Notre Dame’s Matt Farrell Raises Game Under Mike Brey’s Direction
Mike Brey couldn’t coach his previous two point guards the way he does Matt Farrell.
No, Jerian Grant and Demetrius Jackson — both now with NBA teams — took different coaching than the current Irish guard.
“We’re two Irish point guards out of the same mold,” Brey said.
Take last Saturday against Clemson, for example. Farrell, who had three points and four turnovers in the first half, got a stern talking to from Brey at halftime. He then led Notre Dame to a last-minute 75-70 victory, scoring 15 points and finishing with seven assists.
According to Farrell …
“It wasn’t really a conversation — it was a challenge,” Farrell said.
After averaging just 2.6 points in 13.4 minutes per game last season, Farrell has been a revelation for the 14-2 Irish this year. The 6-1, 178-pounder is averaging 14.0 points and 5.4 assists per game as a first-year starter, playing 32.3 minutes per game.
The roots of that success were laid during last season’s run to the Elite Eight, when Farrell was inserted into the starting lineup and played extended minutes against the country’s top competition.
The Bridgewater, N.J., native, entered the summer as one of the leaders of the team, a transition in role after two years as a bench player.
“It’s just really easy between us,” Farrell said. “If we have something to say, we tell it to each other. We talk about a lot of things. It’s easy to talk to him about the game because he’s such a smart guy and he knows how to work on the offensive end especially, which is fun for me.”
It’s not always basketball between Brey and Farrell. The two tease each other about their beards — “Right now, I think he’s got the edge,” Brey said — and talk about New Jersey celebrities Chris Christie and Bruce Springsteen.
“We connect on a lot of fronts,” Brey said. “We’re both East Coast guys. But I think, again, he's always been mature beyond his years. Now as a junior you can have fun with him and then when it’s time to get down to business, everybody knows it’s time to get down to business.”
Farrell’s uptick in points is unparalleled in the ACC. In terms of points-per-game average, Farrell’s 11.4 improvement is most in the league, ahead of Ben Lammers’ plus-11.3 for Georgia Tech.
Farrell is also getting national recognition.
“I don’t care about that stuff, I just want to win,” Farrell said.
Brey wasn’t hesitant to cast his vote for his point guard.
“I know Jay Bilas has been on that train and I would agree with that,” Brey said. “There’s a lot of guys that have taken a step up in their game, but from where he was to what he’s doing running the show of a team that’s ranked and is in a very good position in league standings, he’s the strongest candidate for most improved.”
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