Irish map out road to success
Kathleen O'Brien
Associate Sports Editor
Notre Dame cracked the code to superb play in last night's 83-73 gutting of St. John's and steamrolled its record to 6-0 since mid-January.
Last year, the Irish showed flashes of greatness by upsetting Final Four defenders Connect-icut and Ohio State. But the excellence only appeared on occasions, as the Irish didn't yet have the map that would get them to March Madness.
At the beginning of this season, Notre Dame held a road map in hand, one that used new coach Mike Brey and transfer power forward Ryan Humphrey as key landmarks. But the Irish took a few detours along the way to solid performances. The detours came in the form of home losses to Indiana and Miami (Ohio) and three early-January losses on the road, along with the roadblock of fitting the players into their best roles.
Now the 15-5 Irish are cruising down the freeway. They not only appear to be on their way to a happy Selection Sunday, but possibly to a Big East Championship and a run in the NCAA Tournament.
The cornerstones for the Irish model for success are post players Humphrey and All-American Troy Murphy, who paired up for 50 points and 22 rebounds against St. John's. That included 20 of Notre Dame's points during a 26-2 second-half run.
"Humphrey, all of a sudden, became much more of a factor at both ends of the court," St. John's coach Mike Jarvis said. "He was really the difference in the second half."
Humphrey shook the rafters with his presence.
He got the fans and the Irish players going with play that delivered a knockout punch to St. John's. From an eye-popping slam jam on an assist by sophomore Matt Carroll to 11 rebounds and five blocks, Humphrey was definitely in the house.
"He's just the missing piece of a puzzle that we had to fill last year," junior guard David Graves said. "This year, we're a complete team."
But Murphy's mark was just as crucial for Notre Dame. Even beyond his stats, his poise has turned the Irish from a squad that caved under pressure in December to a team that thrives when hit with a challenge.
"I think he's the best college player," Brey said. "We've got him into more of a defensive presence, and I think that helps him on the offensive end. ... Also, what's helped us is his demeanor. He's had a very even-keeled, poised demeanor as a junior."
Murphy didn't get distracted by the chance to show up Jarvis.
The Red Storm coach ruffled Murphy's cool last year by predicting the Irish star wasn't long for Notre Dame and would leave for the NBA. He revamped that sore by playing Murphy a limited amount while coaching the U.S. Olympic Select team.
Murphy didn't go out of his way to welcome Jarvis to South Bend, avoiding him after the game. But he stayed focused on the task at hand — defending Notre Dame's lead in the West Division of the Big East.
"We're involved in something a lot more important than that — a race for a Big East Championship," said Murphy, who scored 34. "This helps us as we march towards that Big East Championship."
Carroll, Graves, point guard Martin Ingelsby and forward Harold Swanagan fill out the mosaic. Without a weak link among the experienced bunch, the Irish get seven assists per game from captain Ingelsby, tough defense and great passing from Carroll, and depth and dirty work from Graves and Swanagan.
Even Jarvis began wishing he had some Irish blood in him. Jarvis, who said the first speech he ever heard was by Knute Rockne and proclaimed himself to be a former Irish football fan, is no longer rooting for the blue and gold.
"I'm not liking it anymore," Jarvis said, "and I'm not sure I'm going to come back here anymore, because I've been treated very, very badly for an Irishman."
Unfortunately for Jarvis, both Murphy and Humphrey kept the Irish on course to victory, even after they fell behind by 10 early in the second half.
"That would have been a panic game," Brey said of the early season Irish. "I think the before-Christmas group would go, `Well, not tonight. It's not going to happen tonight,' and I think a lot of that is Troy and his demeanor."
While the Red Storm collapsed midway through the second half, the Irish stayed together for 40 minutes. It's a trait they've perfected in the last six games.
"We have a poise about us," Murphy said. "We methodically get after people. We're locking teams up."
Besides opponents, the Irish are working on locking up an NCAA Tournament bid for the first time in more than a decade.
The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
All Sports Stories for Tuesday, February 6, 2001
