Jan. 17, 2001
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – There is no doubt in Irish head coach Mike Brey’s mind that this year’s squad is mature.
Perhaps, it will become clearer how mature the team is if he shakes things up a bit.
In Tuesday night’s win over Pittsburgh, Brey opted to start Harold Swanagan over the likes of David Graves. The decision was made a bit easier due to Graves’ injured ankle, suffered against Kentucky.
“We have a good group going,” Brey said after the game. “Our biggest test as a group will be if guys can understand that minutes and rolls could change a little bit for the good of the group.”
Brey iterated that he is not sure whether things will change but he is tossing around the idea of redistributing minutes. Swanagan made a lengthy plea for his case by posting solid numbers in Tuesday’s game. He crashed the boards for 10 rebounds and scored seven points in the contest.
It was not the just the forward’s offensive performance which impressed the coaching staff. Brey and Co. liked the look of Swanagan and junior Ryan Humphrey together in the paint.
“We are big and we can cover some ground when those two are in,” Brey said. “We have looked at that a little in practice.”
The question is what identity does this team want. Brey describes the pairing as being “the bangers” where as Graves is more of a “finesse” guy.
“It was a different look,” Brey said. “It was something which we have only looked at in practice. It wasn’t something we have looked at in games since very early in the year. A lot of it has been Harold’s play since he has been back from Christmas break.”
With Swanagan drawing the attention of the coaching staff, Brey feels this could be a chance to give the team a different feel. He will take the next three days to think about exactly where Swanagan’s role will be.
“We need to evaluate some things as a staff and then we will crank it up in practice on Friday,” Brey said in response to the Swanagan situation. “That is something that we will talk about as a staff and as a group.”
The Irish have a couple days to decide if they plan to mix up the roles on the team. Brey attributes the idea, not to the poor play against Seton Hall and Kentucky, but to the injury sustained by Graves.
“It is funny how an injury helps you find something,” Brey said.
Brey is undecided exactly what change if any will be made. He does believe that his team will handle whatever his staff decides in stride.
Sunday will be the first chance to see if Brey opted for a change when the Irish face the Mountaineers.