HOOPS | Practice Observations
Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey was gracious enough to allow us into a full practice on Sunday where he put his team through various end of game scenarios and a ton of scrimmaging.
After a tough season on the offensive side of the ball, Brey will not have a lack of guys who can shoot the rock in 2018-19. It was impressive to see just how many guys could hit shots and it wasn’t only the guards. Forwards Elijah Burns and Juwan Durham hit shots from the elbow, freshman forward Nate Laszewski was close to automatic from three, and John Mooney was John Mooney.
To start the scrimmage session, Brey’s starting five was:
PG Prentiss Hubb
G TJ Gibbs
G Dane Goodwin
F John Mooney
F Elijah Burns
Let’s go down the line.
G Rex Pflueger (Senior)
Pflueger did not practice as he “tweaked” his back but Brey said it wouldn’t be an issue and it was more of them being cautious with a veteran.
PG Prentiss Hubb (Freshman)
There were some concerns from fans about his size combined with coming off an ACL injury. Hubb looked explosive and very under control. He showed patience and the ability to slow the offense down at the right times. He only attacked the rim a couple of times on the afternoon but finished off one with a beauty of a layup. He’s more of a traditional point guard and will allow Brey to play Gibbs off the ball more, which will benefit Gibbs as he will be the No. 1 scoring option.
Hubb shot the ball well from three-point range, and the Irish will need a few timely threes during the season. He’s a maximum effort kid, and I think he’ll end up being a fan favorite by the time his career is done. I do think size might be a concern on the defensive end, but if he can play the passing lanes, Hubb can win some of those battles.
G TJ Gibbs (Junior)
It wasn’t a great day shooting the rock for Gibbs, but I’m not concerned as he has shown the ability to score and shoot over the last two seasons. One thing that did stick out to me was his patience. He wasn’t forcing things and playing under control. Gibbs got himself in trouble last year trying to do too much on the offensive end. It was likely overlooked by everyone just for the fact he was asked to do so much with Matt Farrell and Bonzie Colson missing for such large portions of the season.
Gibbs was a pest on the defensive end as usual. He will have a chance to have a special year and not to put too much pressure on him, but if the Irish want to make the Big Dance, Gibbs will need to have a special year.
G Nik Djogo (Junior)
It’s going to be about game action for Djogo. He did finish at the rim during practice and seemed a little more under control than a year ago. I’ve seen Djogo make 10+ three-pointers in a row during practice, so the stroke is there, but he needs to prove he can do it in a game. I felt the UNC game last year might have been a turning point for him, but Djogo never found that magic again.
He’s still an interesting player when you combine his athleticism and length. Djogo was asked to do too much a year ago out of necessity, and this year the role shouldn’t be quite as significant, which benefits everyone.
G Dane Goodwin (Freshman)
Goodwin got the start with the white shirts with Pflueger out. From what I saw on Sunday, Goodwin has the better offensive game than his classmate Robby Carmody, but I would lean towards Carmody being the better defensive player.
Goodwin hit a few shots from the outside during the scrimmage, but you could tell he was still a little passive at times. He can put the ball on the floor and get his shot, including a pull-up jumper. However, it was his ability to move without the ball that stuck out to me. Goodwin seemed to make the right cut and at the right time more often than not. It might not be a surprise as he’s a coach's son, but it stuck out as he’s just a freshman.
G Robby Carmody (Freshman)
I have a feeling Carmody is going to be a Brey favorite in time. He wants to play defense and isn’t afraid to get physical. We saw him play with a chip on his shoulder in high school and wasn’t afraid to mix it up on Sunday afternoon. I have a Carmody will be the guy opposing fans will give the popular line, ‘It feels like he’s been at Notre Dame for 10 years.’
As mentioned, I don’t think his offensive game is entirely as consistent as Goodwin, but Carmody is going to get in the lane more than Goodwin. Carmody is a perfect fit for Notre Dame and fans will fall in love with his effort. He’s going to be a valuable piece off the bench this year in my opinion on both sides of the court.
G/F DJ Harvey (Sophomore)
Harvey was easily the surprise of the day as he was hitting shots from everywhere. He hit threes from the top of the key, the side and the corner. Harvey also scored driving into the lane and off a fadeaway. It was beautiful offense, and then you remembered he was coming off microfracture surgery.
Brey mentioned Harvey’s conditioning needs work as it was just his third day of practice since being cleared but it will come by the first game in three weeks. Harvey did mention the decision to play the full year hadn’t been made as he could play in first seven games before making a decision but things are trending in a positive direction.
If Harvey is ready to go, it could be the most significant piece to Notre Dame’s success this season.
F Elijah Burns (Senior)
Confidence was the most significant thing I saw from Burns on Sunday. He knew what he was doing and believed in it. Burns had to highlight reel alley-oops in the halfcourt, but he was doing everything with a purpose. Notre Dame will need him to be active on the boards this year, and he was active on Sunday.
Burns also has a nice shot from the elbow, which we had seen last year, but if he is going to play big minutes this season, the 15-18 foot jumper will come in handy for him.
F John Mooney (Junior)
The time Mooney spent in the post was noticeable right away. We saw Mooney hang on the three-point line last year and probably too much time away from the bucket. Mooney showed some nice touch around the basket, including a few nice post moves to get a bucket. He’s never going to be a true banger down there, but his finesse around the basket is going to get some easy buckets.
Mooney did hit a couple of threes during the scrimmage, so he’s going to be outside as well and he should with the way he can shoot the three-ball. Mooney rebounded well last season, but he does need to grab a few more this year, so as the season progresses, it will be interesting to see if he can do that.
F Juwan Durham (Junior)
Brey hasn’t had a player like Durham for quite some time, and while he’s intriguing, it’s still going to take a little time. Durham didn’t block any shots on Sunday, but he impacted a few. Brey stated after practice Durham has been blocking shots in practice and it will be interesting to see his impact in games against players that might not know his tendencies as much.
On the offensive end, Durham is a work in progress. He hit to jumpers from the elbow, which I didn’t expect to see but he needs to play stronger on the block. He’s more of a finesse guy, so he’s never going to bully people on the block. If Durham can find a little more aggressiveness on the block, it could go a long way to help his offensive game.
F Nate Laszewski (Freshman)
This kid can shoot it. We saw it in the summer when he was knocking down threes in practice, and that’s continued to the fall. I had him 4-for-6 from the three-point line on Sunday, and he would have been 5-for-7 if there wasn’t a foul called in the lane on a kick out.
He does hang out on the three-point line much like Mooney early in his career. That’s OK because he’s deadly from three-point range. It will be interesting to see the evolution of his game over the next few years. If he develops a post game, Laszewski could become a very scary player on the offensive end.
F Chris Doherty (Freshman)
Outside of Harvey, Doherty might have been the biggest surprise for me as he had a few putbacks on the offensive end and was very active on both ends of the floor. He’s going to be the guy that does the dirty work like Austin Torres but he played under control and showed the ability to finish at the rim.
I still think the five-year plan is in order for him and that’s not a bad thing. He’s going to get rebounds and play defense, which is what Brey needs from him. I also think in time, Doherty is going to be the guy that sets the tone off the bench. He’s going to play physical and not let the opposition get easy buckets.