I didn't watch the whole game with North Carolina last night but the Irish gave a good account of themselves. John Mooney esp played very well as did some of our young players. We lost but I think a lot of people thought we might not even be competitive with UNC, we gave them a very good game. Women are at Va.Tech tonight. The story line is the Mabrey's. Marina the Sr. ND guard vs her younger sister Dara who plays for Va.Tech. There was a lot of discussion as to why coach didn't recruit the younger Mabrey as her HS career was as good as her sisters who both played for ND. No good answer was ever found, the best guess is that coach just liked Abby Prohaska better and they both play the same position so couldn't have both. The official story is that Dara wanted to go her own way and that is why she chose Va.Tech. I think it's doubtful she ever received an offer from ND. Seems to me that maybe Krebs has some connection to the Mabrey's and could shed some light here.
DJ Morgan has announced he'll graduate this summer and look for a graduate transfer to another school. He's been recruited over and the future at ND for him looks like special teams and not much PT at Linebacker. Reportedly Pat Studstill and Javon McKinley will also be looking to graduate and transfer to get playing time. Studstill is at least listed on the depth chart but McKinley is not nor was DJ Morgan. Good luck to them all. While no doubt the grad transfer thing has changed the game, I do think it works well for the kids. These guys will get their degree's and have a shot at playing more at another program and of course getting a leg up on a Masters degree for free. I do wonder if a new rule for the NCAA might be a good thing. Since the transfer rule is meant as a sort of reward to kids who do their work and graduate, why not also reward them by letting them stay at their current school if they want and not count against the 85 player limit?
Irish Women handled Va.Tech easily last night and the matchup between the Mabrey's was decidedly in favor of the older sister, Sr. Marina, over the freshman Dara. Next up is Boston College. After that the Irish travel to Knoxville for a huge game with the Lady Vols.
Well the Irish Men lost to NCState yesterday in a tough game. I watched it all, once they got a little lead we could get back to one score then we couldn't get the next stop. Goodwin had a good game and Mooney is a really good player but everybody else is just too inconsistent. It's hard to see where our next win will be, we'll probably play well enough to stay close but right now this team doesn't have what it takes to win those close games at the end. Not having the big guy, Dunham, really hurts.
Irish Women take care of Boston College by almost 30 points. Interesting fact about BC, they have 8 freshmen on their roster and no seniors, a tad unusual. Next up a trip to Knoxville on Thursday.
On a different note the University has announced it will be covering the Columbus Murals on the 1st floor of the Administration Building (Golden Dome). Of course I've seen them, and it never really occurred to me that they might be controversial. But in today's world there is always those who are offended. So these art works will be covered, and digital copies made and displayed some place else on campus with some reflection on the context of the work. They were painted in 1884 when things in America were much different. They can't be removed without damaging the building so they will be covered up. As I said I was unaware of the controversy surrounding them, but this article linked in the Notre Dame Scholastic is from several years ago and references that they have been an issue for 20 years or more. Columbus Murals in the Main Building: They Should Go // Scholastic // University of Notre Dame I know some cities no longer celebrate Columbus day, I don't know if statues of Columbus are being removed along with the Confederate Generals, but I wouldn't be surprised.
America in the 21st century exhibits a weakness that is stunning. We are in a constant state of self-inflicted shame. And now this. Today we are the "Cowering Irish".
Oh yeah Irish Hockey took 1 from Wisconsin, at home and then skated to an OT tie at the United Center in Chicago. They stand 3rd in the Big 10 Hockey league which is pretty tight right now, Ohio State is the solid #1 in the league.
Judging art of the past with today's culture is something that ideologues do. I've got a suggestion lets replace the murals with artwork depicting the martyrdom of clerics like Isaac Joques and Fray Francisco Lopez, unarmed men of God who were killed by the wonderful indigenous peoples.
End of game woes continue for Mens Basketball. They lost last night at Ga.Tech 63-61. They just can't seem to find a way to finish out a game and get the win. They have UVA and Duke coming to South Bend next, not much hope there for a win.
Nice win tonight for the women at Tennessee Close game in the 1st half, but they broke it open in the 3rd qtr and won going away
How does this sound as a possibility for the next ND RB coach? sources have indicated that the a lead candidate for the job is Carolina Panthers wide receiver coach Lance Taylor. Sources have indicated Taylor was supposed to interview for the job Wednesday (Jan. 23), but weather forced him to reschedule his travel plans. He’s now expected to be in South Bend for an interview at the end of the week on either Friday or Saturday. Once those interviews conclude, barring a change in the process or an unexpected candidate emerging, a decision is expected between two candidates. Taylor, a 37-year old assistant, was named the 2015 FootballScoop.com Running Back Coach of the Year. He was instrumental in the growth of A.P. Player of the Year and Heisman Trophy finalist Christian McCaffrey as Stanford rushed for nearly 160 yards per game and amassed more than 100 yards in 11 of 13 games upon Taylor’s arrival. Taylor was the assistant wide receivers coach with the Carolina Panthers, the assistant tight ends coach with the New York Jets, the wide receivers coach at Appalachian State and a graduate assistant at Alabama prior. A walk-on that eventually earned a scholarship, Taylor attended the University of Alabama and played in 24 games during his career with the Crimson Tide. 48COMMENTS As a recruiter at Stanford, Taylor spanned the country including his home state of Alabama, California, south Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Taylor is credited for landing recruits such as four-star offensive tackle Clark Yarbrough, four-year defensive end Ryan Johnson, four-star quarterback Jack West, four-star running back Bryce Love, and three-star wide receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside among others. I say....give the guy a contract now!!
Our Indiana 1A star Jack Kizer zoomed up the ratings from #642 on the 247 list to #191 and got elevated to a 4 star. Our stud safety recruit from Georgia, Kyle Hamilton, also got a boost in the final 247 rankings from 4 star to a 5 star. Can't wait to see both these guys in Blue and Gold.
Good question Bob, Hart's name raised some hackles amongst ND fans due to the fact that he went to Michigan. Some wondered if he could be 100 %. for the Irish or would he go soft in any recruiting battle with UM, some didn't like some things he said as a player . He's the guy who started the whole little brother thing with MSU, he guaranteed a UM victory over ND after that APP State loss, etc. My take is that he's coaching now and he might never make it to Ann Arbor so he has to do a great job for who ever he is coaching or he'll be a failure and if he were to come to ND and not do everything he can to make the Irish great then he shouldn't even apply . We've had former Michigan players, Mike Trogvac, Mike Elston (current DL coach) and one other who I can't think of, under Charlie (Brown?) all were just fine. Bottom line for me is if he's the guy I will judge him solely on his performance.