My take on the BB team...

[Guest IrishTobey]

I was at the Fordham game last night. ND looked really good. A couple of thoughts. This might be Brey's best team. This team does not have any stars but 1-8 they are better than they've been in a long time. They play as a TEAM. Rick Cornett is clearly a crowd favorite but if you watch him closely he does take plays off. I think that's why Brey doesn't play him as much as people like. Sometimes he comes down the floor and looks like James Worthy and other times he seams kind of out in space. I think Brey is handling him just like he should. Let him come off the bench and give you a spark. If he's lights out then ride him and if not put him back on the bench. Luke Zellar is the best player ND has hid since LaPhonso Ellis, who was at the game, and was great to see him. He was my favorite player as a kid. There is a reason that programs like Duke, Kansas, and North Carolina offered this kid. You can tell the game is starting to slow down for him already. He seams to play effortlessly. He knocked down a couple of 3's, he rebounds, he set picks, he is going to be a college basketball superstar. The kid is the real deal. He is clearly 2" taller than Francis and he knocks down 3's with ease. He is a special kid. Quinn is ND's most important player by far right now. He is clearly the emotional and team leader on the floor. He doesn't get the pub that Chris Thomas did but he's a better point guard. He never shoots unless he gets the ball back. He always passes first. I think Francis is finally healthy. I've been to at least one home bb game at ND for 15 straight years so I've seen him every ear. He's not nearly as robotic looking this year and is clearly healthy again. I think his back really bothered him last year. Collin Falls is Collin Falls. He'll knock down some 3's and handle the ball a little. Russel Carter is fun to watch. He gives ND and element they haven't had in a long time. Probably since Damon Sweet. He has the ability to take somebody off the dribble. Twice last night they just cleared him out and he took it to the hoop. Once he just jumped from about 2 ft outside the lane and 2 hand dunked it. That will come in handy against Big East competition. Overall I really like this team. They have some options they haven't had in a long time and some pretty darn good athletes. Their Big East schedule is much more managable this year than in the past few years. They don't have to play Syracuse, UConn, and Pitt twice this year like they have in the past. If Quinn stays healthy and Zellar continues to improve ND can finish 10-6 in the Big East which if they beat Wofford on Friday would put them at 19-8 which means their dancing again. Save for Uconn and Villanova ND is as good as anybody in the Big East that I've seen play so far this year including Louisville. They have a realistic shot to finish in the top 4 in the Big East this year. It's going to be alot of fun. I'm going to try and get to a couple more games this year. I hope people jump on board and support the BB team b/c this could be a very special year for them.