Mike Brey Notebook: Dec. 28
Notre Dame will open ACC play Saturday afternoon when the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head to South Bend.
Georgia Tech enters the matchup 6-6 including five losses in the team’s past seven games dropping contests to Grambling (64-63), Wofford (63-60) and Wright State (85-81).
Josh Pastner’s group has suffered from injuries and suspensions which has contributed to the .500 record. Star guards Josh Okogie (18.5 points) and Tadric Jackson (15.9 points) are both back in the lineup and averaged a combined 33.25 points per game over the past four contests.
Though Georgia Tech has struggled in recent weeks, Notre Dame isn’t looking past the Yellow Jackets.
“I think playing away from their building in the first league game they’re going to play great, and they’re going to play their best game of the year,” Mike Brey said Thursday. “That’s what I would expect, and that’s what happens a lot of time in my history coaching 18 years here.
“A team like this that’s searching and really playing well and maybe found itself a little bit in the last eight minutes last night against Coppin State. They got their key guy back that was suspended, the big guy is getting healthier. I expect a dog fight.”
Brey and company started last season 5-0 in ACC play and will look to do the same this time around.
“You’ve heard me say this and I’ll say it again: one-game win streaks in league play are thrilling,” Brey stated. “To get out of the gate 1-0 in league play would be a great start. Obviously, we have two at home and that’d be great to get those two before we get out on the road against Syracuse …
“We’ve gotten off to pretty good starts in league play. Last year, we got out 5-0 and you could absorb five out of six losses because you got out of the gate 5-0 and you still have recovery time.”
Notre Dame enters Saturday on a two-game win streak, and Brey is encouraged by the team’s performance on the offensive end. He knows his group will be ready to get into ACC play.
“There’s no speech that I need to give especially with the senior class that I have,” Brey said. “They are very excited to start the challenge of league play. I think their juices will really be flowing and have been since they got back.”
REFLECTION & RECOVERY
The week-plus break Notre Dame will have completed by the time Saturday rolls around provided the Irish staff and players to recharge their batteries and do some reflection.
Brey shared some of what he thought about during the Christmas holiday.
“One thought we tried to work on this week is we have invested so much in that starting group to get familiar playing together and to be efficient together,” Brey said. “Really establish two new guys with Martin Geben and TJ Gibbs as key guys, and I think we’ve achieved that.
“Probably what has been the negative side of that is we haven’t done a real good job getting those guys off the bench going. Now, TJ and Martin being key guys was important. I like where we are there. What I’ve tried to do starting Tuesday night is mix the jerseys a little bit more and have our guys off the bench playing with the key guys to try and get them more comfortable and confident.”
Even though league play has arrived, Brey knows the Irish bench will continue to develop throughout.
“Like I said yesterday to the guys off the bench, we need to get you guys going,” Brey said of the bench. “I don’t know who it is going to be game-to-game, but if someone wants to step up and take the sixth man spot, you’re free to do it … That’s a little bit of what we’ve tried to attack this week.
“We’re going to be in that development stage while we’re playing league games. That’s just the way it is.”
ACC
Notre Dame was near the top of the mountain follow the team’s Maui Invitational win, but fell back down to Earth following upset losses to Ball State and Indiana.
Brey doesn’t see that flow changing too much in a tough league such as the ACC. But, the Irish are ready for the challenge.
“We’ve had unbelievable swings of ups-and-downs already and I have every reason to believe it will be the same way in league play,” Brey explained. “Also, our road schedule may be the most challenging since we’ve been in the ACC. Maybe one of the most challenging we’ve had since we’ve been in a league.
“We’re going to have to have a short memory and be resilient. I think we have been. We’ve already been tested in that department with the gut punches that we’ve taken from Ball State and Indiana. It’s a long journey.
“Our track record says we’ve usually figured it out in regular season league play and been able to do enough to get a bid. But, it’s going to be really hard I think this year. Now, I think we’re all excited about the challenge, but we’re all very realistic about the grind we’re about to start.”
HEALTHY IRISH
Notre Dame has started the same five players in all 13 games so far this season. Brey mentioned that all 12 scholarship players are healthy and ready to go on the court and academically as well.
“The break was good for a lot of reasons,” Brey said. “We had a lot of intense stuff and we had a lot of travel. The travel … seven games away from our building I think fatigued us mentally and physically some. When these guys get away they come back refreshed and ready to go. I think our juices, especially the starters who have played a lot minutes, their legs need to be refreshed …”
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