WHO: Notre Dame vs. Central State University
WHAT: The lone and final exhibition game for Notre Dame in 2018-19.
WHERE: Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center
WHEN: Thursday, November 1, 2018, 7:00 p.m. ET
TICKETS: Still available at und.com/buytickets
LISTEN: Thursday’s exhibition game will be broadcast locally on WSBT-AM 960/FM 96.1, und.com and the Notre Dame App.
During the season, all games will be available on the Notre Dame Basketball Network.
Darin Pritchett (play-by-play) and Zach Hillesland (analyst) will provide the call on Thursday.
WATCH: ACC Network Extra with Juan Jose Rodriguez (play-by-play) and Mike Lightfoot (analyst).
RENEWED IRISH ROSTER SET TO FACE ACC CHALLENGE
The University of Notre Dame men’s basketball team will be breaking in one of its most inexperienced rosters of the Mike Brey era in 2018-19. The Irish return just two full-time starters (Pflueger, Gibbs) for the first time since 2009-10 (Luke Harangody, Tory Jackson) and only the third time in the Brey era (2002-03, Chris Thomas, Matt Carroll).
In terms of playing years experience in the Notre Dame program, the 2018-19 season has the lowest of the Brey era. Combined, the Irish roster has just 12 years of collegiate experience combined entering the season – Pflueger (3), Harvey (1), Gibbs (2), Djogo (1), Burns (2), Nelligan (1) and Mooney (2). The 2002-03, 2003-04, 2006-07 and 2011-12 featured 13 seasons of combined experience in the Brey system before the season tipped off.
CENTRAL STATE UNIVERSITY
- The Marauders are coached by former Irish player Joseph Price (1982-86).
- Located in Wilberforce, Ohio, Central State is an NCAA Division II school and competes in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC).
- The Marauders finished 14-14 in 2018-19, 11-8 in conference play and claimed the program’s first SIAC West Division title.
JOSEPH PRICE BRINGS CENTRAL STATE BACK TO HIS ALMA MATER
Joseph Price (1982-86) returns to campus for an exhibition contest against his alma mater for the first time as a head coach. Price is in his third year at Central State. He began his coaching career as an assistant at IUPUI in 2002, then the Marion, Indiana, native stayed in-state and joined the staff at Ball State. After moves to Morehead State and Lamar, he was head coach of Grambling State University in 2012-13 and 2013-14.
Price helped Notre Dame to an 84-37 record during his time on campus and was a seventh-round draft pick of the Washington Bullets. He spent 13 years playing overseas with stops in France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium and Spain.
Joseph Price Notre Dame Career Statistics
|
Years |
GP |
GS |
FGM |
FGA |
FG% |
FTM |
FTA |
FT% |
REB |
AST |
BLK |
STL |
PF |
PTS |
PTS/G |
|
1982-86 |
115 |
36 |
256 |
552 |
0.464 |
99 |
144 |
0.688 |
216 |
107 |
15 |
76 |
219 |
611 |
5.3 |
NOTRE DAME vs. CENTRAL STATE – BY THE NUMBERS
|
1 |
Notre Dame led the country in 2017-18 for personal fouls committed per game (13.1) and finished fourth in fewest fouls committed (470). |
|
2 |
Returning starters for the Irish in 2017-18 (Rex Pflueger, T.J. Gibbs), matching the 2002-03 and 2009-10 seasons for the lowest in the Mike Brey era (2000-01 – present). |
|
3 |
Junior guard T.J. Gibbs logged 1,348 minutes in 2017-18, third-most in Notre Dame basketball history and the 10th-most in the NCAA for the 2017-18 season. His 704 minutes in ACC play also marked the second-most for an ND player. |
|
6 |
Three-point field goal attempts without a miss for junior John Mooney at North Carolina on Feb. 12, 2018. That effort matched Matt Carroll ‘s school record (2001) for most 3FGM without a miss. |
|
7 |
Senior Rex Pflueger posted seven games with five or more assists last season and finished second on the team in total assists (112). He ended the year 10th in the ACC for assist/turnover ratio (2.15). |
|
8 |
T.J. Gibbs posted the eighth-best sophomore scoring campaign in Notre Dame history (552 points) in 2017-18. The seven players who scored more as sophomores – Adrian Dantley (883), Troy Murphy (839), Luke Harangody (672), Chris Thomas (637), John Shumate (631), Bob Arnzen (597) and Tom Hawkins (576) are all among the 25 greatest players in Notre Dame history. |
|
10 |
The incoming freshman class of Robby Carmody, Dane Goodwin, Prentiss Hubb, Nate Laszewski and Chris Doherty was ranked 10th in the nation by ESPN – the highest recruting class mark of the Brey era. |
|
24.3 |
The lack of returning playing time/statistics for Notre Dame in 2018-19 have much in common with 2011-12, 2010-11 and 2006-07. Those three seasons the Irish won an average of 24.3 games, earned three NCAA bids and combined for a 51-1 record at Purcell Pavilion. |
|
32 |
The seven game home stand to begin the 2018-19 season is the longest for the Notre Dame program in 32 years. The 1986-87 squad went 5-2 on a seven-game run to begin a 24-8 season that eventually ended in the NCAA Sweet 16. |
|
62 |
Notre Dame has seen 62 players reach the 1,000-point career plateau, which is tied for the fifth-most in NCAA history. Since joining the ACC, six Irish players have reached 1,000 points (tied with UNC for most in the league) and 13 have reached 1,000 points since 2008-09 – the second-best total in the nation over that time frame. |
|
76 |
Notre Dame shot .758 from the free throw line in 2017-18, leading the ACC in team free throw shooting percentage for the second consecutive season. The Irish led the ACC and the NCAA in free throw shooting in 2016-17 (.800). |
|
103 |
The 2017-18 senior class set the mark as the all-time winningest four-year class in Notre Dame basketball history and became the first group to win 100 games in four seasons against Pittsburgh on Feb. 28, 2018. |
|
502 |
With 502 career wins, Mike Brey is the 11th active coach to reach that career milestone coaching at just one or two institutions. See page 3 of the notes package for more details. |
|
77,000 |
Notre Dame’s new practice facility home, Rolfs Athletics Hall, boasts over 77,000-square feet of athletic training, strength and conditioning, practice courts and team offices for the Irish men’s and women’s teams. The teams have been able to use the practice courts since the start of October and the facility will be completed in mid-November. |