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Dear ND

I love you. I do. I like pretty much everything about you.

You are exciting, enthusiastic, strive to do and be the best.

The Basketball team. I love you. I do. There’s a song It’s a “Long way to Tipperary”, well around here…”it’s a long way til football season, and spring football season.”

I grew up with Orlando Woolridge (R.I.P.) Adrian Dantley, Kelly Tripucka, Tracy Jackson. The games against UCLA were epic. We used to be really good & exciting. It was raucous environment; I remember a game where the ND student body got the player of the game award

No offense, but save a few years with Pat Connaughton and Co., it’s kind of been a Mother Teresa operation. At times it feels like a bookstore team (Insert your own Dick Addis (RIP) joke here.)

This isn’t a fire everybody rant, but this is a “I was hoping for better” plea. I was hoping we’d make the NIT this year. I was hoping we’d be on the doorstep of an NCAA bid. I was hoping I could see tangible progress. Last 5 years: .460 winning percentage. Doesn’t the Notre Dame family deserve better?

Just a few thoughts:

1) There’s NIL and there’s the transfer portal. Upgrade the talent on the roster. Ask yourself a basic baseline question: “How many of our current roster could start at any ACC school? How many could make a rotation?”

2) There’s a 3-point shot. If you have a cruddy team (check), at least have some shooters, let your offense be your calling card.

3) Not only do we not shoot well, but every game we are out muscled. We need a few big bodies: Bill Laimbeer, Bruce Flowers, Torin Francis

4) Not to pile on, but the defense is no great shakes either.

5) I don’t mean to add insult to injury, but the free throw shooting at times looks like an old pop-a-shot contest at closing time at Bridget’s.

Some suggestions:

1) I’d make the rest of the home games this season $5 to get in, “we are a work in progress, help us progress” sale.

2) I’d play a game each year on MLK day (in NYC) against St. John’s in MSG and a game in Chicago (on President’s day) against Marquette at the United Center. Big cities have good bball players. Invite the top players in the area to the game.

3) If possible, I’d play UCLA in Staples Center or in Las Vegas. Juice up the schedule. Sizzle sells the steak.

4) Over Christmas weekend/break, I’d try to play a Christmas tournament “The Vatican Cup” DePaul, Dayton, Marquette and Notre Dame. Play in Chicago, most from these schools are home for break. Take some of the gate money split in up for NIL for the 4 schools. Let’s be brutally candid, these are the teams all these schools want to play regardless of the conference affiliation.

5) Skate to where the puck is going, it’s an NIL and transfer portal world. No offense to anybody reading this, but sometimes Notre Dame has rules that make no sense, “just because.” Duke has a good school and basketball team, whatever they are doing we should do.

Just my two cents as always, I could be wrong, but I will close with this…there was a guy who owned a restaurant, it used to be really good, people went and were happy with the experience. Then, things changed, the food got worse, improvements weren’t made. It got to a point where the restaurant was empty. He stopped and asked an old customer, why doesn’t anyone come to my restaurant anymore. The guy looked him point blank in the face and said, “the food sucks.”

Hey ND, the JACC (11,343) used to be filled, “the food sucks.”

Dear ND: You are exciting, enthusiastic, strive to do and be the best.