The basketball team has lost some super talent to the next level over the last few years and replacing the likes of John Moir and Paul Nowak and Moose Krause has not been easy. But it is not like Phelps does not have talent at least on the offensive end. Leading the way this season were a pair of unbelievable players who can flat score and they do it in two distinctly different styles. Juniors Austin Carr and Adrian Dantley are part of a DC connection the Irish have built and are the cornerstone of this program. Carr is as good as long-range shooter as there is in the country.  He can and will score from the other side of the barn if you let him. He has no conscious which is a great attribute if you’re a shooter.  He scored 45 in the first-round of the Big Dance last year but the Irish lost that game. He was named honorable mention all-American but should have been on one of the first three teams. He is a true gamer and has the ability to put a team on his shoulders.  He led the team in scoring and has become quite a friend of the three point shot.  He may not be as athletic as you want in your two guard but he makes up for it with one of the best strokes in the country.  He is a legend in South Bend and will probably be one wherever he chooses to land at the next level.  Of course, he has two more years of making the Irish faithful stand up every time he goes up for a jumper waiting for the inevitable swish. 

Dantley is a 6 foot 5 post up machine.  He has more moves than Paul Hornung (not off the field of course) and will draw more fouls than a water polo player.  He is perhaps the best small inside player in the country.  He has a mid -range game as well.  Dantley is relentless on the blocks and is a great compliment to Carr’s outside game.  He is meticulous and takes his time when he gets the ball setting up his defenders.  If you double team he will kick it to the open man (usually Carr as they play a mean two-man game).  He is not great on the boards but gets the job done.  He never misses an opportunity to score and really puts pressure on the defense with his ability to get to the line over and over again.  These two are as good together on the offensive end as you can get from an inside-outside combo. The only problem with either one of these players is that they really don’t play much defense. This and a total lack of height are the Achilles heel of this program. After all if your best post up player is 6’5 you might have a size problem. 

Speaking of the post players, Fellow junior John Shumate is the rock in the middle.  A solid low post option as well, Shumate can also defend and rebound.  He shut down Walton in their matchup with UCLA last year.  Of course, Alcindor dominated them as the Bruins beat the Irish by 15.  Shu is also a leader.  His teammates love him and Coach Phelps cannot talk enough about his leadership.  The biggest issue with Shumate is he has to play the five for the Irish and though he goes 6’9 235 that is actually undersized for centers of the top teams nowadays.  Shumate has the game of a power forward as he is a solid low post defender but not exactly a rim protector.  He hurt his knee midway thru last year and was never the same but still limped his way thru the rest of the season showing how much of a gamer he is.  If he comes back healthy this team has a real chance of contending nationally but only if one of the new kids Phelps is bringing in (and he has a bunch of post 6’10 plus freshmen coming to South Bend) can play the center.  For now that is his job and he does it well, just not Ewing level especially defensively.  But then again there are not many of those type of intimidators around.   

The other starting post is another undersized but skilled player.  Senior Tom Hawkins is a 6’5 rebounding machine who can score some as well.  A gritty role player, this Chicago kid has been a mainstay here since Moose Krause left.  Krause, who is now the AD here, was as legendary for the hoopsters as Rockne is for football helped recruit Hawkins from Chicago for Keogan as the first African-American basketball player for Notre Dame. He has carried that honor well and his work ethic is second to none.  He finds himself matched up against much bigger players almost every game and more than holds his own. A great leaper, Hawkins is not afraid to mix it up.  He was only one of ten black students in his first year at Notre Dame and the only basketball player and has some great anecdotes on those times including a trip with Paul Hornung to a pizza parlor to get some lasagna.  Things have changed on this campus and Hawkins is not just a trail blazer but a Renaissance man who hosts a radio program once a week where he quotes poetry.  But basketball is his love and grabbing boards is his job.  And he is as good as that as Dantley and Carr (and Hornung) are at scoring. 

Senior Kevin O’Shea got the first shot at the point guard job last year after Carr took over his two guard spot.  O’Shea is a legend here as he was actually an All-American in his sophomore year. The San Francisco product (yes, the Irish recruit nationwide in basketball too) was not quick enough to guard the water bugs on other teams and he sure wasn’t beating out Carr who had to sit out his freshmen year due to that archaic rule.  Phelps decided on sophomore John Paxson as his starter at point soon after he benched Shea.  Paxson is a shooter by nature but can also handle the rock a little.  His defense is adequate but better than O’Shea’s.  David Rivers is another second year player who bounced from JV to varsity. Rivers is a cat quick player who is adept at running the offense and but also has weaknesses as he is not a terrific defender either. He can score but is nowhere near the shooter of Paxson but gave the team some energy when he came up for the final ten games last season.  Phelps would like someone to take over this job that is a bit better defensively

The bench for the Irish is solid and experienced as anyone’s but has major weaknesses. There is an entire group of senior post players who have been reduced to smaller roles since Phelps took over the helm. Walt Sahm, Dick Rosenthal, Ron Reed and Bob Whitmore all took their demotion is stride as is the Irish way.  Of course, these weren’t really demotions because none of these guys were starters in the first place but they were getting way more minutes before Phelps got here. Sahm at 6’9 is the only one that really has the size to hang but is more big than skilled. Rosenthal at only 6’5 probably won’t play much but is the team captain and a senior is more effective in the locker room then on the court.  Collis Jones really stepped up last year in South Bend. He has got a developing low post game but is best right now running the court and throwing it down. He really came on during fellow junior’s Shumate’s injury and was a huge part of the team getting big minutes off the bench at the end of the season. A tough player who is undersized at power forward, he still produced some solid minutes when needed.  The wings for the Irish have the same kind of returning players. Senior Bob Arnzen started here before Dantley but is more of a shooter and has difficulty guarding athletic wings. Leo Barnhorst is of the same ilk and had some glorious minutes here but is deep down the line as Phelps has upgraded the athleticism here immensely.  Sophomore Kelly Tripucka and Orlando Wooldridge give the Irish a couple of more big-time scorers who can really run the court. Tripucka is a hustling machine who can really fill the wing on the break and can shoot from distance.  Wooldridge is a terrific athlete who can and will dunk on anyone. This duo played together on a superb JV squad that made the Elite 8 in the national JV tourney.  Junior Bill Hanzlik came in for these two at times to mix things up.  Totally opposite form the duo. Hanzlik is a defensive specialist but shows how deep that JV squad was as he has pro level talent.  He has size and toughness and will stop your best scorer but he is the only real defensive stopper on the team.  Seniors Jack Stephens and Billy Hassett are still on the returning roster but might not make the team as Phelps continues to upgrade the talent pool.  These guys are gamers and at one point starter here. 

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish had a season they would like to forget last year. They played arguably the toughest schedule in America. The fans who think the Irish get all the breaks in football should watch how it gets made up in basketball.  Notre Dame won 20 games last year and did get an invite to the Big Dance but lost in the first round on some dubious calls late in a game they scored 92 points.  This is really the problem for the Irish as they can score with anyone but can’t stop them either especially in the paint.  The last of the major Indies, even the Irish see the tea leaves and are joining the big boys of the Big East next season but have one more year playing that tough Indy schedule. The best thing is though that almost all of their talent is coming back for next year and they will be on a mission.  Watch out for the Irish.  But only if they learn to play defense.  And find a seven footer or two!