It's more than fitting that with the school year winding down and the basketball season finally concluded, we hand out some final grades as far as the Irish hoop team is concerned.
So step forward fellas, take a look at the posting on the wall and see how you fared. Sad to say but most of you aren't going to be all that thrilled with what you find.
The Team (D) - Only a decent run in the NIT Tournament and even that ended with a clinker against Penn State, prevented this grade from being even worse. The harsh truth is that this club failed to achieve any of its' stated objectives. It didn't win 20 regular season games, wasn't among the top tier in the Big East, flopped again in the conference tournament and didn't secure a NCAA bid.
That's an inexcusable 0 for 4 when it comes to hitting the goals that mattered most. Regardless of how you try to spin it, that amounts to gross underachievement if not outright failure.
On multiple occasions when the season could have been saved or redeemed with a key win, this team stumbled and collapsed. Only against Texas and Louisville (home game), did the Irish truly measure up to the task at hand. And losing to the likes of St. Johns and Cincinnati was simply unacceptable.
The bottom line, a pedestrian 21-15 record, more than tells the story. As a unit, this team just didn't cut it, let alone have it!
Coach Mike Brey (D) - The only thing that prevents Brey from getting the dreaded F is the fact that the Irish didn't tank in the NIT although they did gag once they got to New York. But beyond that minimal bit of success, you'd be hard pressed to convince this writer that Brey earned his pay.
It's universally acknowledged Brey did his least effective coaching this past season. To say his team flopped would be putting it mildly. At times, they flat out stunk.
And this with a squad that had oodles of experience and very few, if any, excuses to fail.
Because his faults were many, Brey has much to atone for.
He never got his Domers to play good defense, block out or control the boards. He allowed his team to become much too 3-point happy. Under his guidance, the Irish repeatedly either started slow or faded badly in the second half. He neglected to develop his bench but that's been a common theme with Brey.
With Brey providing little motivation, ND often lacked fire and intensity. Too many times, the Irish weren't prepared or ready to play. And Brey did an absolutely woeful job in fully developing the talents of seniors Ryan Ayers, Zach Hillesland and Luke Zeller, who though capable of much more, became nothing but one-dimensional players.
After failing to make the Big Dance for the fourth time in nine years and with only one NCAA Tourney win in the last six seasons, Brey should be under the gun.
With a suspect team returning next fall and with a questionable recruiting class arriving, Brey may be about to tack on another uninspiring year upon this one. If that's the case, then ND needs to seriously consider letting Brey coach elsewhere.
Luke Harangody (A-) - Simply put, Luke was the man. Without him, ND would have been lost in the wilderness and wouldn't have even been a .500 team.
Yes, he struggled in a few big games but we'll cut him some slack because on so many occasions, he basically had to carry the load himself. There was probably a bit of an attrition factor involved in his lesser outings.
Harangody is so good and so consistent, you can easily take him for granted. He routinely racks up double-doubles and leading the Big East in both scoring and rebounding for the second straight year ranks as a monster achievement.
"Gody" has versatility to his game with some nifty post up moves to go with a solid stroke from the perimeter. And let's not forget about the guy's heart and motor. He always gives a max effort. The Irish are truly fortunate to have such a warrior on their side.
Harangody has already carved out a lofty place for himself among the Irish greats.
Kyle McAlarney (B-) - Let's get this straight from the start. This reporter digs McAlaney. You can't help but love his gym rat mentality and when he's in a groove, few players in college ball can fire it from the hinterlands like Kyle.
And "Mc" has also earned our respect! McAlarney stuck it out at ND when he could have taken a powder and transferred after his suspension in '07. Instead, he took his punishment without complaint and came out of a difficult circumstance more of a man than most guys twice his age. Simply said, Kyle is one heck of a kid.
If you honestly asked McAlarney, he probably would admit that he didn't play quite as well as he would have liked in his farewell season. Opponents, particularly those in the Big East, devised a strategy whereby they'd let Harangody get his points but would concentrate on neutralizing ND's second most viable weapon, McAlarney. Much to ND's frustration, this approach was quite effective at times.
With defenders geared to smother him, McAlarney had to work feverishly to hunt his shot. Periodically, this wore him down and caused him to rush some attempts. The truth is the Irish did a poor job of creating a scheme whereby McAlarney would consistently get open looks. As a result of this relentless harassment, McAlarney's shooting percentage, particularly in conference games (.387), didn't measure up to his usual standards.
And yet, despite all this, Kyle remained a major contributor. He averaged a solid 15.0 pts. per game and was generally a sure bet to score in double figures. Plus, he justified his reputation as a bomber deluxe by pacing the Big East with a 123 three-pointers.
He was also a deadeye from the free throw line (.884) and showed solid ballhandling skills while finishing second to Tory Jackson in assists.
The one knock that can be leveled at McAlarney is that he didn't penetrate and get to the hoop enough. A good dribbler and armed with a sweet teardrop floater, Kyle should have made more of a concerted effort to score from in close. By doing so, he might have gotten defenders to play off him more which would have provided more space to work with on the outside. McAlarney just didn't generate enough respect for his dribble drive.
But, on balance, McAlarney was a remarkable shootist from distance and a dependable performer. He will be the lone departing senior who'll be sorely missed. Things will be a lot less exciting at the Joyce Center now that the crewcut-one has moved on.
Tory Jackson (B-) - This mark might be a bit generous but when Jackson was on, he was a joy to watch and a marvel to behold. There were more than a few games when Jackson was as versatile as they come. At his best, there's little he can't do. Jackson can penetrate and dish, pop it from the outside, score underneath, force steals and rebound with an amazing aplomb for someone his size (5-11).
At times, Jackson virtually took over with his all-around skills. Without a doubt, the Irish were most dangerous when Jackson was feeling it.
The trouble was that Tory could be erratic and sometimes played out of control with a tendency to force things. Jackson also suffered through a mid-season slump when his confidence waned and his numbers dropped off. To his credit, Jackson eventually rediscovered his swagger but not before he suffered thru a stretch of off nights.
Yet, when you look at his season in totality, it's hard to argue that he wasn't productive. Tory was efficient at the point, paced the team in assists (177 ), averaged 10.6 pts. per game and was the team's third best rebounder (4.4), no small feat for a guard. There's no denying the guy's got game.
Next season, Jackson must become dominant if the Irish are to have any success whatsoever. If Jackson doesn't achieve an A in '08-'09, ND will probably be in a world of hurt!
Ryan Ayers (C) - Oh sure, Ayers came on strong in the latter stages of the year and had a few huge games. But when the season hung in the balance, when the games meant the most, the 6-7 senior often disappeared and was of minimal help. Ayers' impact fluctuated wildly from game to game. You never knew exactly what the veteran would give you. It might be good or even spectacular but it was just as likely to be something ordinary or worse.
Ayers is also marked down for being much too one-dimensional. A good athlete with a silkiness to his game, Ayers had the ability to attack the rim or shoot the pull-up jumper. Yet, he rarely did so and because of this, he did a huge disservice to both himself and his team.
Ayers got way too comfortable gunning from 3-pt. country to the exclusion of virtually everything else. Though a good shooter from that range, Ayers lessened his impact by living on the outside. Subsequently, when his deep shots weren't there, he was virtually of no help.
Give Ayers his due. He enjoyed some monster moments such as when he went off for 35 against South Dakota, 28 against Providence and 25 versus Villanova. Yet, he wasn't altogether dependable or trustworthy. Hence, his average grade. He was simply a decent player on a disappointing team.
Zach Hillesland (D) - For the Irish to have been special, they needed a sizable contribution from Hillesland. He didn't come close to delivering what the Domers required. Zach fell flatter than a cheap champagne.
Hillesland was expected to pick up much of the slack left by the graduation of gamer Rob Kurz. Instead, Hillesland was often a liability.
The senior deserves a modicum of credit for doing some of the dirty work such as setting screens and periodically guarding the opposition's top offensive threat. And Hillesland, every now and then, was a factor on the boards.
But he wasn't very productive in any of the key categories and his puny scoring average of 4.6 was absolutely disgraceful. There were extended periods of time when Hillesland was a complete non-factor and as a result, Brey was forced to cut his minutes back to only 23.6 per game. And this for an experienced vet who figured to be one of the rocks of the team.
Hillesland did have to contend with some minor injuries but that doesn't explain away his lackluster year.
During the season, Hillesland wrote a blog that was published in the New York Times. Rather than being an author, Hillesland should have put that time to better use such as working on a diminishing game.
What's a shame is that Hillesland isn't without skills. When he really puts his mind to it, he can do a little bit of everything such as pass, rebound, defend and score as he did in a stellar game versus DePaul. But that one shining moment was a total mirage, a genuine fluke.
In what should have been a solid senior campaign, Hillesland flamed out and was clearly ND's most disappointing player.
Luke Zeller (C) - Zeller is a poster boy for unfulfilled promise. Blessed with both height (6-11) and an amazing touch for a player his size, Zeller could have become a big man of significance. Instead, he finished his career as a erratic sub who saw just 14.6 minutes per game. Such a waste.
Though you can certainly fault Zeller for his underwhelming years in South Bend, it's this writer's belief that Brey did a miserable job of nurturing Zeller and getting anywhere near the most out of him. Brey should have insisted that Zeller develop a low post presence where he could have used his height and touch to great advantage. Paradoxically, all Zeller became was a 3-pt. specialist. Talk about a missed opportunity.
When Luke was gunning from downtown, it was a sight to see. A towering figure dropping bombs from out deep. When he got in a groove, Zeller was a fine long range shooter. And there were times when he made some big baskets that certainly aided the Irish cause.
But because his playing time could radically go up or down depending on Brey's whim, Zeller was never able to find a consistent rhythm. With the chances he was given, the tallish senior did a fair job, averaging 4.9 points and 2.8 rebounds. Project those numbers out over 30 minutes and they're pretty decent.
Yet, in the end, all Luke Zeller ever became was a shooter from the next area code. That doesn't rate anything more than a mediocre grade.
Given a different set of circumstances, Zeller could have been a 15-pt., 10-rebound guy who could have operated both down low and on the outside. Too bad, Brey never really gave him a chance to do so.
Jonathan Peoples (C) - Like Zeller, Peoples found it difficult to be consistent because of limited minutes. He might play well in one game but follow that with an indifferent effort in the next. That's what happens sometimes when you're seeing only 14.1 minutes per contest.
Peoples is a combo guard who's hardly a stiff. The 6-3 junior plays unafraid and has ample ball skills. He comes off the bench with confidence though he does tend to overdo it at times. Generally, Peoples held his own when he came on the court to give either McAlarney or Jackson a blow.
Overall, his stats weren't all that pretty but revealingly, his numbers, particularly his FG% and FT%, dramatically increased in conference play. It speaks well of him that Peoples saved his best work for the grind that is the Big East.
By and large, Peoples did an adequate job. Don't be surprised if next season he takes a quantum leap forward. Peoples has it within him to become a bona fide player.
Tyrone Nash (C+) - When called upon, Nash brought an energy and youthful exuberance that the Irish sorely needed. The truth is Brey should have played him much earlier in the year and much more often.
Nash knows how to operate underneath whether it's tracking down rebounds or maneuvering to score from in tight. He can also get up to block a shot.
In limited duty, Nash shot a very high percentage (.507 ) and gathered in caroms at a rate (3.6) that would have translated into a nice number over the course of a full game. That's certainly something to build on. Nash could become a legitimate inside presence for ND if he maintains his intensity and really applies himself.
The lone concern with this intriguing sophomore is that he struggles at the free throw line. This is a defect he must work to correct.
Yet, on balance, Nash was a plus whenever he took the court. The only reason he doesn't get a higher mark is that he just didn't play enough to warrant one.
But, next year, Nash should see a big uptick in his minutes and with it, a much better grade.
