Farrell Shines In Spotlight
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - An aggressive mindset is all it was for Matt Farrell to have the confidence to lead his team offensively in Notre Dame’s 84-67 win over Boston College here on Saturday.
“It’s one of the great performances in a Notre Dame uniform; it really is, at a time when we really needed a win against a good team,” Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey said afterward.
Farrell came into the game wanting to be aggressive.
“I didn’t like the way I played against UNC, so I wanted to come out with that mindset, where if I have an open look, just be decisive and take it,” he said “It felt good today, so I just kept doing what I was doing. Guys were setting screens for me and it really helps.”
Pouring in 26 first-half points, Farrell gave the Irish the momentum and energy they needed in a loud atmosphere inside Conte Forum. He finished a perfect 8-for-8 from behind the arc and you could see his confidence when he rose up and released his jumper.
“It looked real big tonight,” he explained. “After I made my first one, my first shot felt really good. When that happens, I feel really confident with my shot. Like I said, our whole coaching staff was telling me to keep shooting and my teammates were telling me to keep shooting, so it was easy.
“After a couple of them, I was like, ‘Alright, it’s feeling real good.’ So I had the green light to start pulling from anywhere.”
Playing in an environment like Chestnut Hill is what Farrell loves. The New Jersey native committed to Boston College early into his recruitment, but once BC parted with its previous coaching staff, he opened up his recruitment and landed in South Bend playing under Brey.
“It’s a fun environment to play in,” expressed Farrell.
With Bonzie Colson down due to injury, Farrell is the leader of the Irish when they’re on the floor and against Boston College it was clear, he was up for it after being challenged by Brey earlier in the season.
“I thought Matt Farrell, early in the year wasn’t shooting enough for us,” Brey explained. “We need him to score. Obviously, now with Bonzie out and him healthy, he knows he has to score for us and even force some stuff. But he does have teammates who really find him.”
The second half of the game didn’t come as easy for Farrell. Boston College knew he was going to shoot and made sure it played aggressively on the Irish guard, but down the stretch Farrell was able to hit clutch shot when his team needed it.
“I thought they were going to be keying on me a little more in the second half, so I wanted to come out and find guys…and guys made big shots,” stated Farrell. “But I was still confident and I still had to be aggressive and I got more aggressive toward the end.”
However, Farrell being the leader he is, with 3:24 left in the game, rose up from the top of the arc, created space from his defender with a quick crossover to hit his 10th three-pointer of the game.
Brey feels comfortable with the ball in Farrell’s hands.
“That green light is always on for this guy,” praised Brey.