Harangody Returns

Mike Brey has been putting his Twitter account to good use, but probably no better use from a fan perspective than today, when he Tweeted:

"Gody to return to the Irish!!"

It seems that Luke Harangody has decided to complete his eligibility at Notre Dame, where he will spend the season in pursuit of some long-held and prestigious career records.

The Atkins Diet (of Headlines)

Notre Dame picked up its first commitment for the hoops class of 2010 in the person of 6'1" point guard Eric Atkins. This fulfills a critical need in the upcoming class -- someone to take the reins from Ben Hansbrough when the junior-to-be graduates in 2011.

The Columbia, MD, product chose the Irish after two unofficial visits to campus, one during the season and one the last weekend in April. In an interview with Scout's Evan Daniels, he cited the campus, the educational opportunities, and his relationship with Mike Brey as driving forces behind his commitment.

An evaluation by the ESPN folks can be found here, with his Scout.com profile here.

It's Gotta Be the Chicken

Seems like every time someone mentions the words "admissions" or "facilities" on the Pit these days, the indignation flows thick and fast. A lot of people criticize those of us who bring these things up, using words like "apologist" and opining that our standards for ND basketball are somehow lower than they should be.

There's a reason we bring them up, though, and it has nothing to do with Mike Brey. We bring them up because both are problems that hold Notre Dame basketball back and will continue to do so no matter who the coach is. They artificially limit the pool of players and coaches who will consider coming to ND to try and make the program better.

"But we can just promise changes to the new guy" goes the common refrain. As long as we show we understand what they need, we can get a hungry good coach to jump at the job. Simple as pie.

Really? Ask yourself if that would succeed if you were interviewing for a job.

You're well respected in your field, and a company wants to hire you. It used to be an outstanding company, but rested on its laurels for too long and has lost its way. They don't understand what is needed in the marketplace today and routinely undermine their employees. The guy who [just left / just got fired] might have needed to be replaced anyway, but the company's ham-fisted decision-making didn't help the situation at all and, multiple times, left the guy hung out to dry.

Now they want to hire you, and they promise you the moon and that all of a sudden they're going to start doing things "right" to help you and the company succeed. Never mind over a decade of mismanagement, this time they're "serious", and they'll give you whatever you need to succeed.

Would you believe them? Or, knowing they're in a bind and might say anything to get you in the door, would you either (a) pass on the opportunity, or (b) require a higher level of compensation to reflect the risk you believe you're taking? Look beyond the frustration after a very-underachieving season and view it dispassionately as a Rick Pitino or a Brian Gregory or a Mark Few or a Travis Ford or an Oliver Purnell or a Scott Drew would. View it as the person who'd be putting their career on the line would.

The chicken must precede the egg here. Notre Dame must make the decision they want championship basketball and then start to take the necessary steps to bring it to campus. They can't "get religion" as part of a hiring process, because that's how you end up getting publicly turned down (see: 1991) or having to overpay someone who isn't an advancement to get them on campus (see: 1999, football 2001).

Anything it looks like you're being forced to do isn't accepted as genuine by anyone. That's why we push for program support by the school now, when it's their own decision and not driven by embarrassment or necessity. If they don't do it, it doesn't matter if Mike Brey is here in September or not.

Yes, this season was incredibly frustrating. The team underachieved and that is 100 percent Mike Brey's responsibility. But how much more frustrating is it when you picture what kind of a difference Austin Freeman might have made on this team? How much more frustrating is it when you look at an alleged "facilities upgrade" that looks like it's being executed in complete reverse order of how it will improve recruiting? What is a game of musical chairs in the coaching offices really going to accomplish in this atmosphere?

For the record, I'm encouraged that Jack Swarbrick understands this. Unlike his predecessor, he understands what ND needs to do to succeed in basketball and is trying to make it happen. But if ND wants to make their next hire a good one, they need to lay the groundwork now. Right now, all we have is a sandy beach.

Lunchpail Numbers

While Mike Brey's Notre Dame teams have enjoyed varying levels of success, one constant has been the level of effort his players give, both during and after their South Bend stints. Though not always announced on draft night, Brey's charges have played their way into NBA contracts and starting positions as the result of indefatigable work ethic.

Last week, Rob Kurz joined the ranks of Irish "overachievers". The last player cut by Golden State before the start of the season, the undrafted rookie was brought back on board when the injury bug hit the Warriors hard. Kurz made the most of his opportunity, and not only was given chances to start by coach Don Nelson, but also survived being cut when PG Monta Ellis came off injured reserve.

Kurz's continued presence on the Warriors' bus has another benefit for Irish fans: it balances Pat Garrity's retirement before the season and keeps the number of former Notre Dame players in the NBA at four, where it's been for the last five years.

In the halcyon days of Fighting Irish basketball, fans had no shortage of teams and players to root for in the NBA. After a trough in the 1960's, the number of Notre Dame alums in the pro game grew steadily until cresting in 1990 at 10 players -- Adrian Dantley, Bill Hanzlik, Tim Kempton, Bill Laimbeer, John Paxson, David Rivers, Donald Royal, Kelly Tripucka, Gary Voce, and Orlando Woolridge.

The Irish NBA population stayed strong until the mid-1990s, when (like so many other things associated with Notre Dame basketball) it fell off a cliff. While it never reached zero, for a while there, LaPhonso Ellis and Monty Williams were the standard-bearers, with Royal and Keith Tower helping out here and there until mainstays like Garrity and Troy Murphy came on board.

With Brey stabilizing and advancing the program, we can hope it's only a matter of time before the Irish representation grows again. Luke Harangody stands to be Notre Dame's first first-round draft pick since Ryan Humphrey, and Kyle McAlarney is a strong bet to go the Carroll/Quinn/Kurz route if he doesn't hear his name that night. With players like Zach Hillesland, Tory Jackson, Ben Hansbrough, and Scott Martin in the queue, meeting or exceeding that 1990 high-water mark is not an unreasonable goal.