Oct. 13, 2015

Photo Gallery – Mike Brey Quotes – Notre Dame Player Quotes

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The 2015-16 University of Notre Dame men’s basketball team officially took to the court for practice eight days ago on Oct. 5, but this afternoon marked the first time head coach Mike Brey, his coaching staff and players met with the media as the team held its annual Media Day on Tuesday afternoon.

Brey, who is beginning his 16^th on the Fighting Irish bench, held a press conference at in the Joyce Center Basketball Auditorium at 4:15 (ET) that was streamed live on und.com. Following the 40-minute question- and-answer session, coaches, players and support staff assembled for the traditional team photo on the Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center hardwood. Media members then conducted interviews with Notre Dame players for the next hour on the court.

From the arena floor, Brey, Auguste and Jackson appeared live on the newscasts of two local stations – WNDU and WSBT -during the five and six-o’clock newscasts.

Notre Dame returns three starters – senior forward Zach Auguste (12.9 ppg./6.5 rpg.) and junior guards Demetrius Jackson (12.4 ppg./3.6 rpg./3.1 asp.) and Steve Vasturia (10.1 ppg./3.0 rpg.) – from last year’s squad that won the school’s first Atlantic Coast Conference Championship. The Irish finished with a 32-6 record (the second 30-win season in school history) and 14-4 mark in ACC play. The Irish advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Championship for the first time since 1979.

Notre Dame opens up the campaign on Friday, Oct. 30 against St. Francis (Ill.) at 7:00 pm (ET) in the first of two exhibition tests. The Irish will play St. Francis (Pa.) in the regular-season opener on Friday, Nov. 13 at 7:30 pm.

Season tickets and six-game mini-plan packages currently are available. Fans can visit UND.com/BuyTickets or call 574-631-7356. Individual game tickets for the upcoming season will be available to the public online beginning at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 15. Ticket prices begin at $15. Fans also can purchase individual game tickets by phone, or in person at the Murnane Family Ticket Office beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 16.

JACKSON ON 2016 BOB COUSY WATCH LIST
Junior point guard Demetrius Jackson is among 20 candidates for the 2016 Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award presented by the College of the Holy Cross. Named after Hall of Famer and former Boston Celtic and Holy Cross guard Bob Cousy, the award, now in its 13^th season, annually recognizes the top point guards in Division I men’s basketball. A national committee comprised for top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates.

Two other players from the Atlantic Coast Conference -Xavier Rathan-Mayes of Florida State and Marcus Paige of North Carolina – join Jackson on the list. The other 17 candidates for the award include Kyle Collinsworth (Brigham Young), Tryone Wallace (California), Maodo Lo (Columbia), D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera (Georgetown), Juan’ya Green (Hofstra), Yogi Ferrell (Indiana), Monte Morris (Iowa State), Frank Mason (Kansas), Tyler Ulis (Kentucky), Melo Trimble (Maryland), Gary Payton Jr. (Oregon State), Kris Dunn (Providence), Carson Puriefoy (Stony Brook), Jalen Brunson (Villanova), Ryan Arcidiacono (Villanova), Fred VanVleet (Wichita State) and Bronson Koenig (Wisconsin).

By mid-February, the watch list will be narrowed down to 10, and then in March, five finalists will be presented to the selection committee that will include Bob Cousy. The winner of the award will receive it at the ESPN College Basketball Awards Show live from Club Nokia in Los Angeles, California on Friday, April 8, 2016.

Bob Cousy played for Holy Cross from 1946-50 and helped lead his team to the 1947 NCAA Championship. A first team consensus All-American in 1950, he won six National Basketball Association championships (1957, 1959-63) with the Boston Celtics. A 13-time NBA All-Star (1951-63), Cousy was named the league’s Most Valuable Player in 1957. In 1996, he was named a member of the NBA’s 50^th Anniversary All-Time Team.

Previous winners of the Bob Cousy Award include Delon Wright, Utah (2015), Shabazz Napier, Connecticut (2014), Trey Burke, Michigan (2013), Kendall Marshall, North Carolina (2012), Kemba Walker, Connecticut (2011), Greivis Vasquez, Maryland (2010), Ty Lawson, North Carolina (2009), DJ Augustin, Texas (2008), Acie Law, Texas A & M (2007), Dee Brown, Illinois (2006), Raymond Felton, North Carolina (2005) and Jameer Nelson, St. Joseph’s (2004).

For more information on the 2016 Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award, log onto www.CousyAward.com.

🎥 Media Day with @NDmbb 🏀 🔥The road to the National Championship begins… Let’s. Do. This. pic.twitter.com/bNoOYzYOZj

– The Fighting Irish (@FightingIrish) October 13, 2015

Brey said the first guy Roy Williams and Tony Bennett mentioned was Steve Vasturia. “Coaches understand all the little things he does.”

– Tim O’Malley (@timomalleyND) October 13, 2015

Marian grad @D_Jay24 joins us live at 6:20 on WNDU. Mike Brey says Demetrius Jackson is now the man for ND. pic.twitter.com/Orpev6Celv

– Angelo Di Carlo (@angdicarlowndu) October 13, 2015

“I’m back, baby!” – Mike Brey kicks off another @NDmbb media day with as much energy as ever.

– Rachel Murphy (@NDBlogMurph) October 13, 2015

— Bernadette Cafarelli, Assistant Athletics Director (Communications)