Senior Guard Scott Martin Leads Youthful Irish Squad Through Rough Times, Into No
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page 2 | ndsmcobserver.com The Observer u IRISH INSIDER Thursday, March 8, 2012 COMMENTARY Irish head to NYC for tourney Brey ranks as one of regular season’s best Mike Brey did not make it Without Abromaitis, the four of six Big East Coach of Irish could have packed in this the Year awards Tuesday night. season. That expected ninth- Instead, this year’s honor went place conference finish had to South Florida’s Stan Heath. plummeted to a likely 11th or By no means 12th, at best. Notre Dame was was Heath in serious trouble. undeserv- Except no one told Mike Brey. ing — Brey A week into 2012, Notre voted for Dame stood at 9-6, with all six him after losses coming away from home. all. But In the first of Abromaitis’s two the award games this season, the Irish should have lost by 29 to Missouri. They fol- belonged to lowed that with a 20-point loss Brey. Douglas to Gonzaga and a 16-point shel- Of all the Farmer lacking from Cincinnati. Next criticism the up was a trip to Louisville. Irish coach Senior Sports Few media members showed has faced in Writer up, and even less expected the his 12 years Irish to do so. under the Except no one told Mike Brey. Dome, one thing can no longer Notre Dame waltzed into the PAT COVENEY/The Observer be doubted: He is one of the KFC Yum! Center and finagled Irish sophomore Eric Atkins attempts to finish a layup in front of a Marquette defender during best regular season coaches in a double-overtime win over Notre Dame’s 76-59 win Feb. 4. The Irish and Eagles could meet again in the Big East semifinals. the country. the then-No. 11 Cardinals. Yet, Is that a back-handed com- the Irish were still in trouble. pliment? Perhaps. But isn’t a A split of a two-game home By ALLAN JOSEPH as one of our points of empha- Madison Square Garden, but back-handed compliment better stand later left the Irish at 11- Editor-in-Chief sis this year, just trying to get lost their only contest there than no compliment at all? 8, with a 3-3 record in the Big there.” this year and have notoriously Could this back-handed com- East. Undefeated, top-ranked A year ago, an Irish squad In the quarterfinals, the struggled to shoot accurately pliment have been delivered in Syracuse was coming to town. that lost two senior leaders to Irish will face the winner of in the famously round arena, years past? Quite possibly, but Teams who start poorly in the graduation surprised many the South Florida-Villanova especially in the Big East this year eliminated any shred Big East don’t have the luxury in the Big East by earning a game, which took place af- tournament, where the Irish of doubt from even the harshest of soft games to make up the 14-4 league record en route ter this Irish Insider went to are 8-16 all time. of critics. deficit. The Irish were not out to a No. 2 seed in the confer- print. The Irish beat the Bulls Brey said that while his Is this the description Brey of danger of watching their ence tournament, where they 60-49 in their only meeting team has struggled there in wants attached to his name? season disappear. were defeated in the semifi- this year, a Jan. 10 meeting the past, last year’s quarterfi- Doubtful, but this usually pre- Except no one told Mike Brey. nals by Louisville. This year, in Purcell Pavilion. Despite nal game showed Notre Dame cedes those loftier accolades. The Irish beat the Orange, a Notre Dame team that lost his team’s familiarity with the is capable of success in the Notre Dame begins play in sparking a not-to-be-forgotten veteran leaders to graduation, South Florida squad, Martin Garden. the Big East championships court storming. The Irish went injury and early departure said the Irish are well aware “You’ve got to get past that two days later than teams such to Seton Hall and Connecticut, again exceeded expectations of the challenge the Bulls psychologically,” he said. “We as Pittsburgh and Connecticut and beat them too, and for by earning a No. 3 seed in the would pose. were in a good rhythm last because Brey’s engineering good measure, added six more postseason tournament — but “They’re big … and they year … maybe that’s what I’ll avoided a down-year similar conference wins to the streak. this year, the Irish hope to go rebound well, which is some- talk to [my team] about.” to the ones which struck the For a few brief moments, one farther. thing we kind of struggle on Martin said he and his defending conference and na- Wednesday night, it looked as “We were so close [to the at times,” Martin said. “But teammates will try do exact- tional champions, respectively. if a Big East regular season title game] last year and it we’re just excited to get out ly what their coach has told Pittsburgh’s Jamie Dixon title was within grasp. Alas, still stings a little bit,” senior there and get to work and get them to do. and Connecticut’s Jim Calhoun Syracuse beat South Florida on guard Scott Martin said. “We kind of a routine before we “There’s always in the joined the other coaches in the Feb. 22, and kept on winning, still have that in our memory, play Thursday.” back of your head that we’ve Big East to place Notre Dame but Notre Dame will gladly so hopefully we can build on Notre Dame won a 74-70 dropped some games there ninth in the conference pre- take its third-place finish. Yes, that.” overtime thriller at Villanova and haven’t shot the ball par- season poll. Such a finish would that is six spots better than The Irish (21-10, 13-5 Big on Feb. 18, a victory marked ticularly well,” Martin said. have the Irish sweating come the Abromaitis-led squad was East) struggled to find a by a late comeback to earn the “It’s still a basketball court. Selection Sunday. Instead, Brey predicted to finish. rhythm in the early part of seventh of nine consecutive We try to enjoy it and relish can sleep easy Saturday night Someone should be sure to the season, highlighted by a league wins. the moment, but try to get — no matter how his time in tell Mike Brey. 29-point loss to Missouri and No matter the opponent, the some wins too.” Madison Square Garden goes Or, don’t. Let’s see what bliss a 20-point loss at Gonzaga at venue might be the single big- this week — knowing Notre this ignorance brings next. the end of November. After gest challenge the Irish face. Contact Allan Joseph at Dame has a berth in the Big Mike Brey is, without ar- muddling through the early The Irish are 55-45 all-time in [email protected] Dance. gument, a magician when it part of the conference slate, In those same preseason comes to regular season suc- Notre Dame found its stride votes, coaches selected Irish cess. He took a down-trodden at the end of January when graduate student forward Tim 11-8 team and led them to a it upset then-No. 1 Syracuse Abromaitis to the preseason 21-10 conclusion with a top-25 67-58 to kick off a nine-game all-conference first team. In- ranking. winning streak, the longest stead, Abromaitis only played If no one tells him, can he league winning streak in two games this year. Following finally lead the Irish to Satur- program history. Now, Irish a four-game suspension due day night at Madison Square coach Mike Brey wants his to a minor NCAA violation he Garden, or, better yet, the first squad to return to the mental- averaged 14.0 points and 7.0 appearance in the NCAA’s ity that helped his team hand rebounds per game, all at the second weekend since the last the Orange their only loss of CBE Classic in Kansas City, Mo. of Matt Doherty’s recruits left the season. Then, just after Thanksgiving, in 2003? “You’re kind of trying to get Notre Dame’s best player, and Perhaps Mike Brey knows the back into a frame of mind that to this day the one averag- answer. you were in before the Syra- ing the most points per game cuse game,” he said. “Can you this season, tore his ACL and Contact Douglas Farmer at get back into that kind of prac- ended what should have been [email protected] tice routine … and that kind of a campaign for the Big East The views expressed in this psyche where man, you really Player of the Year award won column are those of the author needed each other? That’s the by Marquette’s Jae Crowder on and not necessarily those of The kind of mentality we have to Tuesday. Observer. have.” The late-season surge was enough to earn the Irish a No. 3 seed and double-bye in the tournament, just two wins away from the title game. Notre Dame has never ap- peared in the Big East tour- nament championship game, which traditionally has taken place on Saturday night. “[Getting to Saturday night] is something that’s been a goal for us,” Martin said.