Notre Dame 2010-11 Season Review, Look Ahead to 2011-12

March 22, 2011 By 1 Comment

mike brey

Less than 24 hours after his team met a shockingly early exit from the 2011 NCAA Tournament, Notre Dame college basketball coach Mike Brey was named this year’s Henry Iba Coach of the Year, presented by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA). The duality of emotion was quite indicative of how the 2010-11 Irish season went.

Brey, who was recognized as the Big East Coach of the Year honors for the third time in five seasons just two weeks ago, led the Irish to a 27-7 record (14-4 in conference) as Notre Dame finished second in regular-season conference standings and advanced to the semifinals of the conference tournament for the second consecutive year and fourth time under the 11-year mentor.

But a lot of it seems inconsequential as the Irish suffered a monumental upset at the hands of Florida State Sunday night. Any time a #2 seed, the school’s highest since 1981, fails to survive even the first weekend- that’s what you call a choke.

By Paul M. Banks

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#10 Seed Florida State Upsets #2 Seed Notre Dame Fighting Irish

March 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment

ben-hansbrough

You could say this was payback for the storied 1993 #1 vs. #2 college football game of the century between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Florida State Seminoles. It was the first ever ND-FSU meeting in college basketball, and the ‘Noles ran away with it 71-57. In a game that was never really ever in doubt after the first ten minutes.

The east coast really smacked up the hoosier state in this United Center double dip as the VCU Rams beat the Purdue Boilermakers 94-76 in the first game of the Chicago NCAA doubleheader.

By Paul M. Banks

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Notre Dame’s Mike Brey Developing into One of Nation’s Elite Coaches

March 19, 2011 By 2 Comments

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If you want to know what makes Mike Brey’s mind work, what makes him such a fantastic coach, his background in education is right there at the top of the list. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish leader has experience motivating kids, and shaping their potential.

“There’s certainly three sets of groups that have impacted me as a teacher. My parents. I’m the product of two educators, so I grew up around the dinner-table talk that way. Morgan Wootten, I was going to his camp when I was 9 years old and heard him give lectures and then was fortunate enough to go play for him, and then I went back and coached with him. So still a voice of reason and a mentor today,” Brey said at the NCAA Tournament Regional in Chicago’s United Center.

“And then obviously eight years with Mike Krzyzewski. I’ve had really great training. But Morgan is an educator and a teacher and a communicator, and that’s probably, between my parents and him, that’s probably the biggest things I took certainly from Coach Wootten. And he watches every one of our games, and I can’t believe he can text because he texts me after games, he is firing off texts left and right. He’s the best.”

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Bulls Take Over 1st in East, Celtics Doc Rivers Shows Great Respect

March 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Doc rivers

It was a day of mixed results for Glenn “Doc” Rivers, the Head Coach of the Boston Celtics. The Chicago native returned home to be with (and congratulate) his son Austin Rivers, as he was named winner of the 2011 Morgan Wootten Player of the Year Award today for his accomplishments on and off the court. He is after all, the #1 college basketball recruit in the nation (headed to Duke).

Obviously, that’s the highlight of his day. Here’s the bad.

With the Chicago Bulls (48-18) win over the Washington Wizards, his Boston Celtics (47-18) are now currently seeded #2 in the NBA‘s Eastern Conference.

By Paul M. Banks

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Duke Recruit Austin Rivers Takes Home National Player of the Year Award

March 15, 2011 By 3 Comments

austin rivers

Austin Rivers, the #1 college basketball recruit in the nation (headed to Duke) was named winner of the 2011 Morgan Wootten Player of the Year Award today for his accomplishments on and off the court.

Rivers, the 6-3, 200 lb. prep star from Winter Park High School in Winter Park, Fla. has been selected as first-team All-State since his freshman year. Rivers is the son of Boston Celtics coach and 1980 McDonald’s All American Glenn “Doc” Rivers. The pair represents only the second father/son duo in the event’s history behind Milt Wagner (1981) and son Dajuan Wagner (2001). “Doc” Rivers, the Head Coach of the Boston Celtics, currently seeded #2 in the NBA’s Eastern Conference, made the trip to Chicago today to surprise and congratulate his son at the official press conference.

Rivers became the fifteenth winner of the annual male Morgan Wootten Award. Previous winners include Harrison Barnes (2010), Kevin Love (2007), Dwight Howard (2004), LeBron James (2003), Jason Williams (1999) and the award’s first recipient Shane Battier (1997). Rivers beat out finalists Anthony Davis (Perspectives Charter School – Chicago, Ill.), Michael Gilchrist (St. Patrick High School – Elizabeth, N.J.) and James McAdoo (Norfolk Christian – Norfolk, Va.).

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