Beloit and Janesville, Wis.); ESPN 1480 AM-WRSW (Warsaw, Ind.) and WAMW 107.9 FM and 1580 AM in Washington, Ind.). Radio broadcasts also can be heard through the World Wide Web at www.und.com. and on SIRIUS Satellite Radio. Tonight’s game is on Channel 126.
Real-Time Stats: Live in-game statistics are available for all home games, via the Notre Dame athletic website (www.und.com).
Tonight’s Game: Notre Dame defeated IPFW on Tuesday night (November 23) 73-45 to improve to 2-0 on the season … The Irish defeated Harvard 66-59 in the season opener … Tonight’s matchup with Charleston Southern marks the first-ever meeting between the two schools … Charleston Southern, a member of the Big South Conference, enters the game with a 1- record following a 56-41 loss to the College of Charleston in the season opener and an 82-58 win against Voorhees … This evening’s mathcup complete’s a three-game homestand for the Irish … Following Friday night’s contest, Notre Dame will not be in action again until December 4 when they travel to Ann Arbor, Mich., for a matchup with the Wolverines … It’s the first of back-to-back Big Ten contests as the Irish will play at Indiana on Wednesday, December 8.
Celebrating 100 Seasons: The 2004-05 season marks the 100th season for the Notre Dame men’s basketball program … A special logo has been designed and there will be events throughout the season commemorating the occasion … Notre Dame is one of 13 Division I schools celebrating its 100th season of basketball this year … The others include: Dayton, Delaware, Duke, Georgia, Howard, Illinois, Miami (Ohio), Northwestern, Oregon, Virgnia, William and Mary and Wyoming. Notre Dame played its first varsity game on January 29, 1898 (a 64-8 loss to First Regiment) … The Irish played two other games that season and finished with a 1-2 record … The following year, they played two games in 1899 and then did not field a team again until the 1907-08 campaign.
Starting The Season Ranked: For the second consecutive year and 24th time in the program’s history, Notre Dame began the season ranked — 20th in the Associated Press and 21st in the ESPN/USA Today preseason rankings … This marks the third time a Notre Dame team under head coach Mike Brey has been ranked … His first Irish team, the 2000-01 squad, started the year tied for 15th in the AP Poll and were 17th in the ESPN/USA Today ranking … Last season 2003-04 squad was 21st and tied for 19th, respectively in the two polls … This week, Notre Dame is 21st in both polls.
Irish Roll Under Brey In November: Under head coach Mike Brey, the Irish are 18-1 all-time in games played during the month of November … The lone November loss was to Creighton 80-75 in the championship game of the Guardians Classic on Nov. 26, 2002 … The November record by year under Brey — 2000-01 (3-0), 2001-02 (6-0), 2002-03 (5-1), 2003-04 (2-0) and 2004-05 (2-0).
Three First-Time Opponents On Irish Schedule: Charleston Southern is one of three first-time opponents on the Irish schedule this season … Tuesday’s night’s contest against IPFW marked the first-ever meeting between the two schools who are also schedule to play each other in both 2005 and 2006 … Notre Dame’s other first-time opponent is Samford … The Irish will play the Bulldogs on Thursday, December 30.
The Captains: For the second time in school history and for the second consecutive year, Notre Dame will have four captains … Seniors Chris Thomas and Jordan Cornette will once again serve as captains and are joined this year by juniors Torin Francis and Chris Quinn.
On This Date: Tonight’s game marks the eighth time the Irish have played on November 26 … Irish teams own a 4-3 record when playing on this date with wins over Mississippi (111-62 in 1977), Stonehill (74-60 in 1982), Marist (75-68 in 1983) and Youngstown State (69-48 in 1996) … Each of the last three times that Notre Dame has played on this date, they have lossed … In 1998, the Irish dropped a 111-82 setback to top-ranked Duke in the Great Alaska Shootout … One year later, Notre Dame dropped a 72-67 decision to Maryland int the consolation game of the Preseason NIT … In 2002, the Irish dropped a five-point decision (80-75) to Creighton in the championship game of the Guardians Classic.
Scouting the Irish: Junior Chris Quinn has led the Irish in scoring in each of Notre Dame’s first two games … He scored 20 points in the season opener against Harvard and netted 15 points in the win over IPFW on Tuesday evening … Quinn is averaging a career-best 17.5 points per game … He is shooting 50.0 percent from the field (11-22) and 40.0 percent (4-10) from three-point range … Chris Thomas finished with 10 points and 11 assists against IPFW to register the 13th double-double double of his career … His 11 assists also marked the 16th time he has recorded 10-plus assists in a game … Thomas is averaging 13.5 points and 8.0 assists and has committed just three turnovers while playing an average of 35.5 minutes per game … The backcourt of Thomas and Quinn has committed just four turnovers in the two games … Quinn, who is averaging 33.0 minutes, has only turned the ball over just once this season and did not commit a turnover in the season opener … Dennis Latimore registered his first career double-double as he finished with career-bests of 12 points and 11 rebounds against IPFW … He is averging 9.0 points and a team-leading 9.5 rebounds … Torin Francis finished in double figures for the first time this season as he scored 11 points against the Mastodons and is netting 9.0 points and 8.0 rebounds … Francis, who missed the final 12 games of the 2003-04 campaign back injury, had not scored in double figures since January 31, 2004 … Notre Dame shot 50.0 percent from the field against IPFW, which included hitting 55.6 percent in the second half … The Irish dished off 19 assists on its 26 field goals … They also enjoyed a 39-26 rebounding advantage on the boards.
Game Time Changes: Since the release of the initial schedule, there have been a couple of game time changes … The road game at Seton Hall (January 5) and Villanova (January 26) have been moved to 8:00 p.m. starts instead of the orginal 7:30 p.m. starts that were announced … Both games will now also be televised by ESPN2.
Notre Dame Vs. Big South: Notre Dame has played just one team currently from the Big South Conference … The Irish played Virginia Military Institute on December 18, 1999 and defeated the Keydets 79-66.
The Irish All-Time: In 99-plus seasons, Irish teams have posted a 1550-851 mark (.646).
Irish Set For Five Repeat Games In BIG EAST Play: Notre Dame will play Connecticut, Georgetown, Pittsburgh, Syracuse and Villanova twice (both home and away) as part of its BIG EAST Conference regular-season 16-game slate during the 2004-05 campaign … Playing under a straight divisional format with 12 teams this year, each school will play each other at least once … In addition to its home-and-home series with the Huskies, Hoyas, Panthers, Orange and Wildcats, Notre Dame will face Boston College, Rutgers and St. John’s at home … The Irish are scheduled for road games at Providence, Seton Hall and West Virginia.
Thomas, Francis On Wooden And Naismith Honor Rolls: For the second consecutive year, Chris Thomas and Torin Francis are among 50 candidates for both the John R. Wooden All-America Team and Naismith Trophy award … The Irish duo are among seven BIG EAST players named to the Wooden All-America Team, which also included five other conference players — Ryan Gomes (Providence), Carl Krauser (Pittsburgh), Gerry McNamara (Syracuse), Craig Smith (Boston College) and Hakim Warrick (Syracuse) … All but Smith was named one of the 50 finalists for the the Naismith trophy.
Home Sweet Home: Since the inaugural season (1968-69) at the Joyce Center, Notre Dame owns a 433-131 record all-time for a .768 winning percentage … The Irish are 48-16 (.750) at the Joyce Center during Mike Brey’s four-plus seasons, and since the 1996-97 campaign, they own an 97-33 mark for a .746 winning percentage … Notre Dame was 14-2 at home in 2002-03, winning 10-plus games for the sixth time in seven years.
Toughest Ticket in Town: Notre Dame’s success on the hardwood has paid dividends at the box office … For the fourth consecutive year, the number of season ticket holders increased, and already this season, six games are sold out (DePaul, Syracuse, St. John’s, Connecticut, UCLA and Pittsburgh) … Notre Dame students also showed their support for the Irish as the student allotment of 3,000 was a complete sellout in less than three hours.
Irish Medical Update: Since March, five Irish players have had some type of surgical procedure. Forward Torin Francis had back surgery on March 8 to repair a herniated disc. He returned to the basketball court in June and has been able to play with the team during its summer off-season conditioning program. Point guard Chris Thomas underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on April 9 for a tear on his left kneecap. He was cleared to return to the court sometime in August. Rick Cornett had surgery for a stress fracture (broken left foot) on July 23. Rob Kurz had surgery on September 14 for a fractured jaw and walk-on Greg Bosl had surgery recently to remove a screw in his foot after suffering a break in August.
BIG EAST Distinction: Although Notre Dame fell one game short of recording its fourth straight 10-win season in league, the Irish own the distinction, along with Syracuse, as being the only two schools to post winning conference records each of the last four seasons … Notre Dame has gone 11-5 (2000-01), 10-6 (2001-02), 10-6 (2002-03) and 9-7 (2003-04), while Syracuse has posted marks of 10-6 (2001-01), 9-7(2001-02), 13-3 (2002-03) and 11-5 ( 2003-04).
BIG EAST Season No. 10 for Irish: The 2004-05 campaign marks Notre Dame’s 10th year as a member of the BIG EAST Conference … In nine seasons as a conference member, Notre Dame owns a 75-77 record all-time in conference regular-season play for a .493 winning percentage … In their first five years, Irish teams were 35-53 (.398), but since Mike Brey took over the program, Notre Dame has compiled a 40-24 (.625) mark in regular-season play.
BIG EAST Formula For Success Under Brey: Since his arrival at Notre Dame, Mike Brey has led Notre Dame to a 40-24 (.675) record in BIG EAST regular-season games and 2-4 mark in tournament play for an overall of 42-28 (.600) against league foes … In Brey’s first season, the Irish posted their first-ever winning record in BIG EAST play and won the BIG EAST West Division title with an 11-5 mark … Prior to Brey’s arrival at Notre Dame, Irish teams had a 35-53 (.398) regular-season record since joining the league in 1995-96.
BIG EAST Honor Roll: At BIG EAST Media Day on October 27 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, Notre Dame was tabbed to finish fourth behind Syracuse, Connecticut and Pittsburgh in the regular-season race on a vote by the league’s head coaches … Chris Thomas was a preseason first-team all-BIG EAST selection, the only Irish player named to one of the preseason teams.
Over The Century Mark: Notre Dame has scored 100-plus points five times during the Mike Brey era … The last 100-point effort by an Irish team was in a 101-96 overtime decision at Boston College on January 25, 2003.
Thomas In Elite Scoring Company: Chris Thomas has a career scoring average of 17.9 points per game as he stands eighth on the all-time Notre Dame career scoring list with 1,810 career points in 101 career outings … Only four other players have scored more points in the first three seasons of their career — Austin Carr (2,560 points in 75 games), Adrian Dantley (2,223 points in 86 games), Troy Murphy (2,011 points in 94 games) and Tom Hawkins (1,820 points in 79 games).
Ironman: Chris Thomas played an started in his 101st career game at Notre Dame inTuesday night’s contest against IPFW …He ranks second all-time in consecutive game started … Thomas should eclipse Pat Garrity’s (1994-98) career mark of 111 consecutive starts … John Paxson (1979-83) stands third all-time with 85 consecutive starts (86 total during his career) … Paxson started every game in his final three seasons … Thomas has never missed a game during his Irish career and has averaged 37.6 minutes per game in those contests and been on the court 93.2 percent of the time in those 100 games having played 3798 of a possible 4075 minutes.
Lending The Assist: Chris Thomas has led the Irish in assists in each of his three seasons (a single-season school record in 2001-02, 236 in 2002-03 and 150 in 2003-04) … Currently the school’s career assist leader with 654, he will look to become just the third player in Notre Dame history to lead the Irish in assists during all four of his season … Rich Branning was the first player to do so as he led Notre Dame from 1976-80 and finished his career with 466 (currently sixth on the all-time list) … David Rivers (1984-88) also led the Irish during all four of his seasons … Rivers finished as the school’s all-time career assist leader with 586 and held that record until last season when it was eclipsed by Thomas in February of 2004.
Thomas Registers 13th Career Double-Double: Chris Thomas’ 10 points and 11 assists in Tuesday night’s win over IPFW marked the 16th double-double of this career, but the first time he registered double figures in both point and assists since he sophomore season when he scored 21 points and dished off 13 assists against Virginia Tech on February 22, 2003 … Thomas’ lone double-double last season was a 23-point and 11-rebound effort in a loss to Providence on February 24, 2004 … The 11 assists he dished off against IPFW marked the 16th time in his career with 10-plus assists.
Cornette Eyes Block Record: In three-plus seasons spanning 99 career games, Jordan Cornette has 158 career blocked shots to rank third all-time in that category … He needs 43 blocks to break LaPhonso Ellis’ (1988-2002) career mark of 2000 … Ryan Humphrey (2000-02) stands second on the all-time list with 166 blocked shots … Cornette stands fourth all-time in blocked shots average (1.6).
Transfer Of Influence: Dennis Latimore is the third transfer to play under head coach Mike Brey … He transferred to Notre Dame in the summer of 2003 after two seasons at the University of Arizona … Ryan Humphrey was the first transfer to play for the Irish … He played his first two seasons at the University of Oklahoma … During his two-year career from 2000-02, he played in 60 games and averaged 16.6 points (997), 9.95 rebounds (597) and 2.8 blocked shots (166) … Humphrey was a first-team all-BIG EAST selection in his senior season and earned second-team All-America honors from Basketball Times … Dan Miller played one year (2002-03) after transferring from the University of Maryland and averaged 13.9 points and 5.7 rebounds.
Latimore Post First Career Double-Double: In his second game in an Irish uniform, Dennis Latimore registered his first career double-double, scoring 12 points (tying a career-high) and grabbing a personal best 11 rebounds … In two seasons at Arizona, where he played 57 games, he only twice scored in double figures (22 versus California and 10 against Arizona State) and never had 10-plus rebounds in a game.
In The Spirit Of Giving: Chris Thomas’ unselfish play is one of the reasons why the Irish have been successful while he has been in the Notre Dame backcourt … In the 101 games he has directed Mike Brey’s teams, Thomas has helped the Irish compile a 67-34 record for a .663 winning percentage. As a freshman, he averaged 7.64 assists to rank fifth nationally … Thomas then dished off 6.9 assists (eighth in the nation) as a sophomore … He is the only player in Notre Dame history to record 200-plus assists in consecutive seasons … Thomas has distributed 10-plus assists in 16 games during his career.
Latimore Debut: Last Friday night’s season opener against Harvard marked the debut for Dennis Latimore in an Irish uniform … He played a career-high 30 minutes in starting against the Crimson … Latimore finished with six points and grabbed eight rebounds … His previous personal best in minutes played was 28 (vs. Oregon on January 3, 2002) … Prior to coming to Notre Dame, he played 20-plus minutes in just eight career outings … Against IPFW, Latimore played 28 minutes.
Francis Returns: Torin Francis was back in the lineup in a regular season for the first time since the Connecticut (February 9, 2004) last year in the season opener against Harvard … Francis missed the final 12 games of the ’03-’04 campaign with a herniated disc … In his first regular-season game back, he scored seven points and grabbed nine rebounds in 32 minutes of action … In Tuesday night’s contest, Francis played 28 mintues and finished with 11 points and seven rebounds … It marked his first double-digit scoring game since a 23-point performance against Virginia Tech on January 20, 2004 … In the three game prior to being sidelined with his back injury, he scored six points versus Boston College (29 minutes), four points against Pittsburgh (nine minutes) and did not score against Connecticut (seven minutes) … Francis has started all 56 games of his Irish career.
The Mighty Quinn: Chris Quinn leads the Irish in scoring with a 17.5 scoring average … He has been Notre Dame’s leading scorer in both the Harvard and IPFW contests … Quinn scored a team-high 20 points against Harvard which marked the sixth time 20-point performance of his career … He played 38 minutes in the game against the Crimson and did not turn the ball over once … Against IPFWm he scored 15 points and dished off three assists, while turning the ball over just once … In 11 games in 2003-04 (spanning 390 minutes), Quinn did not commit a turnover … Last season he committed just 37 turnovers and dished off 104 assist and owned a BIG EAST best 2.81 assist-to-turnover ratio … Also during the season, Quinn had a stretch of 159:00 minutes on the floor without a turnover.
Threes The Key For Falls: All four field goals that Colin Falls has made this season have come from three-point range … Falls’ lone basket of the game against Harvard was a three-pointer and against IPFW, he connected on three three-pointers … All eight of his attempts this season, heave come from three-point range … During his freshman season, Falls’ favorite shot was from beyond the arc … 41 of his 51 career field goals made (.804) have come from three-point range, while 102 of his 123 attempts (.829) have been from the three-point line or beyond.
Rookie Roll Call: Sophomore Omari Isreal and freshman Rob Kurz have each seen action in Notre Dame’s first two games … saw action in their first collegiate contests in the season opener against Harvard … Isreal, who missed all of last season while recovering from the ACL surgery he had in February of 2003, played seven minutes and finished with three points (connecting on a three-pointer in the first half) and a rebound and then played 14 minutes in the win over IPFW, scoring two points … Kurz played five minutes and had a rebound in against the Crimson … He played 12 minutes aginst IPFW and finished with two points and four rebounds.
Keeping It Close: In the 44 losses suffered by Irish teams in Mike Brey’s four seasons, only 12 have been by 10 or more points and have been by a combined 330 points for an averaged of 7.5 points … Notre Dame’s biggest losses have been on the road at Pittsburgh (72-55 on January 6, 2003) and against Arizona (88-71 on March 27, 2003) in the West Regional semifinal in Anaheim, Calif… Prior to those two setbacks, the worst defeat was a 16-point decision at Connecticut during Brey’s first season … Notre Dame’s 11 losses during the 2001-02 season were by a combined 49 points for an average margin of defeat of 4.5 points … Only one loss that season (versus Georgetown at the Joyce Center) was by double figures, while eight of those setbacks were by five or less points.
Block Party: The Irish frontcourt should provide many shot-blocking opportunities this season with an opportunity to break the single-season record … The 2002-03 team set the single-season mark with 189 blocked shots for a per game average of 5.59 … The former mark of 178 was set during the 2000-01 season in which Notre Dame averaged 5.93 blocks … The Irish finished the 2001-02 campaign with 163 blocks for an average of 4.94 per game … Last year, the Irish had 139 blocks for an average of 4.34 per game … Under head coach Mike Brey, Notre Dame averaged 5.17 blocks per game in his first four seasons … The single-season totals each of the past four years are among the top five block totals in school history.
181 And Counting: Heading into tonight’s game against Charleston Southern, Notre Dame has hit at least one three-pointer in 181 straight games, a mark that dates back to the the 1998-99 campaign … The last time an Irish team failed to hit a three-pointer was in a 101-70 loss to Connecticut at the Hartford Civic Center on January 12, 1999 as Notre Dame finished 0-7 from beyond the arc in the game.
Steady As They Go: Notre Dame’s backcourt tandem of Chris Thomas and Chris Quinn has been spectacular for the in their first two games … The two have combined for 62 of the team’s 139 points (.446) and dished off 19 of its 28 assists (.679) … More importantly, they have combined for just four turnovers (Thomas 3, Quinn 1) while playing 71 and 66 minutes, respectively.
All In The Family: Freshman Rob Kurz’ younger sister Laura is a freshman on the Duke women’s basketball team. As a matter of fact, she played a regular-season contest on the Joyce Center floor 48 hours before her brother’s home opener. The Irish women’s basketball team hosted the Blue Devils in semifinal action of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament on November 17 . Notre Dame won the game 76-65.
Irish Add Four In Early Signing Period: Mike Brey signed four players to national letters of intent during the early signing period last week … Joining the Irish in the fall of 2005 will be Ryan Ayers (Blue Bell, Pa.), Zach Hillesland (Toledo, Ohio), Kyle McAlarney (Staten Island, N.Y.) and Luke Zeller (Washington, Ind.) … Ayers, a 6-7, 200-pound combination guard/forward, is the son of former Ohio State and Philadelphia 76ers head coach Randy Ayers … He averaged 16.4 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.6 assists during his junior year at Germantown Academy … Hillesland is a 6-8, 220-pound forward who averaged 13.0 points, 9.0 rebounds in his junior season at St. John’s Jesuit … McAlarney, a 6-1, 170-pound point guard, already ranks as the all-time leading scorer in Staten Island prep history with 1,662 career points and a 22.6 scoring average … His 35.6 scoring average and 907 points in 2003-04 for Moore Catholic set the Staten Island high school single-season marks … Zeller, a 6-11, 240-pound forward/center, is a candidate for the 2005 Mr. Indiana Basketball honors … A Streets and Smith’s All-America selection in his junior season, he netted 19.8 points and 9.4 rebounds during his junior year at Washington.
Irish Find Success In The Classroom: Notre Dame had its best semester ever in the classroom during the spring of 2004, combining for a 3.115 cumulative grade point average … Seven players were named to the BIG EAST Academic All-Star Team — Greg Bosl, John Carlson, Rick Cornett, Jordan Cornette, Torrian Jones, Chris Thomas and Tom Timmermans … To be eligible, student-athletes must have maintained a cumulative 3.0 grade point average during the school year.
Notre Dame Basketball On The Big Screen: For the second consecutive year, Notre Dame will play a record 13 games on national television during the regular season …. Last year, the Irish also made 13 national appearances during the regular season and appeared on either CBS, ESPN or ESPN2 a total of 16 times … Since the 2000-01 season under head coach Mike Brey, Notre Dame teams have appeared on national television during the regular and post-season a total of 52 times (average of 13 per year) – it’s the most television appearances in a four-year period in the program’s history.
Joyce Center Sellouts: Since the 2000-01 campaign, there have been 29 sellouts at the Joyce Center … Notre Dame enjoyed 10 sellouts during the 2002-03 campaign, the most since the 1985-86 season. The 29 sellouts from 2000-02 are the most since the 1983-87 seasons.
Notre Dame Basketball Radio Show Returns To Logan’s Roadhouse: Logan’s Roadhouse Restaurant in Mishawaka will once again be the site of the Notre Dame Basketball Radio Show during the 2004-05 season … The 30-minute radio show will be broadcast live on Monday nights on 92.9-FM (U93 in South Bend) 10 times during the year beginning at 7:00 p.m. … The dates of the show will be December 6, December 13, December 20, January 3, January 17, January 24, January 31, February 7, February 14 and February 28.
The Kevin White Radio Show: A weekly half-hour talk show featuring Notre Dame athletics director Kevin White airs once again this year on Chicago’s ESPN Radio 1000 (1000 AM, www.espnradio1000.com) … Now in its fifth season, “The Kevin White Radio Show” welcomes a series of guests and prominent figures associated with college athletics, including administrators, coaches and media members.
Notre Dame Athletics Debut On Sirius Satellite Radio: Notre Dame has increased its radio footprint when it announced an agreeement on August 31 with SIRIUS Satellite Radio to become the official radio partner for Notre Dame athletics … SIRIUS will broadcast selected Irish men’s and women’s basketball games during the upcoming season, in addition to football and other sporting events … In addition, SIRIUS will aid in the development of marketing initiatives with the University’s athletic department as a member of ” Team Notre Dame” … Notre Dame’s agreement with SIRIUS is one of the cornerstones in the formation of SIRIUS College Sports Radio, a partnership between SIRIUS and College Sports Television (CSTV) that includes 23 major universities around the country … SIRIUS radios for the car and home start at $149 and are available at major retailers nationwide … For more, visit www.sirius.com.
Web Site (www.und.com): Notre Dame’s official athletic department web site can be found at www.und.com … The web site is created in partnership with College Sports Online of Carlsbad, Calif.
Upcoming Game Promotions: Charleston Southern (Notre Dame nesting dolls) … DePaul (Glow sticks).
Leprechaun Legion The return of Irish basketball to national prominence has brought attention, enthusiasm and excitement back to the Joyce Center … The Notre Dame student body has been a big part of increasing the homecourt advantage … In the spring of of 2001, an organization known as the Leprechaun Legion was introduced … Members of the Unviersity’s student body formed the Leprechaun Legion to generate support at home basketball games … The Legion sits in the east end of the Joyce Center and is extremely visible underneath the basket as members of the organization don kelly green shirts during game … Its chief aim is to increase school spirit during games and act as a catalyst for the rest of the crowd … This season, every student who purchased a basketball student booklet, received the “2004-05 Leprechaun Legion” shirt … The shirts are also on sale at home games in the Notre Dame Bookstore and Varsity Shops … Proceeds from the sale of the shirt benefit Coaches vs. Cancer.