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Notre Dame Basketball Preview

By Dan Vance

Franchise484@aol.com

October 27th

Are the Irish ‘National Title’ worthy?

Talk to most people around the state of Indiana and they have one thought about the hopes of Notre Dame basketball this season.  That thought: if there is a year that the Fighting Irish can win the National Title, this is it.

For casual fans, even those who follow the sport closely on a broad, national spectrum, the notion of Notre Dame as national champions is laughable at best.  But for those who look deep into the Irish lineup, one may see a team on the brink of March Madness glory.

One year ago, Coach Mike Brey’s Irish did not make the NCAA Tournament, even falling short in the NIT.  After beating Purdue and Saint Louis, Brey’s team fell in round three to Oregon.

With the loss of only two players, Tom Timmermans and Torrian Jones, both to graduation, the team already has chemistry.  Brey is blessed with a group that does not want to miss the NCAA Tournament again and is driven to do better.

Team leader Chris Thomas will be the driving force behind the 2004-2005 squad. While Notre Dame will be celebrating its 100^th basketball season, Thomas will be celebrating a century mark of his own. The Irish’s first game, a November 19 home meeting with Harvard, will be the 100^th game that Thomas has started at Notre Dame. Only Pat Garrity (1994-98) with 111 has started more.

Last year, Thomas started all 32 of the games he played in on his way to 19.9 pts/game. The senior also averaged 4 rebounds/game, a career high for him. In fact, career high was a phrase that stuck to Thomas like glue in 2003-2004. Thomas matched or broke single game career highs in field goals, field goals attempted, three point field goals, three point field goals attempted, free throw percentage (1.000 on six occasions), rebounds and points. Thomas’ top point production came with 39 against St. Louis in the NIT Tournament.

Thomas, who could have easily jumped to the NBA, is a highly praised All-American candidate this season and he would be the one man who could lead the Irish back to national glory.

His right hand man, senior Jordan Cornette will add some help down low. While Thomas will be working the perimeter and taking the jump shots, the 6’9’’ and 236 pound Cornette will be posting up as the second option for Brey.

As a junior, Cornette found some struggles throughout the season, but thrived in higher profile games, which benefits an Irish squad whom will have 11 of their games broadcasted nationally. Cornette’s best quality is his presence around the floor. He is a very experienced and knowledgeable player. It is not beyond him to step out and take a three point shot, of which he hit 39 last season.

Two other starters Torin Francis and Chris Quinn will provide needed experience to the lineup.

Francis, a junior from Boston, Massachusetts will also step into the role vacated by Timmermans. Though Francis did start all 20 of the games he played in last year, he will still be looked at to fill that void in the middle. The 6’11’ forward averaged just over 12 points per game before being sidelined for the final 12 games injured. Offseason back surgery to repair a herniated disc may slow down Francis early, but most likely not for long.

Quinn will start in the backcourt next to Thomas for the second year. Last season, the duo complimented each other’s play well. Quinn is a streaky shooter, which could prove dangerous to Big East opponents. The junior hit 73 three-point shots last year while compiling a total field goal percentage of .432. In time of need, Thomas will need to look no further than his fellow guard for support.

Joining the Fighting Irish this year are three players, one of whom is a completely fresh face. That face belongs to freshman Rob Kurz. The lone freshman of the roster, Kurz will most likely see far more of the bench than the floor this year. At his Pennsylvania high school Penn Charter, he had a career average of 17.5 pts/game and was named First Team All-State as a senior.

Also joining the team is senior Dennis Latimore, who sat out last year after transferring from Arizona. The 6’8’’ Latimore may find himself in the starting lineup in the spot vacated by Timmermans. If not, he will provide key minutes off the bench as a sub for Cornette. In 2002-2003 at Arizona, Latimore averaged 12 minutes per game off the bench with 3.2 pts/game and 3.1 rebounds/game. Sophomore Omari Isreal also joins the lineup after sitting out 2003-2004 with an injury. Though Isreal has yet to play a game for the Irish, he did score more than 1,500 points in his four season prep career at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Maryland.

The fourth senior joining Thomas, Cornette and Latimore is Greg Bosl. The 6’1’’ Bosl joined the team last year as a walk-on. Described by Brey as a “dedicated practice player,” Bosl will see limited action, but can provide stellar shooting off the bench if needed.

The Irish schedule for 2004-2005 will be up and down, with much of the non-conference season looking mostly unchallenging. Back to back road games at Michigan and Indiana on December 4 and 8 will be a good showcase of the Irish’s abilities before conference season. Three homes games to start the regular season against Harvard, IPFW and Charleston Southern are more of exhibition games that shouldn’t test Brey’s squad much.

When conference season rolls around, the Irish will have to be tough. Nearly every opponent on the conference schedule is Top 50 caliber this year. At Syracuse on February 2 and visiting Connecticut of February 21 will be the most challenging contests.

But, if Thomas can work his team throw the talented Big East will an above .500 record, the Irish could be finding themselves with enough momentum to glide pretty far through the Big East and NCAA tournaments.