Men's Hoops Begins Four-Game Homestand Saturday Versus Pittsburgh

Jan. 21, 2000

Notre Dame Fighting Irish (11-7, 2-2) vs.
Pittsburgh Panthers (8-7, 0-4)

Date: Saturyday, January 22, 2000
Place: Joyce Center, Notre Dame, IN (11,418)
Time: 12:00 p.m. EST

Television: ESPN Plus (John Sanders, Bob Wenzel) WNDU-TV in the South Bend area and also on 29 other stations including WTAE in Pittsburgh, WWOR in New York City, WTXF in Philadelphia, WJAL in Washington, D.C., WPLG in Miami, WTXX in Hartford, New England Sports Network in Boston, Comcast Cable in Atlanta, SportsChannel Florida in Miami and WAV-TV in Indianapolis.

Radio: Host Communications Inc. (Jack Lorri, Jack Nolan) originates the Notre Dame Radio Network (includes WNDV-1490 AM and WNDV-92.9 FM in South Bend, WEFM-95.9 FM in Michigan City and selected games on WMAQ-670 AM or WAUR-930 AM in Chicago)

TODAY’S GAME: The Notre Dame basketball team opens up a four-game homestand today against Pittsburgh. The Irish enter the game with an overall record of 11-7 and are 2-2 in the BIG EAST.

Notre Dame – which started 2-0 in the BIG EAST for the first time in its five-year membership in the league – dropped its first BIG EAST game of the season with an 80-57 loss at seventh-ranked Syracuse on Sunday and then lost at Rutgers on Tuesday by a 76-51 count.

In the loss to Rutgers, sophomore forward Troy Murphy (Morristown, N.J.) was the leading scorer for the Irish with 18 points and eight rebounds while freshman guard Matt Carroll (Horsham, Penn.) had 13 points.

The Irish opened its regular season against ’99 Final Four participant Ohio State as it defeated the Buckeyes by a 59-57 score in Columbus on Nov. 16 in the first round of the Preseason National Invitation Tournament. The Irish went on to finish fourth in that event.

Notre Dame has played a total of six ranked teams this season and had won seven straight games before the Syracuse loss with wins against: VMI (79-66 on Dec. 18), Rider (75-62 on Dec. 22), Elon (97-71 on Dec. 28), St. Peter’s (85-67 on Dec. 31) and Loyola Marymount (75-57 on Jan. 2), Connecticut (75-70 on Jan. 5) and Boston College (86-77 on Jan. 12).

The Irish also have lost a pair of overtime games this season – an 81-64 loss at Indiana on Nov. 30 (the Hoosiers went out to a 22-4 lead in that contest) and at home against Vanderbilt on Dec. 4 (87-85).

After today’s game vs. Pittsburgh, the homestand continues on Tuesday when the Irish play host to Miami (Fla.) at 7:30 p.m. EST. The other two games are next Saturday at 3:00 p.m. against St. John’s and Wed., Feb. 2, at 7:30 p.m. against West Virginia.

THE NOTRE DAME-PITTSBURGH SERIES: Today’s game is the 38th meeting between Notre Dame and Pittsburgh and the Irish lead the series by a 19-18 count. Since Notre Dame joined the BIG EAST in the 1995-96 season, the two teams have split six meetings with the Irish winning two of three games at the Joyce Center. Overall, Notre Dame has a 4-2 record against Pittsburgh at the Joyce Center.

Notre Dame and Pittsburgh met just once last season with the Irish taking an 87-64 win at the Joyce Center on Jan. 5, 1999. Troy Murphy scored 30 points to lead the Irish while David Graves added 21 and Phil Hickey scored 13.

Pittsburgh led at the half by a 36-34 count, but the Irish took over the game in the beginning of the second half and led 52-44 with 15:25 left to play on a Graves three-point field goal. Notre Dame led by double digits in the final 13:32 of the contest.

NOTRE DAME/PITTSBURGH SERIES

Series: ND, 19-18
Current Streak: ND, 1
In BIG EAST: Tied, 3-3
At Notre Dame: ND, 10-7
At Pitt: Pitt, 11-5
Last Meeting: 1998-99, at ND, 87-64 ND

QUICK HITS: Some quick notes about the Notre Dame basketball team –

• The Irish strung together a seven-game winning streak for the first time since the 1986-87 season. Notre Dame won 11 games in a row that year – the final nine of the regular season and two in the NCAA tournament before losing to North Carolina in the regional semifinals.
• The Irish reached the 11-victory plateau on Jan. 12, the quickest that has happened according to the calendar since the 1908-09 Notre Dame team reached 11 wins on Dec. 31.

WHAT A SCHEDULE: Matt Doherty is starting his collegiate head coaching career with a very rugged schedule as nine of his first 18 games have been against teams that played in last year’s NCAA tournament.

The Irish have posted wins over:

• Ohio State, 59-57 on Nov. 16 in the first round of the Preseason NIT in Columbus. The Buckeyes finished last season with a 27-9 record and advanced to the NCAA Final Four.
• Siena, 107-96 on Nov. 18 in the second round of the Preseason NIT at Notre Dame. The Saints had a 25-6 record last year and played in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
• Valparaiso, 65-42 on Dec. 8 at Notre Dame. The Crusaders had a 23-9 record last year and played in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
• Connecticut, 75-70 on Jan. 5 at Hartford. The Huskies went 34-2 last season and won the national championship.

Notre Dame’s losses include: Arizona (22-7 last year and played in first round of the NCAA tournament), Maryland (28-6 last year and advanced to NCAA regional semifinal), Indiana (23-11 last year and advanced to NCAA tournament second round last year), Miami of Ohio (24-8 last year and advanced to NCAA tournament regional semifinals) and Syracuse (21-12 last year and played in first round of the NCAA tournament).

Here’s a look at the records of the Irish non-conference opponents this season (as of Jan. 21):

TOTAL RECORD OF TEAMS TO WHICH NOTRE DAME HAS LOST: 64-18

THE OHIO STATE, CONNECTICUT WINS: Notre Dame’s win over Ohio State (ranked fourth at the time in Associated Press poll and sixth in the ESPN/USA Today poll) in the first round of the Preseason NIT and the win over Connecticut in the BIG EAST opener on Jan. 5 (ranked second in both polls) marked a number of milestones for the Irish:

• The wins give Notre Dame victories over two top-five ranked teams in the same season since 1980-81 when the Irish beat No. 1 Virginia and No. 2 Kentucky.
• The wins give Notre Dame victories over two top-five ranked teams on the opposing floor for the first time in school history.
• The Connecticut win was the first win over a team ranked that high since defeating No. 2/2 UCLA on Feb. 22, 1992, at the Joyce Center by an 84-71 score.
• The Connecticut win was the first win over a team ranked that high at an opposing site since defeating No. 2 UCLA on Dec. 9, 1978, by an 81-78 score. The Irish posted wins over No. 2 Kentucky and No. 1 Virginia during the 1980-81 season at neutral sites.
• The Connecticut win marked the eighth time in school history that Notre Dame had defeated the defending national champion. Those wins were Kentucky in 1949-50, North Carolina in 1957-58, UCLA in 1970-71, 1973-74 and 1975-76, Indiana in 1976-77 and Marquette in 1977-78.
• The Ohio State win was the first win over a ranked team since defeating No. 15/15 Syracuse on Jan. 21, 1998, by an 83-63 score.
• The Ohio State win was the first win over a ranked team on the road since defeating No. 20/21 West Virginia on Jan. 15, 1998, by a 74-72 score.
• The Ohio State win was the first win over a top-10 team since defeating No. 4/T2 UCLA on Feb. 5, 1994, by a 79-63 score.
• The Ohio State win was the first win over a top-10 team on the road since defeating No. 4/3 Syracuse on Feb. 17, 1990, by a 66-65 score.
• The Ohio State win was the first Notre Dame road win over a Big Ten team since defeating Northwestern on Dec. 5, 1979, by a 73-56 score.

ONLY 42 POINTS: The 42 points that the Irish gave up in their 65-42 win over Valparaiso on Dec. 8 marked the least amount of points that Notre Dame has given up since Jan. 30, 1985, when Notre Dame also gave up 42 points in a 48-42 win over St. Louis at the Joyce Center. The last time Notre Dame gave up less than 42 points was Jan. 16, 1984, a 65-39 win over Rice at the Joyce Center.

PRESEASON NIT: Notre Dame’s trip to the Preseason NIT in ’99 marked the third appearance for the Irish in the event. In 1986, Notre Dame lost at home in the first round to Western Kentucky by an 80-63 score. In 1990, Notre Dame defeated Fordham (56-46) and Iowa (77-68) at home to advance to the finals in New York and lost to Arizona (91-61) in the semifinals and Duke (85-77) in the consolation game.

As an assistant at Kansas, Notre Dame head coach Matt Doherty participated in the event twice. The Jayhawks won both the 1993 and 1997 events.

HEAD COACH MATT DOHERTY: Notre Dame head basketball coach Matt Doherty is in his first year in charge of the Fighting Irish program and his first season as a collegiate head coach.

Doherty previously served as an assistant coach at Kansas for seven seasons from 1992-99 as the Jayhawks advanced to the NCAA tournament in each year, including a trip to the 1993 Final Four.

Doherty previously served as an assistant coach at Davidson for three seasons from 1989-92.

Doherty is a 1984 graduate of North Carolina and helped lead the Tar Heels to the 1982 NCAA title. Doherty became just the second player in Atlantic Coast Conference history, joining North Carolina’s Walter Davis, to accumulate 1,000 points, 400 rebounds and 400 assists in a career.

HITTING THE CENTURY MARK: Notre Dame’s win over Siena on Nov. 18 in the second round of the Preseason NIT marked the first time Notre Dame scored over 100 points in a game since a 101-98 win at Syracuse on Feb. 15, 1992. The 107 points scored by the Irish were the most since they also scored 107 vs. Miami (Fla.) on Jan. 27, 1990. The 48-point differential for Notre Dame from Ohio State (59 points) to Siena was the most in back-to-back games since a 50-point differential in the ’74 NCAA tournament with a 77-68 loss to Michigan and a 118-88 win over Vanderbilt in a regional consolation game.

MURPHY NAMED BIG EAST PLAYER OF THE WEEK AGAIN: Murphy was named the BIG EAST co-player of the week on Jan. 10 for his game against Connecticut on Jan. 5 when he scored 33 points and 16 rebounds. He shared the award with Erick Barkley of St. John’s.

Murphy has won the award five times this season overall and had won the BIG EAST player-of-the-week award for four consecutive weeks following his most recent weekly honor on Jan. 10, one short of the record.

John Wallace of Syracuse holds the BIG EAST record for most player-of-the-week awards won in a row with five from Dec. 4-Jan. 8 of the 1995-96 seasons. He also holds the conference record for most player-of-the-week awards in a single-season with six in ’95-’96.

In addition to Jan. 10, Murphy also won the award on Jan. 3, Dec. 27, Dec. 20 and on Nov. 22 for his performance in the first two rounds of the Preseason NIT and the Irish win over St. Francis (Pa.). That announcement was the first weekly BIG EAST award of the season.

As of Jan. 21, Murphy is the leading scorer and second-leading rebounder in the BIG EAST in overall games. In conference games, Murphy is first in scoring at 25.0 and first in rebounding at 10.3.

Murphy was named the BIG EAST rookie of the year in 1999 and won the BIG EAST rookie of the week award eight times – the second-highest in league history.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT TROY MURPHY

“In tough times, Troy is my first option. Just like it was when I was playing, “Let’s get the ball to Michael (Jordan).

“That didn’t hurt my feelings as a player.

“His work ethic sets him apart. Troy’s right up there with the hardest workers I’ve coached. He works hard and loves the game of basketball.” – Notre Dame head coach Matt Doherty

“Not many players come in and (dominate) a conference like he has. Oscar (Robertson) in the Missouri Valley. (Bill) Bradley in the Ivies. David Thompson in the ACC. Those are the kinds of names you conjure up when you think of a kid doing what he’s doing.” – ESPN and CBS analyst Bill Raftery

“Notre Dame has a great player in Troy Murphy, who’s a tough matchup because he’s effective inside and out. He’s very clever inside.” – Arizona coach Lute Olson

“He has a great feel for the game and where to go to get open. He used his body well to post up, is effective on the baseball and is just fundamentally sound. He’s learned the game well.” –Maryland coach Gary Williams

“He’s a terrific player. I don’t know what other great praise I can give him.” – Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun

“Nothing bothers him now. Put a big man on him, he just says OK and take him outside, shoots over him, uses the hook or drives around him. Put a smaller, athletic guy on him and he just says OK, goes inside, posts up and scores over him. You can’t name five better guys in college basketball right now.

“It’s not like there’s an answer to stopping the guy. He’s too good. He can hurt you in too many ways. The guy is a human double-double.” – Rutgers coach Kevin Bannon

“You don’t stop Murphy. We’re not going to do anything special. He’s a lottery pick when he goes to the NBA. We’ve just got to make it tough for him to get low-post position and keep him off the glass.” –Siena coach Paul Hewitt, entering the second round NIT game with Notre Dame – Murphy scored 21 points and had 12 rebounds against the Saints

“Troy Murphy, without question, is one of the premier big guys in the country. Anytime you have a player of the caliber of Troy Murphy, you’re going to have a hard time if you’re not strong inside.” – St. Francis (Pa.) coach Bobby Jones

“We tried to bump him a little bit earlier in the second half and double down. If you bump him a little bit before he gets in the low post, he’ll move outside. Boy, is he a player.” – VMI coach Bart Bellairs

“Troy Murphy is a machine.” – Elon coach Mark Simons

BIG EAST LEADERS: Here’s where Irish players and the team stand in the current BIG EAST statistics (as of Jan. 21).

In overall games, the Notre Dame team is second in free throw percentage at .723, fourth in field goal percentage at .474, fourth in three-point field goal percentage at .369 and second in assists at 18.44. In conference games, the team is first in free throw percentage at .789, fifth in assists at 15.50 and fourth in assists/turnover ratio at 1.03.

Murphy’s 35 points vs. St. Francis (Pa.) earlier this season is tied as the most points by a BIG EAST player in a sinlge game this season while his 14 field goals made vs. St. Francis is the most. His 15 free throws made vs. Siena tops the league as does his 18 attempts vs. the Saints. Dillon’s 12 assists vs. Siena is the most by a league player this year. Murphy leads the league in overall double-doubles with 12.

In league play, Murphy’s 33 points vs. Connecticut is the second-highest to Khalid El-Amin’s 34 in the same game. Murphy’s 11 field goals vs. the Huskies is also tied as the league best along with his 10 free throws made.

MURPHY GETS 12TH DOUBLE-DOUBLE: Murphy had his 12th double-double of the season on Jan. 16 against Syracuse with 22 points and 10 rebounds. His 12 double-doubles lead all players in the BIG EAST Conference.

The sophomore forward has led the Irish in scoring in 16 of 18 games this season and has been the leading rebounder or tied on 16 occasions. He scored 35 points against St. Francis (Pa.) on Nov. 20 for his career high topping his previous mark of 32 set against West Virginia last year.

Murphy has now played in 45 games as a collegiate performer and has scored in double figures in all but one of them. He has posted double-doubles in 24 games and has scored 20 or more points in 23 games and 30 or more points in nine games.

This season, Murphy has scored in double figures in every game, scored 20 or more points in 13 games and 30 or more points in six games, including four of the past nine.

MURPHY AND THE NATIONAL LEADERS: Murphy is among the national leaders in scoring and rebounding. As of January 21, Murphy was third in the country in scoring at 24.6 points per game, while SirValliant Brown of George Washington was first at 25.1 points per game and Courtney Alexander of Fresno State was second at 25.0. In rebounding, Murphy was seventh at 10.7 per game while Darren Phillip of Fairfield is first at 13.5. He is the only player in the country currently to be ranked among the top 10 scorers and rebounders.

MURPHY APPROACHES 1,000: Murphy is looking to become the 40th player in Notre Dame history to score 1,000 career points. He has played 45 career games and has scored 961 points – needing 39 points to reach 1,000. Murphy is on pace to score his 1,000th point in his 47th-career game against Miami on Jan. 25.

If Murphy reaches that landmark against the Hurricanes, he would become the second-youngest in Irish history to score 1,000 points at 19 years and 268 days old. Former Irish All-American Adrian Dantley (1973-76) was 18 years and 355 days old when he scored his 1,000th point. He also would join Dantley as the only Irish sophomores with 1,000 points. If Murphy scores his 1,000th point in his 47th game, that would stand fifth fastest among Notre Dame’s 39 previous 1,000-point scorers. All-time leading scorer Austin Carr (1968-71) needed just 35 games, while Dantley needed 44. It took John Shumate (1972-74) and Bob Arnzen (1966-69) 46 games to score 1,000 points.

PRESEASON BIG EAST HONORS FOR MURPHY: Murphy was picked first team preseason all-BIG EAST for the 1999-2000 season by the league coaches. The honor was announced at BIG EAST Conference Media Day on Wed., October 25, 1999, and was held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City.

Also named to the first team was: Khalid El-Amin of Connecticut, Johnny Hemsley of Miami, Erick Barkley of St. John’s and Etan Thomas of Syracuse.

The second team was Kevin Freeman of Connecticut, Isaac Hawkins of Pittsburgh, Bootsy Thornton of St. John’s, Jason Hart of Syracuse and Marcus Goree of West Virginia.

The preseason player of the year was El-Amin and the preseason rookie of the year was Ajou Deng of Connecticut.

MORE HONORS FOR MURPHY: In addition to the BIG EAST honors, Murphy garnered a number of preseason accolades heading into the 1999-2000 campaign and during the season, including:

• One of top 30 candidates for 2000 John R. Wooden Award
• Named to USA Today’s midseason All-America team
• Named by ESPN’s Dick Vitale to his midseason All-America team
• Second Team All-America, Dick Vitale’s College Basketball
• Second Team All-America, Basketball News
• Honorable Mention All-America, Athlon
• Ranked second in country among centers, Dick Vitale’s College Bas- ketball
• Ranked fourth in country among power forwards, Lindy’s
• Ranked 11th in country among power forwards, The Sporting News
• First Team All-BIG EAST, Dick Vitale’s College Basketball
• First Team All-BIG EAST, The Sporting News
• First Team All-BIG EAST, Lindy’s
• Best NBA Prospect in BIG EAST, Lindy’s
• Best Rebounder in BIG EAST, The Sporting News
• All-Windex Team (The kids can really clean the glass), Dick Vitale’s College Basketball

GRAVES IS SUPER SOPH: Graves has started 46 of the 48 collegiate games he has played in and has scored in double figures in 33 of those contests. He has scored in double figures in all but five games this season.

Graves scored 370 points as a freshman last year – the fourth-highest in school history behind Murphy (519 last year), Adrian Dantley (511 in 1973-74) and David Rivers (474 in 1984-85). He now has 613 career points.

Graves has added the three-point field goal shot to his repertoire this year as he is 39-of-87 (44.8%) from that range this year to lead the Irish. Last year, Graves was 35-of-86 from behind the arc.

Graves is second among Irish regulars in field goal percentage this season at 50.3% (90-of-179).

Graves enjoyed an outstanding game against Vanderbilt on Dec. 4 with career highs for points (33), rebounds (12), field goals made (11), three-point field goals (five) and minutes played (44). The game was the first double-double of Graves’ collegiate career.

Against Elon on Dec. 28, Graves led the Irish in scoring for the second time this season as he registered 24 points and also added six rebounds.

Graves scored the winning basket against Ohio State and started the season with one of the top games of his Irish career as he scored 18 points (now tied for career fourth-best) on a seven of 12 effort from the field along with eight rebounds, to tie a career high. Graves added 16 points in the win over Siena on Nov. 18 and had 12 against St. Francis (Pa.) on Nov. 21.

CARROLL GETS CAREER HIGH: Carroll has scored in double figures in nine games – 16 points vs. Siena, 11 vs. Maryland, 18 vs. Vanderbilt, 22 vs. VMI, 13 vs. Valparaiso, 10 vs. Elon, 10 vs. Connecticut, 15 vs. Boston College and 13 vs. Rutgers.

In his BIG EAST debut against Connecticut, Carroll went scoreless in the first half – missing his first six field goal attempts – but scored 10 points in the second half to help the Irish to the victory.

Carroll is 25-of-78 from three-point field goal range this season.

Carroll registered a career-high 22 points against VMI on Dec. 18. Carroll was three-for-six from three-point field goal range and was seven-for-11 from the field. He also added five assists.

Carroll had come off the bench in the first six games of the season before being moved into the starting lineup against Vanderbilt on Dec. 11. In his first start, he had 18 points – then a career-high.

He spent the summer as a member of the USA Basketball Junior National Team that played in the FIBA World Championships, which were held in Portugal in August. The United States won the silver medal in the event.

Carroll played in seven of the eight games the United States played and scored a combined 16 points to go along with three rebounds and four steals. He scored eight points in the United States’ opening round win over China.

Carroll is the only player in the history of Pennsylvania high school basketball to win the Associated Press player of the year twice.

SWANAGAN SCORES SEASON HIGH: Swanagan scored a season-high 12 points against Syracuse on five-of-eight shooting from the field and two of three from the free-throw line. The 12-point performance stands as the fifth-best scoring game of his career. He scored 11 points and had 12 rebounds vs. Rider on Dec. 22 for his first double-double of the season and third of his career. On Jan. 12 vs. Boston College, he scored in double figures for the third time this season with 11 points and added six rebounds.

Swanagan scored in double figures for the first time this season when he had 10 points and added four rebounds against Valparaiso on Dec. 8. Swanagan has started 15 of 16 games for the Irish this year at the center position.

Swanagan played in 29 games last season, scoring in double figures in eight of them and starting two games.

DILLON DISHES OUT: Senior point guard Jimmy Dillon (Philadelphia, Pa.) has started all 18 games for the Irish this season and has recorded a team-leading 108 assists to go with 58 turnovers.

Dillon’s 108-assist total is already his personal career-high for a season as he had 80 last year.

Entering the season, Dillon had started just two games in his career and had averaged 11.6 minutes per game – as opposed to 28.3 minutes per game this year. Dillon is the most experienced player on the Irish team this year in terms of career games with 102.

Against Connecticut on Jan. 5, Dillon scored nine points – to tie a career-high – and dished out seven assists.

MACURA GETS FIRST CAREER START: Freshman forward Jere Macura (Split, Croatia) started the first game of his collegiate career vs. VMI (Dec. 18) and had two points and three rebounds in 15 minutes of action.

Macura registered a career-high 13 points, including two three-point field goals, vs. Indiana (Nov. 30). Macura played a career-high 33 minutes off the bench and also added eight rebounds.

Macura scored five points in 10 minutes against Connecticut on Jan. 5. All five points – a field goal and a three-point field goal – were scored during a 13-2 Irish run during the second half that turned a 38-35 UConn lead into a 48-40 Notre Dame lead.

Macura scored nine points coming off the bench in 18 minutes of play against Maryland (Nov. 26). Macura scored all his points on three-point field goals as he was three for four from that range for the game. He came off the bench to score eight points against Elon on Dec. 28 and St. Peter’s on Dec. 31.

MONSEREZ, KARTELO GET CAREER HIGHS: Freshman guard Mike Monserez (Cincinnati, Ohio) posted his career high for points in three-straight games.

Monserez scored five points vs. Elon (Dec. 28), six points vs. St. Peter’s (Dec. 31) and nine vs. Loyola Marymount (Jan. 2). Monserez registered three three-point field goals vs. LMU and is seven-of-25 from that range this season.

Freshman center Ivan Kartelo (Split, Croatia) scored 11 points off the bench in 22 minutes of action against St. Peter’s (Dec. 31). Kartelo played a career-high 26 minutes vs. Connecticut on Jan. 5 and scored two points with five rebounds.

IRISH SIGN THREE
University of Notre Dame basketball coach Matt Doherty announced on Nov. 12 that three players have signed national letters of intent and plan on enrolling at Notre Dame in the fall and playing for Doherty’s squad. The three are: Torrian Jones, a 6-4, 185-pound guard from Fairless Hills, Pa., and Pennsbury High School, Tom Timmermans, a 6-11, 235-pound center from Driehuis, Netherlands and the Blue Ridge School in Dyke, Va., and Chris Markwood, a 6-5, 185-pound guard from South Portland, Maine and South Portland High School.

Jones averaged 17 points per game last year at Pennsbury for head coach Frank Sciolla as the team won 26 games – the most in school history. The team played in the District One championship game and lost in the second round of the state tournament. Jones earned first team all-conference and all-area honors and averaged 22 points per game in seven post season contests. In his junior year, Jones shot 50.2% from the field and 43.8% from three-point field goal distance.

Markwood earned first-team all-state honors last season at South Portland, averaging 21.5 points, 6.3 assists, 4.9 rebounds and four assists for head coach Tony DiBiase. Markwood earned first team all-conference honors last year and was named conference MVP. His AAU team in Maine has been the state champions for the past three years.

Timmermans averaged 12.5 points per game last year at Blue Ridge for head coach Bill Ramsey along with 10 rebounds. The team finished 19-6 on the season – third in the state among independent schools.

IRISH ON THE RADIO
Host/USA originates the Notre Dame Basketball Radio Network for the 12th consecutive year in 1999-2000.

Jack Lorri will handle the play-by-play of all Notre Dame basketball games and this season marks his 31st year announcing Irish games. Lorri spent his first 14 years with Notre Dame as sports director of WTRC-AM in Elkhart, Ind., and then five years doing games on WGN-AM in Chicago before teaming up with Host/USA. He served as sports director for WSJV-TV in Elkhart for 13 years beginning in 1967 and did play-by-play for Kentucky football and basketball on WLAP in Lexington in 1961-63. Lorri also served as sports director of the Tribune Radio Network in Chicago.

Jack Nolan handles the color commentary on the network. He has been a sports anchor at WNDU-TV, the NBC affiliate in South Bend, for more than a decade. He has done play-by-play of Irish basketball on both television and radio as well as on live telecasts of Notre Dame football. He is also the host of WNDU’s highly successful Saturday and Sunday morning news broadcasts.

Stations on the Notre Dame Basketball Radio Network this season are: WMAQ 670 AM in Chicago, WAUR 930 AM in Chicago, WNDV 1490 AM and 92.9 FM in South Bend, WEFM 95.9 FM in Michigan City, Ind., WLUV 96.7 FM and 1520 AM in Rockford, Ill., KHEP 1280 AM in Phoenix, Ariz., KATD 990 AM in San Francisco, Calif., KSAR 92.7 FM in Conway, Ark., and KIND 1010 AM in Independence, Kan.

All radio broadcasts of Notre Dame basketball games can also be heard through the World Wide Web at www.und.com.

CHICAGO RADIO
WMAQ-AM radio will carry Notre Dame basketball games in the Chicago market again this season as part of the Notre Dame Basketball Radio Network originated by Host/USA. In addition, Chicago’s WAUR-AM will also broadcast selected Irish games.

WMAQ-AM (670), with its 50,000-watt clear channel signal, covers a larger geographic area than any other radio station in Chicago. The station’s other sports properties include the Chicago Bears and the Chicago Blackhawks and the station is also affiliated with CNN Radio.

Notre Dame basketball games on WMAQ this season include: Dec. 4 against Vanderbilt, Dec. 11 at Miami (Ohio), Dec. 18 vs. VMI, Jan. 16 at Syracuse, Jan. 22 vs. Pittsburgh, Jan. 25 vs. Miami (Fla.), Jan. 29 vs. St. John’s, Feb. 6 at Pittsburgh, Feb. 8 at Villanova, Feb. 12 vs. Connecticut, Feb. 19 at Seton Hall, Feb. 26 at Miami (Fla.) and March 4 at Georgetown.

Six more Irish games will be carried in the Chicago area on WAUR-AM (930). They include: Nov. 16 at Ohio State, Nov. 30 at Indiana, Dec. 8 vs. Valparaiso, Jan. 5 at Connecticut, Feb. 23 vs. Providence and March 1 vs. Syracuse.

TICKETS ON SALE
The University of Notre Dame men’s basketball game vs. Connecticut at 12:00 p.m. EST on Sat., February 13, 2000, at the Joyce Center is sold out.

A limited number of upper bleacher tickets are still available for the remaining Notre Dame home games: Sat., January 22, Pittsburgh, 12:00 p.m., Tues., January 25, Miami, Fla., 7:30 p.m., Sat., January 29, St. John’s, 3:00 p.m., Wed., February 2, West Virginia, 7:30 p.m., Wed., February 23, Providence, 7:30 p.m., and Wed., March 1, Syracuse, 9:00 p.m.

Tickets in the upper bleachers are priced at $8 each and can be purchased in person at the Joyce Center box office or by calling 219-631-7356 and using a Visa, Mastercard or American Express credit card. A $5 fee is accessed to each order.

BASKETBALL LUNCHEONS
Notre Dame head basketball coach Matt Doherty along with players Troy Murphy, Jimmy Dillon, Todd Palmer and Skylard Owens will be the featured speakers at the Notre Dame Basketball Luncheon on Friday, Jan. 21, 2000, at 12:00 p.m. EST in the Joyce Center. The luncheon is being held the day before Notre Dame plays host to BIG EAST Conference opponent Pittsburgh.

A second luncheon will also be held on Friday, Feb. 11, 2000, the day before the Irish take on Connecticut.

Reservations are currently being accepted for both luncheons, which are priced at $16.00 per person. Tickets can be purchased by mailing a check made payable to the University of Notre Dame to Athletic Business Office, 112 Joyce Center, Notre Dame, IN 46556. Please include $3 handling for your order.

IRISH ON ESPN

Notre Dame will make four appearances on ESPN this season and one on espn2. The Irish game against Ohio State in the first round of the preseason National Invitation Tournament was televised on espn2 and the semifinal game against Arizona was on ESPN.

Notre Dame games scheduled for ESPN are: Sat., February 19, at Seton Hall, 9:00 p.m. EST, Sat., February 26, at Miami (Fla.), 7:00 p.m. EST, Wed., March 1, vs. Syracuse, 9:00 p.m. EST.

BACK TO THE FUTURE

Ever since Matt Doherty was named the coach at Notre Dame, he has stressed the tradition of winning that the program has. He has worked hard to include former players in the program:

• Bruce Flowers, a member of the ’78 Irish Final Four team, served as a counselor at the Irish summer basketball camp, while Ken Barlow, who scored 1,342 career points for the Irish from 1982-86, was a guest speaker.
• Collis Jones, who scored 1,367 career points for the Irish from 1968-71, has visited with the Irish coaching staff and practice sessions during his trips to campus as a member of the University’s Advisory Council for the College of Business Administration.
• Austin Carr, the all-time leading scorer in the history of Irish basketball with 2,560 points, was a special guest at “Friday Night Live,” a series of events that led to the first Irish practice at midnight on Oct. 16. Carr was joined at the event by ESPN and ABC announcer Dick Vitale and fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger.
• Dwight Clay, who hit the game-winning shot against UCLA on Jan. 19, 1974, for a 71-70 victory over the Bruins to end their record 88-game winning streak, spoke to the Irish before their practice on Nov. 15 – the day before they beat Ohio State in the first round of the Preseason NIT.

EVERYONE GETS IN THE ACT
The end of the Elon, St. Peter’s and Loyola Marymount games allowed Doherty to use all the walk-ons that make up his bench. Sophomore John Hiltz (Ft. Mitchell, Kent.) played three minutes and scored six points in his second career appearance vs. Elon and now has played in four games this season. Freshman Tony Carney (Rockford, Ill.) played three minutes and scored two points vs. Elon in his first-ever appearance and also played vs. St. Peter’s and LMU. Sophomore Charles Thomas (Flint, Mich.) played three minutes vs. Elon, one vs. LMU and scored two points in one minute of action vs. St. Peter’s.

FORMER IRISH NOW COACHING RIVALS
Former Irish guards Keith Kurowski (Matawan, N.J.) and Pete Miller (South Bend, Ind.) — both ’96 graduates of Notre Dame and teammates for three years from 1994-96 — were back on the court together on Fri., Jan. 14, but not on the same team. Kurowski is in his first year as coach of the varsity boys’ basketball team at Marian High School in Mishawaka, Ind. Miller also is the first-year coach of the varsity boys’ basketball team at his alma mater, St. Joseph’s High School in South Bend. Kurowski led Marian to a 61-53 over St. Joseph’s in that game.

13 Matt Carroll

Guard, Freshman, 6-6, 200, Horsham, PA (Hatboro-Horsham) Has started the past 12 games for the Irish and scored a career-high 22 points vs. VMI (Dec. 18), including three three-point field goals…has scored in double figures in nine games this season, including seven as a starter and in three BIG EAST games…after going scoreless in the first half, scored 10 points in second half in win over Connecticut (Jan. 5)…in BIG EAST statistics as of Jan. 21 is second in free-throw percentage at 91.7% in conference games…had a career-high seven assists vs. Rider (Dec. 22)…also scored 13 points vs. Valparaiso (Dec. 9) and a then career-high 18 points against Vanderbilt (Dec. 4), including two three-point field goals…came off the bench in the first six games of the season to see action..scored 16 points vs. Siena (Nov. 18), including a two-for-two performance from three-point field goal range…scored 11 points, including three three-point field goals vs. Maryland (Nov. 26)…had a career-high five rebounds vs. Indiana (Nov. 30)…the only player in the history of Pennsylvania high school basketball to be named state player of the year twice…a member of the USA Junior National Team last summer, which won the silver medal at the FIBA World Championship.

Season and Career Highs
22 points vs. VMI, 12/18/99
5 rebounds vs. Indiana, 11/30/99
7 assists vs. Rider, 12/22/99

21 Jimmy Dillon

Guard, Senior, 6-2, 178, Philadelphia, PA (Holy Ghost Prep)
Has started all 18 games this season at point guard…his 108 assists are more than his season high of 80 last year…had seven assists to one turnover vs. Syracuse (Jan. 17)…tied a career-high with nine points vs. Connecticut (Jan. 5)…his six rebounds vs. Boston College (Jan. 12) were a career high…in the latest BIG EAST statistics (as of Jan. 21), is fourth in assists at 6.00 per game, fourth in assists/turnover ratio and 10th in steals at 1.83…in conference games, is sixth in assist/turnover ratio and fourth in assists at 6.25…had seven assists with just one turnover vs. Elon (Dec. 28) and seven assists with just two turnovers vs. St. Peter’s (Dec. 31)…hit a layup with two seconds left vs. Indiana (Nov. 30) to send game into overtime…hit a three-point field goal with 42 seconds left in regulation as he scored final five points of regulation…scored a season-high seven points vs. Hoosiers…leads the team in assists with 108 and has turned the ball over 58 times…dished out a career-high 12 assists in win over Siena (Nov. 18)…had nine assists and just one turnover vs. Maryland (Nov. 26)…had eight assists vs. Vanderbilt (Dec. 4) and Valparaiso (Dec. 9).

34 David Graves

Forward, Sophomore, 6-6, 208, Lexington, KY (Lexington Catholic)
Has started all 18 games for the Irish, scoring in double figures in 13…in the latest BIG EAST statistics (as of Jan. 21), is 14th in scoring, eighth in field-goal percentage, third in three-point field goal percentage, fifth in three-point field goals made per game and ninth in steals…in conference games is fourth in steals, 14th in three-point field goal percentage and tied for ninth in three-point field goals made per game…had 33 points and 12 rebounds vs. Vanderbilt (Dec. 4) – posting career highs in both categories…also had four assists and five three-point field goals vs. the Commodores…was 11 for 15 from the field and six for eight from the free-throw line…recorded a game-high 24 points vs. Elon (Dec. 28)…hit game-winning jump shot at buzzer at Ohio State (Nov. 16) in season-opener…scored 18 points vs. the Buckeyes….scored 17 points vs. Arizona (Nov. 24) in semifinals of Preseason NIT and scored 17 vs. VMI (Dec. 18)…has now played 48 collegiate games, scoring in double figures in 33 of them…the Vandy game was the first double-double of his career…scored 370 points as a freshman last year, the fourth-highest in school history behind Troy Murphy, Adrian Dantley and David Rivers…has 597 career points.

24 Martin Ingelsby

Guard, Junior, 6-0, 192, Philadelphia, PA (Archbishop Carroll)
Started the first six games of the season as a combination guard working with Jimmy Dillon…scored seven points off bench in win over Connecticut (Jan. 5) and hit two three-point field goals…scored 14 points in win over Ohio State (Nov. 16) and hit two key three-point field goals with 2:25 left to cut the OSU lead to one and at 1:30 to give the Irish a two-point lead…scored a season-high 15 points vs. Siena (Nov. 18)….had three three-point field goals in 11 point effort vs. Maryland…added 10 points vs. St. Peter’s (Dec. 31)…has 523 career points and 307 career assists.

11 Ivan Kartelo

Center, Freshman, 6-11, 247, Split, Croatia (Winchendon, MA School)
Has come off the bench in all 18 games this season…had a career-high 11 points vs. St. Peter’s (Dec. 31) for his first double-figure scoring game of his career…also had a career-high three assists vs. the Peacocks…played a career-high 26 minutes in win over Connecticut (Jan. 5) with two points and five rebounds to tie a career high…scored his first collegiate points with four point effort vs. Arizona (Nov. 24)…after playing three mintues in the first three games of the year, played 15 minutes vs. Arizona, 11 vs. Maryland and 12 vs. Indiana…injured his leg in the first exhibition game of the season, which slowed his progress…Croatian product who spent the 1998-99 academic year at the Winchendon School, a prep school in Massachusetts…was the first player to commit to the Notre Dame program after Matt Doherty had been named head coach.

Season and Career Highs
11 points vs. St. Peter’s, 12/31/99
5 rebounds in two games
3 assists vs. St. Peter’s, 12/31/99

15 Jere Macura

Forward, Freshman, 6-9, 218, Split, Croatia
Made his first collegiate start vs. VMI (Dec. 18) and scored two points in 15 minutes of action…has come off the bench in every other game…had a career-high 13 points, including two three-point field goals, and eight rebounds vs. Indiana (Nov. 30)…played a career-high 33 minutes vs. the Hoosiers…scored nine points with a three-for-four effort from three-point range vs. Maryland (Nov. 26)…scored eight points vs. Elon (Dec. 28) and St. Peter’s (Dec. 31) and had seven points against Siena (Nov. 18) with seven rebounds…scored five points in 10 minutes in win over Connecticut (Jan. 5) – scoring all five in key 13-2 Irish run midway through second half…also tied a career high with two assists vs. Huskies….Croatian native that the Irish coaching staff recruited off film and did not actually meet him until he arrived on the Notre Dame campus in August.

Season and Career Highs
13 points vs. Indiana, 11/30/99
8 rebounds vs. Indiana, 11/30/99
2 assists in three games

22 Mike Monserez

Guard, Freshman, 6-6, 192, Cincinnati, OH (Moeller)
Has come off the bench in all 18 games…scored six points – on two three-point field goals – vs. Boston College (Jan. 12), hitting both in the first 5:30 of the game…posted a career-high in three-straight games with nine points vs. Loyola Marymount (Jan. 31), six vs. St. Peter’s (Dec. 31) and five vs. Elon (Dec. 28)…had his first collegiate field goal with a three-pointer against Siena (Nov. 18)…led Moeller High School to the Ohio class AAA championship last year and was named tournament MVP.

Season and Career Highs
9 points vs. Loyola Marymount, 1/2/00
2 rebounds in three games
3 assists in two games

3 Troy Murphy

Forward, Sophomore, 6-10, 237, Morristown, NJ (Delbarton)
One of 30 top candidates for the John R. Wooden Award…was named the BIG EAST co-player-of-the-week on Jan. 10 for his 33 point-16 rebound performance in win over Connecticut (Jan. 5)…the 16 rebounds tied a season-high…was been named the BIG EAST player-of-the-week four weeks in a row and five overall…the four in a row was one short of the conference record (five by Syracuse’s John Wallace in 1995-96) and the five total honors is also one short of the BIG EAST mark (six by Wallace in ’95-’96)…also won the award on Jan. 3, Dec. 27, Dec. 20 and on Nov. 22…as of NCAA statistics of Jan. 20, is the second leading scorer in the country at 24.6 points per game and is eighth in rebounding at 10.7…in the latest BIG EAST statistics (as of Jan. 21) for overall games is first in scoring, second in rebounding, sixth in field goal percentage, fifth in free throw percentage, 13th in blocked shots and first in defensive rebounding…in conference games, is first in scoring, first in rebounding, 11th in field goal percentage, eighth in free throw percentage, tied for 11th in blocked shots and first in defensive rebounding…has scored in double figures in all 18 games this season and has 12 double-doubles, most in BIG EAST…has scored 20 or more points in 13 games and 30 or more in six, including four of the past nine…has now played in 45 collegiate basketball games, scoring in double figures in all but one and posting 24 double-doubles…has scored 20 or more points 23 different times and 30 or more points nine times…scored a career-high 35 points vs. St. Francis (Pa.) this season (Nov. 21) and had a career-high five assists vs. Loyola Marymount (Jan. 2)…was named to the Preseason NIT all-tournament team after averaging 24.8 points per game in four games in the event…was named preseason first team all-BIG EAST by the conference coaches and a second-team preseason All-America pick by the Basketball News and Dick Vitale’s College Basketball Yearbook … the 1999 BIG EAST rookie of the year, who set the Notre Dame school record for freshman scoring with 519 points…has 961 career points…one of three Irish captains along with Skylard Owens and Todd Palmer.

5 assists vs. Loyola Marymount, 1/2/00 5 assists vs. Loyola Marymount, 1/2/00

43 Skylard Owens

Forward, Senior, 6-4, 220, Shreveport, LA (Loyola College Prep)
One of three captains along with Troy Murphy and Todd Palmer…had been sidelined this season with a toe injury, a hip flexer and the flu…played two minutes and had three rebounds and a steal against Syracuse (Jan. 16)…scored two points in one minute against Arizona (Nov. 24)…played eight minutes vs. Vanderbilt (Dec. 4) and had two rebounds.

44 Todd Palmer

Forward, Senior, 6-6, 216, Harrington Park, NJ (Don Bosco Prep)
One of three captains along with Skylard Owens and Troy Murphy…had six points in win over St. Francis (Pa.) (Nov. 20)…also had three rebounds…came off the bench to score four points against Siena (Nov. 18) along with two rebounds and a career-high three assists…had four points in three minutes of action vs. Valparaiso (Dec. 8) and four points in 11 minutes vs. St. Peter’s (Dec. 31).

42 Harold Swanagan

Center, Sophomore, 6-7, 252, Hopkinsville, KY (University Heights Academy)
Had started the first nine games of the season at center and was moved back into the starting lineup vs. Rider (Dec. 22) and responded with his first double-double of the season and third of his career with 11 points and 12 rebounds – both then season highs…was questionable for the Connecticut game with a hand injury suffered vs. Loyola Marymount, but started the game and played 11 minutes with two points and two rebounds…tied his season-high with 11 points vs. Boston College (Jan. 12)…had season-high 12 points to go along with four rebounds against Syracuse (Jan. 16)…had a then season-high 10 points vs. Valparaiso (Dec. 8) and added four rebounds…scored nine points to go along with six rebounds and four assists (to tie career high) vs. Siena (Nov. 18)…set key screen in David Graves’ game-winning shot vs. Ohio State (Nov. 16).