Sept. 18, 2007
On whether expectations for this season will be higher based on last season’s success…
“I think so because from within, especially from our current guys, they want to return to the NCAA Tournament and they would like to play further. That’s what they’ve talked about since losing in the first round to Winthrop in Spokane, Wash. They want to do more. As a team we lost two very key seniors who were our leading scorers and two all-BIG EAST first-team selections. We have a lot to replace but I feel in time we have the personnel to make up for that.”
On what he is expecting from this team early on…
“I would hope and would expect that this team will be more confident early. Last year’s squad worked really hard in the summer, dreamed big dreams, but like any team that’s young they weren’t sure about some things some times. I think this group, with eight veterans back from a team that finished 24-8, will come in more confident. And that’s helpful as a coach when you have a confident crew.”
On selling the team on the rewards of their hard work after making a run to the NCAA Tournament…
“I think that’s an easier sell. I actually had our veteran guys each make a comment in team meeting on how our summer program and conditioning really helped us a year ago. They are very big believers in our summer philosophy helping us last year and so we’ll continue with that same philosophy in the preseason this season.”
On the likelihood of the team showing up on the preseason national radar…
“I think that there’s a lot of respect for the guys coming back, but losing (Colin) Falls and (Russell) Carter, there’s a wait-and-see attitude I sense out there with people in the league and the national media. And that’s good because one of the things that helped push last year’s group was that there was no one really talking about us.” There will probably be some of that again in the fall where we’re not going to be the first name out of people’s mouths when they talk about the BIG EAST.”
On what he likes the most about this year’s team…
“We have eight guys back who have been in the battle and battled successfully. Those eight guys have played a lot of basketball and were part of a heck of a run last season. They know what it is like to be confident, to play together, to work as one and to chase a common goal. When you have that kind of experience back along with confidence, that’s really good start. The overall demeanor of this group is what I really like. They remember the recipe that worked last year, and that’s why there is such a willingness to work hard again this season.”
On the team’s defensive philosophy…
“One of the things we talked about last year defensively was to protect our lane and our paint better. We wanted to be more physical about making our stand on people getting into our paint on a drive, on a cut, or on an offensive rebound. I think we made a big stride in that area last year. Tory Jackson on the ball starts the whole thing. We have not had a guy who is able to guard the ball like that since I’ve been here. In fact, we may never have had a guy who can guard the ball in the history of Notre Dame basketball like he does.
“I thought our front line did a good job of accepting the responsibility of being more physical in the paint; we threw ourselves around more and put bodies on people. That helped us have a better presence on the defensive end and we’ve got to continue to emphasize that. I think the other thing we found, because we’re so good offensively is that when we defend like that and get stops it’s a license to run. And we really like to run. My selling point is when we guard and get stops, we get to run, and I know you have the most fun when you’re running and passing and shooting.”
On the strengths of the frontcourt versus the backcourt…
“When you have four guys back that gave you the minutes they gave you last year, you feel good about it. We’ve got a lot of different guys who do different things there. The thing about our front line is that they’re skilled big guys. They have a great basketball IQ — they can catch and pass, and they understand the game. They’re easy to play with. There was a lot of ease playing with them and they certainly made the perimeter guys better. Our front line is one of our strengths and we want to utilize that. I think you’re always examining how guys change from year to year and you tweak your offense based on what guys are doing. Their basketball IQ and skill set makes them very valuable and hard to guard.”
On the different lineups he can use this season…
“We do have a lot of different options. I think what makes us hard to guard is the front line being so skilled. We have guys up front who can step out and make a shot and we also have players who can put in on the floor from out there. When you’re big guys are multi-skilled and can make shots it makes you kind of tricky to defend.”
On the offense…
“We have always had good spacing. I think because you have guys who can make a shot from lot of the different spots on the floor people have to guard you. They can’t jam it in, so it spreads the floor. The one thing we do here and that we did very well last year was spread the floor out. We want to continue to do that. One of the things we always emphasize is our spacing in our half-court offense. When you have big guys that you must come out and guard, it really opens it up for a drive, penetration, cuts, and things like that.”
On the team’s ability to run…
“I think we can run and I think we’re probably able to run even better with a Kyle (McAlarney)-Tory (Jackson) combination. Either guy can get it and go. Ryan (Ayers) also is a runner, while (Zach) Hillesland gives us the point forward in the fact that he brings the ball up and runs. Rob (Kurz) also is a great runner. I expect that (Luke) Harangody will be a better runner because he’s in better shape. (Jonathan) Peoples can also run. We want to change ends and we want to play fast. That’s our strength — getting down the floor quickly and making quick decisions.”
On the team’s energy…
“I think it’s the type of guys we have and I like the energy of this year’s team. Last year (Luke) Harangody and (Tory) Jackson were energy guys for us as was Zach (Hillesland). We lost an energy guy in Carter but we have one to replace him in Tyrone Nash. I think we have juice in a number of key spots that can give us a lift.”
On the keys for this season early on…
“We need to remember how hard it was to establish our identity; to establish our identity through the summer and through the fall and how poor we were. Maybe the preseason poll will take care of that and put a chip on our shoulder. We have to remember how difficult it is to earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament. It’s not your birthright, and just because you have several players back doesn’t meant it will happen. The biggest thing we have to prevent is getting ahead of ourselves. Last year’s team took it one day at a time because they weren’t sure of themselves. This team may be is a little more confident, but we can’t skip steps getting there as a group even though we have eight returning guys.”
On protecting the home court and the 20-game home win streak…
“That’s a great confidence builder — how we played at home last season. I think it’s important to keep doing what we’re doing at home. We want to get the record (for consecutive wins at home) and we want to build on it. That is a powerful identity that this nucleus has developed.”
On learning to be better playing on the road…
“Experience helps you there. I think [last year] we were still young on the road at times. As you get older you get a little better about playing on the road; hopefully as we get older we can be better about playing on the road. We are going to be everybody’s big game and we have to be ready take everybody’s punch.”
On the experience of the returning players…
“It makes you confident as a coach when you look at your roster and see eight guys who have been in the battles and have been in the big games. Especially with young guys like Luke (Harangody) and Tory (Jackson) back who are starters and are very confident young men, that’s a great place to start as a coach when you have that much experience back. They (Luke and Tory) carry themselves confidently because they’ve been in the battles and they’ve had success in the battles.”
On having both Kyle (McAlarney) and Tory (Jackson) in the backcourt together…
“I’m looking forward to it and I really like it because Tory is so good defensively that it doesn’t hurt you. He can guard bigger guys and he’s so physical that it doesn’t hurt you on the defensive end with two smaller guys. Tory plays bigger and stronger than six foot. You have two guys that can play with the ball and play off the ball and are hard to guard. When I have two confident quarterbacks out there I can communicate to our team even better.”
On dividing up minutes this year…
“I think from night to night it could be different. Going into it on the front line, it’s kind of by committee. Who’s going good, who’s playing well stays in there. There might be a night when Luke Zeller is in a good rhythm and plays 25 minutes, and somebody else plays 12. That’s what I like about our big guys. I think on the perimeter Tory and Kyle are going to have to be in there a lot. Ryan Ayers has to be in there and Jonathan Peoples will be coming off the bench and spelling those guys. When you have eight veteran guys you feel pretty good about taking whoever is going good and riding them.”
On the team’s unselfishness…
“This really is a “together” group. The older guys have been through some tough times together and also some good times. But the most important aspect of it is that they have been through it together and have each other’s back. They understand how to chase a common goal, and that’s a big advantage.”
On the incoming freshmen having the opportunity to ease into the system…
“I think if all eight of the returning guys stay healthy, we can be patient with the freshmen. The nice thing about these guys is that I don’t think they’re very patient, and they’re going to put pressure on our older guys. That’s what we want. The competition at our practices will be excellent and very competitive. We improved our depth last year and I think we’ve improved it again this season with 12 scholarship guys who are all good players.”
On the his players being very coachable…
“Our players are very skilled and understand the game, but most importantly, they recognize how to be a team. They understand that their strength is doing it together.”