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LOCATION: South Bend, IN
CONFERENCE: Big East
LAST SEASON: 14-16 (.466)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 8-10 (t-8th)
STARTERS LOST/RETURNING: 2/3
NICKNAME: Fighting Irish
COLORS: Blue & Gold
HOMECOURT: Joyce Center (11,418)
COACH: Matt Doherty (North Carolina '84)
record at school First year
career record First year
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ASSISTANTS: Doug Wojcik (Navy '87)
Bob MacKinnon (Kings College '82)
Fred Quartlebaum (Fordham '89)
TEAM WINS: (last 5 years) 15-9-16-13-14
RPI (last 5 years) 125-150-64-98-122
1998-99 FINISH: Lost in conference first round.
ESPN.com Clubhouse
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To hear Matt Doherty talk, you might just think somebody had found a way to bottle that beautiful Carolina blue magic and transport it to South Bend. After spending his playing days in Chapel Hill and his most recent coaching days at Roy Williams' UNC West outpost (Kansas), Doherty moves on to Notre Dame speaking of magic and how special the campus is and all that Rockne stuff. As the second coach in the post-Digger line, Doherty is charged with turning all that goose bumps stuff into victories and NCAA Tournament appearances. It won't be easy, but at least you know Doherty is already sold on the mystique that has perpetuated the football team's success for lo these many years (although the last six or so years haven't been so magical at ND). He said his final four schools when he was a prep senior were UNC, Duke, Virginia and Notre Dame. "I always thought Notre Dame was a great place, but I'd never stepped onto the campus until the day of my press conference," Doherty said. "I could tell it was a place that people had strong feelings about. People have strong emotional ties to the school, even if they didn't go here." You can say that again. Although Notre Dame basketball will never hold a place in the school's loyal alumni's hearts the way the football program does, Doherty already reports hearing from Irish graduates and fans all over the country about this prospect or that future star. That's encouraging, especially because the .500-level malaise that settled in under affable but ultimately unsuccessful coach John MacLeod created a sense of who-cares-how-they-do about the Irish hoopsters. Doherty, whose resume includes stops at two of the sport's most hallowed (not to mention frenzied) locales, aims to end that. "I'm probably less patient than anybody," he said. "I've been in situations at Kansas and North Carolina where winning is important, and winning big is important. I have big goals."
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Blue Ribbon Analysis |
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BACKCOURT C+ BENCH/DEPTH C+
FRONTCOURT B- INTANGIBLES B
Coach Matt Doherty has spoken at length about bringing the Carolina Way to South Bend and doesn't apologize at all for his close affinity for the Dean Smith system. It's unlikely Doherty will win 800-plus games and two national championships, but he does have the background and pedigree to help turn Notre Dame around. His biggest challenge will be recruiting. It was great to get Ryan Humphrey to choose South Bend, but his real challenge will be to find the kind of big-time stars that can make Notre Dame a big-time winner. Doherty can talk all he wants about needing only two or three standouts on each championship team, but North Carolina has had some pretty impressive names on its roster in the last three decades. Next to those folks, the Notre Dame lineage seems woefully inadequate. This year's team has some potential, particularly if Matt Carroll is able to deliver some perimeter pop, and Ivan Kartelo can play 20 minutes of solid pivot basketball. There's no doubt Troy Murphy will produce, while David Graves and Harold Swanagan have bright futures, too. Martin Inglesby is not a standout at the point, but he can engineer a team to the postseason, if all the other components are doing their jobs. Notre Dame won't make the NCAA Tournament this year, but there's no reason the Fighting Irish can't challenge for a .500 record in league play and win a couple NIT games. If Doherty can add a couple strong components to his backcourt and upgrade the center position, he may well enjoy some Dean Smith-style success at Notre Dame. |
He certainly fits the model. Even though he hasn't coached a college game in earnest, Doherty is the epitome of the bright, energetic lieutenant who took the learn-as-you-watch route to the head coaching chair, rather than an on-the-job-experience route through top positions at smaller schools. We could debate the merits of both paths forever, but the proof is in the final results. Doherty will have to win big, in order to give Notre Dame a national pedigree in college basketball, and he knows that. He also knows that the formula for success is not a complicated one. "You just need two or three really good players, two or three role players and two or three players off the bench," he said. "You can win a championship with that lineup. We did that at North Carolina (he was a member of the 1982 title team)." Notre Dame has excelled at luring the "two-to-three role players" to campus over the years, but has often come up short in the star category. Pat Garrity filled that bill, but he had precious little help. This season, it would appear as if 6-10, 230-pound sophomore forward Troy Murphy will be in the featured role, orbited by a collection of willing, but hardly outstanding, teammates. Sounds like the recipe for another flirtation with .500 and maybe an NIT bid. That's not what Doherty wants. He wants standout players, and he has already landed two in 6-6 freshman guard Matt Carroll and 6-8 forward Ryan Humphrey, whom Doherty recruited while a Kansas assistant. Humphrey transferred from Oklahoma after fearing he would spend his four collegiate years with his back to the basket, not the best way to impress NBA scouts. Carroll is considered one of the top 50 incoming recruits in the nation and should help the sagging Irish perimeter attack. While Humphrey won't be eligible until 2000-01, he and Carroll give the Irish more top-flight talent to pair with Murphy and entice other recruits. While Notre Dame can't admit every blue-chipper around, Doherty believes he can find talented players with good enough academic portfolios. "I look at the Duke model and the Stanford model," he said. "If I can do what Mike Montgomery did at Stanford, I'll be happy." So will the Irish fans. But that won't happen this year. Murphy, a second-team all-league selection, averaged a team-high 19.2 points and 9.9 rebounds in a freshman season that was well ahead of expectations. Murphy showed the ability to score well from about 12 feet and in (.538 FG) and was a relentless rebounder. He shot free-throws well, played solid positional defense and even blocked some shots (38). The future for him is extremely bright and could even blossom into national stardom. "I see Troy Murphy as a big, barrel-chested forward, who can rebound, run, score in the paint and step out and shoot it," Doherty said. "He's a nice kid off the court, but on it, he has the mean streak that you need." Joining Murphy at starting forward is 6-5 sophomore David Graves (12.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 96 assists, 36 steals, .475 FG, .407 3 PT), whose impressive first year was somewhat overshadowed by Murphy's big debut. Graves has the potential to be a good shooter and a valuable three man, particularly if he makes the commitment to play at or near his full capabilities every game. "David can shoot it," Doherty said. "The biggest thing with him is being in tip-top shape at all times. When your legs go, your shot goes." If there is one area where Doherty is set, it's forward, where the Irish are loaded with bodies. Graves and Murphy will start, but they don't have to play 35 minutes a night. Expect to see plenty of 6-6 sophomore Harold Swanagan (6.1 ppg, 3.8 rpg, .645 FG), a rugged interior player who weighs 242 pounds and can handle work at power forward or center. Doherty compares him favorably to former Kansas forward Richard Scott, who played great defense and created space for himself down low with "his big butt and strong chest." When the Irish want to get out and run, 6-8 freshman Jere Macura (Split, Croatia), who comes to Notre Dame after playing for the Basketball Club of Split for the last four seasons, will come in handy. Because Macura is somewhat slight (he weighs just 205 pounds), he is better suited for life on the perimeter. That's good news for the Irish, who can use some more athletic ability on the wing. Macura is quick, can jump and gets out on the break. Doherty expects to play him with Graves as a "true small forward," hoping to use Graves or Carroll at shooting guard. Two other forwards, 6-4 senior Skylard Owens (2.0 ppg, 1.9 rpg, .676 FG) and 6-6 senior Todd Palmer (1.8 ppg, 1.3 rpg) will add some depth at the three spot and give Doherty some options if Swanagan or Murphy must play the pivot. Doherty hopes that doesn't happen too often, thanks to the arrival of 6-11 Ivan Kartelo (Winchendon, Mass., School/Split, Croatia), whom the coach likens to former Jayhawk Scot Pollard without the sideburns or nail polish. Kartelo plays inside and out and averaged 13.0 points and 11.0 rebounds last year at Winchendon. He won't have to score all that much, although it would be good to have an offensive presence in the middle. Kartelo will be called upon to play some defense and rebound. The backcourt isn't particularly deep, but it does have some promise. Carroll (Hatboro-Horsham HS/Hatboro, Pa.) averaged 26.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists during his senior year, and became the first player in Pennsylvania history to earn AP Player-of-the-Year awards two years in a row. Carroll played in the Magic Roundball Classic and Capital Classic last spring and brings a much-needed scoring personality to the backcourt. Just don't expect electricity. Carroll can fill it up, but he isn't going to obliterate people with his speed or jumping ability. He will, however, put it in the bucket. "He's not going to blow by you and dunk it in your face," Doherty said. "But he's a prototypical big guard, like Jeff Hornacek and Trajan Langdon. If he continues to work and grow, he can be what Langdon was to Duke. He can shoot." He will be paired with 5-11 junior Martin Inglesby (8.2 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 122 assists, .404 3 PT), who doesn't make a lot of mistakes and can hit the three-point shot. Inglesby may not be somebody capable of breaking ankles throughout the Big East, and he must finish better off the dribble, but he is a solid point man who has two years of starting experience and the ability to run a team. Doherty hopes Inglesby will receive some competition from 6-5 freshman Mike Monserez (Moeller HS/Cincinnati, Ohio), who averaged 20 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists in leading Moeller to the state championship. The MVP of the state tournament, Monserez can play both guard positions, a valuable skill in a somewhat shallow backcourt. Continuing his habit of comparing Irish players to former Jayhawks, Doherty likens Monserez to former KU guard Ryan Robertson. That's not bad, because Robertson proved able to score and distribute. Senior Jimmy Dillon (2.8 ppg, 1.3 rpg) is a 6-2 combo who can play some sticky defense and pass the ball. His outside shooting, however, must improve dramatically, or his playing time (15.6 mpg last year) will drop.
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