Notre Dame basketball coach Micah Shrewsberry spoke following Wednesday's loss to North Carolina.
On the loss:
“We talked about the start, right? At the start of the game, at the start of the half, of how important it is that they're trying to onslaught you. We didn't come out in that manner, right? I apologized to those guys because I've been too nice to them. I've been too soft on them to be ready to fight and compete in an environment like this, right? Dudes got talent, but they've never been through the wars before. They've never been through the grit and grind. I gotta get us gritty and grimy to be able to come in here and sustain and do what we need to do.”
On how Notre Dame can be more gritty:
“We gotta practice it. We gotta do it in practice. I can't worry about legs, can't worry about we got 12 dudes that practice. Can't worry about that. We gotta build calluses in practice and that's the only way that you're gonna be ready to do it.
“You can show flashes in practice, but to do it every day, we gotta push them harder in what we do. It's hard to do when you're down people, but it's like, that's what they need.”
On if he believes Notre Dame has enough to play gritty:
“We're gonna have to and if it's not for now, then it's for the future, right? To be a good team, you gotta come into places like this. So if it's not for this year, then it's for next year. The dudes that have potential, now if you can build that callus throughout this year, then they're ready for it next year when it's time.”
On flushing the 1-5 start in ACC play:
“It's a 25-point game, and the whole time in the huddle, I'm just talking about this is practice, right? This can't be bullshit time because it all matters. I don't care who they got on their team, they're trying to get stops. They're trying to score. We gotta build during these games, even when it's not close.
“You gotta keep building because this is what we need. These are the practices that we need. Every moment and everything matters for us, whether it's games, whether it's practices, you gotta take everything that happens and keep building.”
On balancing building for next year and competing in 2025-26:
“If we're doing those things, if we're doing them in practice, then it should lead to more competitiveness and more winning, right? That's what we gotta do. Like I said, we don't have enough guys who have been through it. We gotta build it in some way and we gotta do it. As we're building for the future, it should help now. It should help the present if we're doing it the right way.”
On it being frustrating having to play a lineup of three freshmen, a sophomore and a junior at North Carolina:
“It's hard. It's frustrating. I'm telling you, nobody feels sorry for me. I'm a single person, so I can't feel sorry for myself. Here's the hand that we're dealt. We're gonna play it. We gotta play the best that we can play and keep seeing what happens and learn from it. I'm not gonna quit. I'm never gonna quit.
“I don't care what happens. We're gonna turn around. I'm gonna watch this film on the plane. We're gonna get off the plane, watch it when I get home. We get ready for practice tomorrow. We get ready for what happens on Saturday and get these guys ready to turn around and keep fighting.
“We've gotten blown out here, but they haven't given up. We have to keep that spirit where it is, that togetherness that they have. We just gotta be able to put it into action and games for longer stretches.”
Want the latest scoop on the Fighting Irish? Sign up for our newsletter and become an ISD Premium Subscriber: Sign Up for ISD
Notre Dame Fighting Irish Champion Fleece Pullover Sweatshirt
