Irish anxious for first real game
By ANDREW SOUKUP
Sports Writer
Now it's for real.
After a summer spent sweating in the Joyce Center, three weeks of practice, countless scrimmages and a pair of exhibitions, Notre Dame finally takes the court Sunday for its first regular-season game.
"We can't wait," senior Matt Carroll said. "We've been working so hard to get to this point. It's time to start playing the real thing."
The Irish will square off against Belmont at 4 p.m. Sunday in the first round of the Guardians Classic. If Notre Dame wins, the Irish face the winner of the Brown-IUPUI game Monday night and automatically advance to the tournament's semifinals next week.
Notre Dame initially decided to hop into the Guardians Classic as a way to add a pair of home games early in the season before the Irish begin a rigorous non-conference schedule.
But the tournament gives the Irish a chance to start addressing a pair of problems that surfaced in their first two exhibition games – finding rotation in the post and communicating on defense.
Irish coach Mike Brey attributes the relative lack of defensive communication to his team's general reserved attitude on the court. But in a defense where players routinely switch on screens, the Irish say they have to start being a little more vocal.
"It's just a matter of having a bunch of new faces," Dan Miller said. "We're getting used to playing with each other, and as weeks go on, we'll know where our guys are. Right now, we still have to work on it."
The Irish are also searching for an established rotation in the low-post. Brey played five big men in Notre Dame's final exhibition – Torin Francis, Tom Timmermans, Jordan Cornette, Rick Cornette and Jere Macura – a number the Irish coach said might have been a little too many.
Francis and Cornette, both of whom have played major minutes in the exhibition, will play significant roles this season. But how the other three fit in is still a mystery.
"We're still searching a little bit," Brey said. "We're going to have to do that as best we can and still go after wins early. We'll be looking at some different things and who steps forward."
While the Irish wait for their big men to develop, the perimeter will help the Irish in the early part of the season. However, a rules change for this weekend might affect Notre Dame's long-range shooters.
The Guardians Classic is played under international rules, meaning the lanes are wider and the 3-point arc is pushed back a little further. But that won't stop the Irish from hoisting treys Sunday.
"That's something we're not going to think about," Carroll grinned. "For most of our guys, we've got deep range, we're not going to worry about it."
The eight-team Guardians Classic counts as an exempted event. Four teams – Notre Dame, Belmont, Brown and IUPI – play at the Joyce Center while the other four – Creighton, Texas Arlington, Furman and Alabama State – compete at Creighton's gym. The four winners of Sunday's games advance to the semifinals, held next week in Kansas City. The four losers of Sunday's games play a consolation game Monday before the four winners play to determine seeding in the semifinals.
The way the bracket is designed, the Irish could potentially face Creighton, who upset Florida last season in the NCAA Tournament.
"If you run into a Creighton, it would be a good match-up for us," Brey said. "It would be like a Big East game."
All Sports Stories for Friday, November 15, 2002
