Wednesday was an interesting day around the men's basketball program. Mike Brey announced four new members to his class -- basically ending the team's senior recruiting for the year before his season started. But we caught up with him and some of the players later in the day. Check out Friday's Journal Gazette about how Kyle McAlarney became a leader, but here's some stuff which didn't make the paper.
A little Q&A with Brey about captains and, well, why Notre Dame doesn't have any officially yet. Of course, this could change by Friday evening:
Do you have captains?
"I’ve just kind of held off to evaluate it and haven’t even put it to a vote yet. I may not even put it to a vote before the first game. It may just be something, we certainly have leaders right now. (Russell) Carter, (Colin) Falls and (Rob) Kurz have been that but you know, a McAlarney starts doing things. I want this group to be together longer and then we’ll vote. We may vote after the NIT and we may vote at Christmas. I’m just kind of reading it, taking a little different tone with this group."
So who goes out on Friday?
"We’ve rotated that. It’s been Carter, Kurz, Falls, you rotate those guys. It could be McAlarney. One of the things we’ve talked about doing is having one of those guys representing the guys coming off the bench. To have a bench leader so to speak and maybe eventually a bench captain. It’s one of those things you are kind of talking about with a different dynamic with this group."
Is this the latest you’ve ever gone without captains?
"Oh yeah. Absolutely. Definitely the latest."
Have you had a sophomore captain in your coaching career?
"Chris Thomas was a sophomore captain."
So there is no hesitation with McAlarney being a guy to go to?
"There is not hesitation. They’ll decide it. When I make them vote, I also make them give me a little easy and tell me why. It’s always interesting to hear the feedback as guys present that. We’ve had that before."
Nothing’s easy at this school, is it?
"No. That’s right. Even an essay for the old coach."
We also spoke briefly with Notre Dame freshman point guard Tory Jackson. The Saginaw, Mich. product is a funny kid who says what is on his mind. He's also the new owner of contact lenses, something he never had before. Looking at books studying at Notre Dame can do that to a guy. Of course, Jackson struggled from the field Monday against Bellarmine, so maybe Brey went all Lou Brown on him, handing him glasses like the fictional manager did to Ricky "Wild Thing" Vaughn in the first Major League. Great flick.
"It wasn't that bad," Jackson said. "They didn't even say. They just said I was near-sighted. I never wore glasses. It was just a little different but I noticed a big change because everything is so clear. I walked out and right after I got the contacts I felt like a little kid. It was crazy."
And from the Hannibal Lecter/Richard Hamilton mold, Rob Kurz tried on a mask before Wednesday's practice. Freshman forward Luke Harangody smashed Kurz's nose in earlier last week, breaking it and sending Kurz to surgery. Looking at the 6-foot-9 junior now, he has deep bruises under both of his eyes like he hasn't slept in a year and was wearing a big pad on his nose. It was kind of funny looking, but he is experimenting with a Richard Hamilton-type mask to protect his nose which will allow him to play Friday. But he said he may forego the mask and play anyway.
-By Michael Rothstein of The Journal Gazette
where can i get the same mask as Rip Hamilton mask
Posted by: cuong nguyen | February 02, 2007 at 11:06 AM