Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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8 NOV. 12, 2018 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME Rex Pflueger Must Provide Senior Stability By Lou Somogyi My first instinct told me sophomore wing D.J. Harvey. He was a standout in October after recovering from microfracture surgery and, if he stays healthy, can be a consistent second scorer to complement junior guard T.J. Gibbs. Freshman Prentiss Hubb will operate the point, and junior John Mooney will lead what could be a "by committee" front line. However, the figure needed to hold it all together is 6-6 senior wing Rex Pflueger. One identity of head coach Mike Brey's program is placing a premium on seniors setting the tone. Pflueger will be playing 30- 35 minutes a game and might be the fourth scoring option many times, but that is not what is significant. He needs to be a stabilizing element during a tran- sition year with his tenacity, leadership and tough- ness. In other words, he needs to be a glue the way senior Kathryn Westbeld was on last year's women's national champions. She didn't have glamorous numbers (7.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game), but Muffet McGraw will tell you no one was more valuable at making the unit function as one like Westbeld. That needs to be Pflueger — score an efficient six to 12 points per game, grab five or six rebounds, hand out three or four assists, defend and don't make costly mistakes. Yes, he has hit some buzzer beaters, but this is more about leadership and facilitating the whole as one. Brey seniors have a tremendous track record (see Martin Geben last year), and Pflueger needs to be next. D.J. Harvey Can Do Wonders For The Offense By Corey Bodden D.J. Harvey was also the first player that came to my mind. The maturity of senior Rex Pflueger certainly will play an important role in Notre Dame's ultimate success in 2018-19, but that impact is less in my mind than what the sophomore wing could provide by taking his game to the next level. Harvey has already shown the potential he has dur- ing his short time in South Bend. Last season during his freshman campaign, he had four games of double-digit scoring in the 19 contests he participated. In an open scrimmage for the media in October, Harvey led the team with 15 points and did the same in the program's "secret" scrimmage against Cincinnati, per Mike Brey. It is no secret junior T.J. Gibbs will be expected to shoulder the load of being the top scorer, but the Irish need to find a No. 2 option. Enter Harvey. The one area Harvey excels in arguably better than the rest of his team- mates is creating his own shot. He can take opponents off the dribble and pull up in the mid-range game. He can also drive to the basket. That is some- thing that was sorely missed a year ago with the injuries and is necessary when the offense isn't flowing. Given all Pflueger can provide in different areas, him being more of the "third or fourth option" would be more beneficial to the team's success. Let him focus more on defending, taking his chances offensively when they are there and helping the movement of the offense. Point ✦ Counterpoint: WHOSE IMPACT IS NEEDED THE MOST THIS SEASON FOR NOTRE DAME MEN'S BASKETBALL? REX PFLUEGER D.J. HARVEY It has been a wild few months for the Notre Dame women's basketball players and staff after capturing the second national title in program history. The excitement was mag- nified for senior guard Arike Ogunbowale, who hit the game-winning shots against Connecticut and Mississippi State to help the Irish claim the championship. Ogunbowale's year in- cluded going on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Dancing With The Stars and meet- ing future NBA Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant, on top of the typical travel and media as- sociated with winning a title. The Milwaukee product returns for her final year in South Bend aiming to help Notre Dame become the fourth different program to win back-to-back champion- ships (Connecticut, Tennessee and USC). BGI: What has been the most exciting part of the last six months or so? Ogunbowale: "Winning the national title. That's what I came to this school for. That's what every college player wants to do. Regardless of all the amazing things that have happened, be- ing able to bring the trophy back to South Bend [was the best]. … I'd prob- ably say the ESPYS [besides the championship]. "We got to bring back the players who graduated that we hadn't seen for a couple of months. Being able to be together and experience that as a team was great." BGI: How have you been able to keep yourself hum- ble throughout everything? Ogunbowale: "That's just how I was raised. I never get too high or low no matter what is going on. It's a bless- ing to be in this position. "It could all go away in a second, so I will never take it for granted." BGI: What keeps you and the team hungry this year? Ogunbowale: "It's just how we are in general. It doesn't matter whether we went to the cham- pionship or finished last in the conference. We're going to be just as hungry as we always are. "Nothing will change. Our goals remain the same and we'll play the same as if it's the cham- pionship game every night." BGI: When you look at what you bring back from last year's squad plus Brianna Turner return- ing from injury, what do you see as this team's potential? Ogunbowale: "I think we can be great. I think we are the only people who can beat ourselves. We have to come out every day because it's going to be everyone's championship game when they play us whether it's the worst team or the best team. They are all going to give us their best. We have to be prepared. "That means people raise their level of play and play their best against us. We love competition, so we will be ready every night." BGI: How does the team carry itself knowing you all are the defending champs? Ogunbowale: "It's definitely more of a chip on our shoulder. Mostly, everyone on our team is confident. … I think these past few years I've car- ried myself like I've won the national champion- ship even though I didn't. "I don't think that attitude has changed be- cause we won. We're not big headed or anything. We want to do it again, and everyone will give us their best shot every day." — Corey Bodden Five Questions With … WOMEN'S BASKETBALL SENIOR ARIKE OGUNBOWALE Ogunbowale averaged 20.8 points and 5.4 assists per game during her stellar junior campaign. PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND