Brey, Irish ready for new season

Notre Dame basketball coach Mike Brey is ready to get the season underway.

After months spent on the road recruiting while his players worked out without his watchful eye, Brey and his team will take to the floor at newly renovated Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center on Friday for their first practice of the season.

The anticipation of starting a new season in a renovated facility is one thing. There’s also the part about getting back into their own space.

“I walked through the arena (Thursday) morning,” Brey said Thursday at basketball media day. “Certainly our staff but I think our players are really excited. They are excited to get back in their darn locker room. They’ve been out of it for five months kind of tucked back a corner. But to see that place … that’s kind of energizing really.”

The team stepping into the new arena will have some new faces but a decidedly veteran look.

Gone are old standbys like Kyle McAlarney, Zach Hillesland, Luke Zeller and Ryan Ayers. But Brey said his best recruit of the summer was senior forward Luke Harangody, who tested the NBA Draft waters before returning to school.

Harangody is one of three captains, along with senior guards Tory Jackson and Jonathan Peoples.

Added to that mix is veteran guard Ben Hansbrough - who played two seasons at Mississippi State before sitting out last season as a transfer - and junior forward Ty Nash, whose minutes are sure to increase this year.

But perhaps more important to Notre Dame’s success this year will be the contributions of two junior forwards - 6-foot-7 Carleton Scott and 6-foot-8 Tim Abromaitis.

Each of those players is expected to help fill the void left by 6-foot-8 wingman Scott Martin, the former Purdue player that sat out last year as a transfer and will miss this season with a torn ACL.

Scott admitted he and others feel some increased responsibility to step up in Martin’s absence.

“I think we all do,” Scott said. “Scott’s a great player and he’s gonna be a big loss for us. But we can still pick it up for him.”

But when it all comes down to it, there’s no doubt who some of the younger players will be leaning on. That list begins and ends with Harangody.

The 6-foot-8 forward has established himself as one of the most efficient offensive players in the country over his first three seasons, winning a Big East Player of the Year award as a sophomore.

Following last year he decided to enter his name in the NBA Draft to see where he stood. After working out for teams for about six weeks, Harangody decided to come back to Notre Dame.

Both he and his coach believe he’s better for the experience.

If that’s the case, the rest of the Big East had better be on alert.

“I think just working on my game and being around not a lot of ND people,” Harangody said of what he learned during that NBA Draft workout period. “Kind of being on my own helped my leadership skills. I have to come back here. My voice is very important to the team.”