Graves' play opens door to Notre Dame's success
By KATHLEEN O'BRIEN
Assistant Sports Editor
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Notre Dame men's basketball coach Matt Doherty said Saturday that sophomore David Graves' play in the paint is a key ingredient in the recipe for Notre Dame success.
"You know Troy [Murphy] is going to compete," Doherty said. "You know Harold [Swanagan] is going to compete. You know Ivan [Kartelo] is going to compete. David's the key, I think, to our front-line, and he really came out and battled and boxed out."
If Graves is the key, the door to victory is wide-open for the Irish following Graves' tremendous performance against Georgetown.
The 6-foot-6 forward dominated the boards for the Irish, fighting his way to every loose ball. His 13 rebounds, 10 of them on the defensive end, kept Georgetown from connecting on second and third chance shots. They also helped Notre Dame gain a 51-29 rebounding advantage in its final regular-season game, a 77-54 victory on the road.
"I was most impressed with their rebounding," Georgetown head coach Craig Esherick said. "I knew they were a good shooting team, but I thought they rebounded the ball very well, particularly Graves. They beat us to every loose ball, outhustled us."
Graves averages just 4.9 rebounds per game, but provided fans with a glimpse of his power potential, nabbing 12 rebounds against Vanderbilt in December.
Because Graves is not the primary rebounder for Notre Dame, his extra rebounding against Georgetown gave the blue and gold an unexpected boost. If one rebound equals a two-point basket, Graves' "bonus" rebounds prevented a 16-point swing in favor of the Hoyas.
"To get 13 rebounds — you know, the whole team competed," Doherty said, "But he [Graves] was very impressive."
Graves added 14 points on the offensive end, one more than his season average. As in rebounding, Graves has had his ups and downs in scoring, ranging from a rock bottom of three points in a loss to Maryland to a high of 33 in Notre Dame's overtime loss to Vanderbilt.
Graves was six for 10 from the field against the Hoyas, hitting shots from all over the floor. He muscled his way inside for three lay-in shots in the paint. He hit two short jumpers from opposite views of the hoop. And he netted his 66th 3-point field goal of the season, the third highest total in school history.
"We had seen what the teams have done to us," Graves said. "They've really jumped on us and got in the lead. We just wanted to come out tonight and just jump on them, so I think we did a great job today. We played the best basketball we've played all year."
Graves' line of statistics in Saturday's box score didn't show a single goose egg. He recorded two steals, two blocks and one assist. On the down side, he also gave the ball away three times. The most telling statistic, however, is that Doherty was pleased enough with Graves' play to keep him on the court for the entire 40 minutes of the game. Graves didn't get a rest from the opening tip-off until the final buzzer.
"This one's just rewarding," Graves said. "It's rewarding to get a win like this and in the fashion that we did."
Notre Dame's second-leading scorer behind Troy Murphy, Graves is a guy who builds on momentum and, unfortunately, slides into ruts.
Every game he scored in double digits has led to a string of high-scoring games. Likewise, each game he has been held to single-digit scoring, with the lone exception of last week's nine-point outing against Syracuse, has been followed by another.
The 14-point performance at Georgetown followed nine points versus Syracuse, so it should be the first of several double-digit games. With Graves in a rhythm, the Irish can count on solid shooting and rebounding.
When he gets into a groove, Graves is the go-to guy for the Irish.
In the pre-season NIT, he hit a jump shot at the buzzer to hand Notre Dame the victory over returning Final Four team Ohio State. Last month, Graves knocked down a jumper with .3 seconds remaining to give Notre Dame a 76-74 win over Seton Hall on the road.
Although just a sophomore, Graves plays a commanding role for the Irish. After Notre Dame's two-point loss to No. 9 Syracuse Wednesday, a determined David Graves promised that his team would not give up on the rest of the season.
"This team has a lot of character," Graves said. "We're not going to quit."
One of Graves' primary goals in coming to Notre Dame was to bring Notre Dame back to its glory days — the days of sold out crowds, excitement on campus and regular trips to the NCAA tournament. He's been helping the Irish to deliver, as fans have returned to the Joyce Center in droves and the Irish have beaten five top-25 ranked teams.
With the Big East Tournament beginning Wednesday, the Irish need a tournament title or at least a strong run to stand a chance of going to March Madness for the first time in 10 years.
"We still have chances for the NCAA tournament," Graves said. "We're going to keep working hard. We're going to come out with a lot of intensity."
All Sports Stories for Monday, March 6, 2000
