Austin Torres Thrives In Energy Role
Austin Torres played sparingly as a sophomore in 2014-15, logging 7.1 minutes of action per game during Notre Dame's Elite Eight run.
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At Notre Dame, the junior season is often the one where players break out after a quiet first couple seasons in South Bend. It happened with Jack Cooley, Rob Kurz, Ryan Ayers and others and some wonder whether Torres could help the Irish replace leading rebounder Pat Connaughton to the NBA with an increased role this season.
"Nope. Tell all the people in Granger," head coach Mike Brey quipped at media day Oct. 13. "He's going to do the same thing. He's going to rebound, he's going to do dirty work, he's going to fly around and make free throws and dunk it. That's what I want him to do, and you know what, to his credit — he understands that and gets it and embraces it."
Torres suffered a setback in the form of a knee injury Oct. 16, although Notre Dame does not expect him to miss a substantial amount of time. Non-conference play, however, is a critical time for reserves like Torres to make their case for playing time.
Even before the injury, Torres seemed intent on serving the same job he held in 2014-15.
"It's just a role I've kind of fallen into and I've fallen in love with it," he said. "It's something a lot of guys in the country don't have. It's something special I can bring to the table that other people can't do. It's something that's unique not only to me, but also our team."
Torres maintained the same upbeat demeanor throughout the season even though he registered double-digit minutes only four times once ACC play began.
"You've got to have a positive attitude," Torres said. "There were spurts last year where it was a roller coaster ride and I had to play a lot or play a little or not play at all. Staying positive and encouraging your teammates is essentially what's going to keep this team driven. Having positive energy is not only going to help yourself, but also your teammates because you never know when they'll need you."
Torres added that his type of attitude is helped out by an ego-free culture in the Notre Dame locker room, one that helped the Irish transform a 15-17 disappointment two seasons ago into a near Final Four berth last March.
"We're able to criticize each other and make sure it's going to be okay and that we'll recover and move onto the next play and move on from it," he said. "Everybody has a short memory when it comes to those mistakes. Even if it's a positive thing, don't take it for granted. Move on to the next play and focus on being consistent."
Consistency is Torres' goal, and in his role he can display it even when he doesn't play.
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