Notre Dame allowed reporters to watch men’s basketball practice Tuesday and talk to players and staff. I’ll have some stories up from those conversations over the next few days, but first, some observations and notes from the practice portion.
*** The most prominent voice was new associate head coach Anthony Solomon, who’s in charge of the defense and spent most of practice discussing that aspect of the game.
He’s very detail-oriented and nothing was too small or minute for him to cover – from stances when guarding off-ball on the wing to closeouts to energy. He seems to get through to guys. He’s firm and not afraid to critique, but he has an upbeat style of teaching.
Head coach Mike Brey, meanwhile, was more of an overseer. That’s a deliberate setup as Notre Dame tries to get its defensive problems from last year corrected.
“When you get to be more of a veteran coach, you’re more secure about stepping back and letting good people work and do their thing,” Brey said. “I’ve been taking notes, writing, listening and grabbing guys individually to talk to them.”
Look for more on Solomon and the defensive talking tomorrow.
*** Yale grad transfer forward Paul Atkinson Jr. looks like he’s fitting in well. He’s a nimble and crafty post player who just finds ways to get position down low and score. He’s right-handed, but it doesn’t look awkward when he tries to score with his left on the block.
Elsewhere, his jump shot looks clean. Atkinson didn’t shoot many three-pointers at Yale, and I’m not sure it will be a big part of his repertoire at Notre Dame, but he was making them in shootaround and in offense-only drill work. He’s a good rim-runner too. He scored a couple baskets off rim runs in the scrimmage portion of practice, which drew assistant Ryan Humphrey’s praise.
*** Senior guard Cormac Ryan is the vocal leader on the roster. He’s constantly talking – offering encouragement, bringing energy. Classmate and backcourt mate Prentiss Hubb isn’t quite as loud, but he has a similar presence.
*** The first look at freshmen Blake Wesley and JR Konieczny was intriguing. Wesley’s athleticism on defense and on the glass was easy to spot. On offense, the decision-making make take some time to refine, but he’s not shy about trying to make things happen. He had an impressive drive-and-dish pass in midair to the corner through traffic in the scrimmage portion. He also had a couple turnovers, one where he got his pocket picked driving and another where he threw an ill-advised pass.
Konieczny’s shot looks sound, and he might be Notre Dame’s longest guard/wing player.
Housekeeping items:
*** Sophomore forward Elijah Taylor and senior guard Robby Carmody were not practicing. Taylor had an academic commitment, and Carmody is not back to 100 percent as he works his way back from a kneecap fracture that cost him all last season. The plan for Carmody is to return to the court in August.
*** Tuesday was practice No. 9 of the summer. Coaches get less time with the players during the summer, so they’ve been going on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. The guys will play pickup themselves and do weights on other days. Preseason practice is on track to start Oct. 1.
*** The most prominent voice was new associate head coach Anthony Solomon, who’s in charge of the defense and spent most of practice discussing that aspect of the game.
He’s very detail-oriented and nothing was too small or minute for him to cover – from stances when guarding off-ball on the wing to closeouts to energy. He seems to get through to guys. He’s firm and not afraid to critique, but he has an upbeat style of teaching.
Head coach Mike Brey, meanwhile, was more of an overseer. That’s a deliberate setup as Notre Dame tries to get its defensive problems from last year corrected.
“When you get to be more of a veteran coach, you’re more secure about stepping back and letting good people work and do their thing,” Brey said. “I’ve been taking notes, writing, listening and grabbing guys individually to talk to them.”
Look for more on Solomon and the defensive talking tomorrow.
*** Yale grad transfer forward Paul Atkinson Jr. looks like he’s fitting in well. He’s a nimble and crafty post player who just finds ways to get position down low and score. He’s right-handed, but it doesn’t look awkward when he tries to score with his left on the block.
Elsewhere, his jump shot looks clean. Atkinson didn’t shoot many three-pointers at Yale, and I’m not sure it will be a big part of his repertoire at Notre Dame, but he was making them in shootaround and in offense-only drill work. He’s a good rim-runner too. He scored a couple baskets off rim runs in the scrimmage portion of practice, which drew assistant Ryan Humphrey’s praise.
*** Senior guard Cormac Ryan is the vocal leader on the roster. He’s constantly talking – offering encouragement, bringing energy. Classmate and backcourt mate Prentiss Hubb isn’t quite as loud, but he has a similar presence.
*** The first look at freshmen Blake Wesley and JR Konieczny was intriguing. Wesley’s athleticism on defense and on the glass was easy to spot. On offense, the decision-making make take some time to refine, but he’s not shy about trying to make things happen. He had an impressive drive-and-dish pass in midair to the corner through traffic in the scrimmage portion. He also had a couple turnovers, one where he got his pocket picked driving and another where he threw an ill-advised pass.
Konieczny’s shot looks sound, and he might be Notre Dame’s longest guard/wing player.
Housekeeping items:
*** Sophomore forward Elijah Taylor and senior guard Robby Carmody were not practicing. Taylor had an academic commitment, and Carmody is not back to 100 percent as he works his way back from a kneecap fracture that cost him all last season. The plan for Carmody is to return to the court in August.
*** Tuesday was practice No. 9 of the summer. Coaches get less time with the players during the summer, so they’ve been going on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. The guys will play pickup themselves and do weights on other days. Preseason practice is on track to start Oct. 1.
