Rockne's Roundtable

I totally agree. Brey *is* making headway on the recruiting trail and he is an excellent developer of talent. Next year will be very interesting. All of these guys can play Cooley, Atkins, Grant, Connaughton, Dragicevich and Knight has looked ok for 6 to 8 minutes. Add in Sherman, Biedscheid, and Auguste and maybe Martin, and you have 9 or 10 guys that should play every game. That is going to really help with fatigue.

jfkoehl - Very good point:)) No I hadn't forgotten that lol. Now I'm looking for a 'QUE SERA SERA'(what will be will be) moment like a sweet 16 run - this will be a very dynamic and exciting team next year - I really believe that they'll be on a 'mission' next year! GO IRISH!!

"That inexperience caught up to the Irish Friday in Greensboro, N.C., where uncharacteristic lapses in poise down the stretch, particularly with under a minute to play, resulted in a one-and-done finish to the 2011-12 campaign."

Brey has done an outstanding job and I think your comment sums up the exact reason why they lost this game. You could see it as well in the Big East semi-final, there youth and inexperience could only take them so far.

I have been moderately critical of Brey up until last year for his teams' lack of defensive prowess, their poor showing in the tournaments, and some of his public comments which made it sound like he hadn't set the bar very high in terms of seasons' expectations. Well, the past two years, the quality of defense has improved significantly, and going back to that stretch three years ago when Harangody was injured, the team has consistently overachieved. He deserves tremendous credit for this season, and the loss yesterday was a bitter pill, but that's not on him any more than I hold Kelly's feet to the fire when his players make some obvious and costly mistakes. There's a certain level of competence and judgment that you expect from college players, and when they make fundamental mistakes or can't execute free throws, I'm not putting that on the coach. Brey did his job, the players didn't. Like I said, I haven't always said that about Brey, and I'm not saying he's the best coach we could possibly get either, but we'd be darn lucky to find a better one.

Great article Wes. I have really enjoyed your coverage this year. If we all go back to the point in the season where the NIT seemed out of reach, I think unlike the way we played against FSU last year, this season was a success by any measure. While I thought Brey maybe pulled the reins back a little early, if not for the bad Atkins turnover we likely win. The thinness of this roster (Scott not ruturning, Abro injury, Katenda injury) led to guys having to play too minutes again last night. Next year I think Auguste and Sherman can allow Cooley the proper rest, allowing him to play with reckless abandon every moment he is on the court. Knight will be able to play at the 4 where he belongs enhancing the minutes he gets. Beidsheid instantly gives us an athletic 2/3 to go with Atkins and Grant. This will give us the most athletic 1-3 we have had in the Brey era by far. Now Connaughton and Drag can spell these guys, keeping everyone fresh. If Katenda and/or Burgett are ready to contribute it will be a bonus. Regardless of how the competition shakes out next year, Brey will have more quality bodies and athletes available next year than he has had in his tenure at ND. If he chooses to play 7-8 guys next year than that will be his choice, not something he is forced to do. This doesn't even take into account that everyone but Martin returns and should show improvement. Next year has the potential to be special. That just a couple of months removed from where we thought things were heading this year to thinking about how good we can be next year is something that Brey should be celebrated for. That is the camp I am in. Watching these guys this year was a pleasure. The last 30 seconds going wrong last night doesn't change that.