You could feel that something special was going to happen Wednesday night at Purcell Pavilion. Those in attendance were hoping to see if Coach Brey could lead the Fighting Irish to magical win 394, topping Irish coaching legend Digger Phelps. Among all the excitement, there was a sense of concern as well. The day before, we learned that the Irish would be without Captain Bonzie Colson due to a broken foot.

However, ACC play stops for no one. So let’s jump into the game recap and see how the team fared against the NC State.

The Fighting Irish had a reversal of sorts on Wednesday night. Typically, the Irish get off to a slow start in the first half, that wasn’t the case last night. T.J. Gibbs started the Irish off with a quick 3-pointer, followed by a monster slam dunk by Martinas Geben and a 3-pointer by D.J. Harvey.

Despite the strong start, it wasn’t as easy a game for the Irish at it appeared. NC State played a stifling half court pressure that the Irish needed to figure out. Then, half way through the first half, Matt Farrell went down with an apparent foot injury. He went to the locker room for the remainder of the half while the Irish built a lead as high as 15 points in the half. All things considered, this was one of the best halves of basketball by the Irish to date this season.

The Irish took a 48-36 lead into the locker room. Harvey led all scorers with 13 points (3-4 from 3-point range), Gibbs was next with 11 points after a full 20 minutes. To backup the teams play here are some other great stats for the Irish: 18 points in the paint, 10 points off of turnovers, 19-31 from the field and 9-18 from 3-point range.

The second half was completely opposite from the first as the typical Irish quick start out of the locker room was non-existent. The defense, however, stepped up. John Mooney and Geben hand some great blocks on defense. To showcase the defensive effort, the Irish did not allow the Wolfpack to score until 4:53 into the second half and allowed only eight points through the first twelve minutes. The Wolfpack tried to apply the same half court pressure from the first half, but the Irish would have none of it.

The Purcell Pavilion roared to life with 1:00 remaining as those in attendance knew they were witnessing a great moment of ND Basketball History. The Irish won this game 88-58 and Coach Brey would win his 394th game as Notre Dame Men’s Basketball Coach. T.J. Gibbs led all scorers with 22 points, 7 rebounds, 3-6 from 3-point range and played 38 minutes. D.J. Harvey had a career high 17 points along with 3 rebounds in 30 minutes of play. Pflueger had a great night as well. Pflueger came up short of a career night with 16 points, 4 rebounds.

Farrell would not return to the game after the intermission, instead vocally leading his team from the bench along with Colson.

Following the game there was a ceremony at half court to honor Coach Brey accompanied by a video presentation about this career at ND. Coach Phelps presented Coach Brey with the game ball an AD Jack Swarbrick presented Coach Brey with a replica banner of the banner to be forever hung in the rafters of Purcell Pavilion.

The post game interview was one of joy and sorrow. The media gathered in the press room knew the joy of what was Coach Brey’s win, but they were wondering behind all of that, what was going on with Farrell and his injury. Coaches opening statement to the press “What a way to get to get there, to 394 and to 2-0 [in the ACC]. And what I told our team was, when I think back, the record breaking game we lost Bonzie Colson the day before. We lost Matt Farrell half way through the first.  And our group just responded. Just really proud of them. We got 394 off the board. We can keep chasing some ACC stuff and love the position this team is in.”

The discussion shifted to talk about Bonzie Colson’s broken foot. Coach said “Bonzie’s injury happened at practice on Friday. He felt he strained something. He moved around fine and scored 22, unknown it was a broken foot. I feel sorry for Bonzie. I feel for college basketball. Bonzie Colson is the most popular player in college basketball and maybe the best. Coaches love him. Media loves him. He is a great story. College basketball lost a great story and I am hurting for him. I told his father we will not rush him back. I am really sensitive to being healthy and fresh for him to make the NBA.”

Next up for the Irish is Syracuse. the Irish will be on the road Saturday with a 3:15 start. Congratulations to Coach Brey on 394, and best wishes and a speedy recovery for Colson and Farrell. Cheers and #GoIrish!!!

The post Notre Dame Men’s Basketball: A Huge Win and Another Loss appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Credit: Getty Images

Team captain (and team barber) Zach Auguste leaves the University of Notre Dame with quite a legacy.

Always a vital piece of size and skill for the Irish, Zach helped the team reach two elite 8 appearances in a row! Now he could make even more *Irish history* if selected in this year’s NBA draft.

Early on in his Notre Dame career Zach had a rather frustrating tendency to merely stand straight up on defense. I often found myself yelling “JUMP!” at the TV during his junior year. However, Zach made great strides in that regard and improved his shot blocking numbers from a mere 0.7 per game (junior year) to 1.1 per game as a senior.

In each game this year Zach seemed to have at least one emphatic help-side rejection. The most notable swat was against Duke’s Brandon Ingram in this year’s epic ACC quarterfinal comeback, in which Auguste also collected 19 points and 22 rebounds! Look up Zach Auguste’s top 5 games for more reasons to miss the big guy…

ESPN’s Chad Ford projects Auguste as either a late second round pick or an undrafted prospect. Ford noted lack of elite size and improvement needed on defense as Auguste’s main weaknesses. His greatest virtues include Zach’s soft touch around the rim and surprisingly solid ball handling skills which help him reach said rim. Lofty shooting percentages of 62% in his junior year and 56% senior year provide the evidence.

Given his vast improvement on defense from his junior to senior year, I think there is good reason to believe Auguste can continue to develop in the NBA. However, I also wonder if his lack of elite size will push Zach into more of a stretch-four role. Shooting long jump-shots may be deemed necessary for his survival in the league. Can you imagine Zach shooting threes for a living? Yet, when it’s all said and done, Auguste is an interesting character who plays with tenacity and heart. Even if not selected in the draft, I know he will work hard for a signing – whether in the NBA or abroad.

Bonzie Colson

If Auguste does get picked in the 2016 draft, NDInsider.com said it would be the first time that multiple Notre Dame players have been selected in consecutive drafts since 1980-81.

BONZIE’S BACK

Bonzie Colson III is one of my favorites! At only 6’5 but with a 7 foot wingspan, Bonzie averaged 11 points and nearly 7 rebounds last year. For many Irish fans, it is Bonzie’s return this season that makes the loss of Auguste a much easier transition. Bonzie has a proven ability to score. Just check out highlights from Bonzie’s 31 point explosion against Duke in January and another 24 point outing against Indiana. Note the quality of competition in these games as well. Plus, when it comes to the defensive side of the ball, Bonzie has shown more aggressiveness than Auguste ever did. His evolutionary wingspan is helping him greatly in that regard.

However, Irish fans also know that – despite his ridiculous wingspan – Bonzie will need a taller teammate presence to help against the centers and the larger power-forwards of the ACC. While Coach Brey will no doubt utilize Bonzie at the center position whenever he can play a smaller lineup, there will be times – such as the start of each game – where a taller presence will be needed. Hence, the 3 solid prospects below…

Credit: NDInsider.com

TORRES HAS HUSTLE

This year, Austin Torres is to be a Senior at 6’7 228. In his limited time, Austin Torres has shown Irish fans what we love most: effort and hustle. This is especially evident on the defensive side of the ball, where Torres has provided noticeable energy off the bench. In fact, one can argue that Torres is a foil of Auguste (i.e. Torres is steady on defense and needs to prove himself on offense, while Auguste is the opposite). That being said, there is reason to believe Torres can improve offensively, especially given his shooting percentage at nearly 62% (although that’s only from a total of 55 shots).

I believe Torres has the inside track to becoming the starting center this season, since he’s a senior and he’s actually seen the floor. But he may have some stiff competition from the ballers below…

BURNS HAS UNTAPPED POTENTIAL

Big man Elijah Burns is heading into his sophomore year. He is 6’9, 232 pounds and was a former 4 star recruit according to ESPN. Most Irish fans know very little about this young talent because he hasn’t played. However, ESPN gave Burns some very high praise when he committed to the Irish. With Zach’s departure, the team will need all the height they can get. There is no doubt Burns will get plenty of opportunity to impress and play in this upcoming season. Based on the ESPN analysis, one can argue that Burns has the highest potential for stardom among the Irish bigs.

“Burns is a powerful four-man with a good intellect for the game. He owns a strong, college ready body (and this was written 2 years ago), is a well schooled interior defender, and consistent presence on the glass. He consistently knocks down mid-range jumpers, has a dependable jump hook on the block, and is gradually expanding his face-up game farther from the basket. He is now a threat to make an open three at the top of the key and a very underrated passer.”

Credit: DailyHerald.com

GEBEN GETTING READY TO PLAY MORE

This upcoming season, the 6-foot-9-inch, 255 pound Martinas “Martin” Geben will be a junior. Geben is from Vilnius, Lithuania. Last year, all of Geben’s time on the floor was as a member of the cleanup crew. (He only went in when the Irish were either ahead by a lot or very very desperate for some kind of spark.)

This summer and beyond, Geben will have ample opportunity to impress coaches and compete for minutes. Besides his NBA ready size, one great thing going for Geben is his touch from the free-throw line. A big man that shoots well from the line is huuuge in this quick whistle sport. Martin made all 10 of his free throws in 2016! Admittedly, it’s a small sample size – but a hopeful sign nonetheless.

Conclusion: The IRISH front-court will be vital for another good showing in the super competitive ACC. Fans should keep one eye on Bonzie Colson’s development as a starter and the other eye on which of these 3 unproven bigs impresses Mike Brey the most.

The post How Does Notre Dame Replace Zach Auguste? appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

I think it would have been better to call this day Wine Wednesday, because obviously the Apostles* had to stock up for the Last Supper. But, then again, an Irish-Catholic college campus never needs an excuse like Wine Wednesday (and neither does this Frenchman). With a Wednesday like that, we might as well have a Sauce Saturday.

In 33AD, this was a pretty big week for the Apostles; and this week is pretty big for the basketball lads, since they have a Sweet Sixteen game on Friday. But I can’t write about comparisons between the basketball team and The Twelve, because there are 14 members of the team (and I can’t add Matthias to the count because he was subbed in for Judas). Still, I’m rather fascinated by the possibility of bringing the Apostles and the basketball lads together in some form, because how much cooler would Catholic school names sound if we had a Saint Bonzie or a Saint Rex. And how fierce would our team be if we had a player named Simon the Zealot, or a pair of brothers nicknamed “The Sons of Thunder.”

I can’t write about the Biblical significance of the number 16 because there isn’t any. Sure, there are four 16-letter words in the King James Bible, but they don’t really give any inspiration. I don’t want the Fighting Irish to play the Badgers with lovingkindness. It may sound intimidating to say that we compete with evilfavouredness, but when you think about it, that’s neither a good thing nor a compliment. And when it comes to unprofitableness and covenantbreakers, I don’t have the basketball team in mind, but I am shooting the stink-eye right at you, whoever you are in the Athletic Department that decided it would be a good idea to crawl into bed with the Whore of Babylon…I mean the Big Ten.

Though I can’t write on Good Friday, we are playing basketball on that day. I have no problem with this, so long as the team and fans pray from Noon to 3:00 and don’t eat meat. In fact, I strongly encourage everyone to eat ample amounts of grilled cheese, symbolically devouring Wisconsin. Winning against the Badgers will send us on to play North Carolina or Indiana on Easter Sunday. There was a famous Olympic track star who refused to compete on a Sunday because of his devout Christian beliefs. But he was a Scottish Congregationalist, and they’re just really no fun. Easter is the day of greatest celebration for us, so as long as the team, students, alumni, and fans all participate in the holy celebration of the Mass in the morning, I think it’s fine to celebrate a basketball game later. Besides, we can be assured God approves, since the Holy Trinity shoots a mean three.

These aren’t just considerations for students-athletes and fans of Our Lady’s University. I’m sure there are good Catholics on the Wisconsin team who must balance loyalty to their school with the requirements of their faith . Had we played Xavier, things like holy days and religion don’t much concern the Jesuits.

Thus, as we like to do at Notre Dame, this Holy Week we combine Church and Sports, our two favorite devotions. And just for Friday, let’s change Pflueger’s name to Rex Iudaeorum

EFS CSC

*Jesus sent John and Peter to get supplies for the Last Supper. Since John is always pictured as beardless, we must assume he was underage. Hence, John would have bought the bread, while Peter went on a wine run. Let that be an instructive and cautionary exegesis for all Freshmen, Sophomores, and Juniors.

Padre’s book Father Sorin Says: The Founder Comments on Today’s Notre Dame is available from the Hammes Notre Dame Bookstore and from Amazon. It is a perfect addition to any Easter basket, and can be used to convert others to the One True Faith.

The post Spy Wednesday w/Padre: Faith, Hoops, and Charity appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.