Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1143622
8 AUGUST 2019 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME Chris Finke Is A Story Dreams Are Made Of By Lou Somogyi Unlike in recent years, head coach Brian Kelly opted to use the summer this time to see who emerges of what he projects will be three or four captains. The eight Spring/Summer Workout Accountability Team (SWAT) captains this year are the front-runners. On offense, they were fifth-year senior wide receiver Chris Finke, senior quarterback Ian Book, senior left tackle Liam Eichenberg and junior right tackle Robert Hainsey. The defense is represented by senior ends Khalid Kareem and Julian Okwara, and senior safeties Alohi Gilman and Jalen Elliott. Gilman has a Pied Piper effect on teammates the way fellow Hawaiian Manti Te'o did in 2012, while Hainsey possesses a natural aura when it comes to lunch-bucket leadership. Still, Finke is the model representation of every- thing to emulate: an undersized former walk-on with enormous will, grit and consistent improvement (49 receptions last year). Plus, after receiving his degree in the prestigious Mendoza College of Business, he has been in an intense Masters of Science program in finance that had him attending classes in Chicago every other weekend this spring. He fulfills that student-athlete prototype much like engineering majors Drue Tranquill and Sam Mustipher did last year, combined with maximizing their athletic gifts. Two years ago, Austin Webster was the first Notre Dame football player not on scholarship to be selected among the six team captains, and Finke takes it even a step farther. Fighting Irish wide receivers coach Del Alexander sum- marized Finke with one sentence last year: "He will not be denied." That just might apply to a captaincy as well. Jalen Elliott Steps To The Forefront By Bryan Driskell Notre Dame might have a unique "problem" this season in that narrowing down the list of captain candidates could leave some established players with proven leadership qualities off the board. One player who will be among the most difficult to not award with captain honors is senior safety Jalen Elliott. It wasn't that long ago that Elliott was a first-year starter (2017) who had a hard enough time knowing what he was supposed to do, much less what the rest of his teammates were responsible for on the field. Last season Elliott started to grow as a player, and his vocal leadership and command of the defense were easy to spot. His background as a prep quar- terback gave him knowledge and his experience in the system allowed him to show a firm grasp on what everyone around him had to do. Fellow safety Alohi Gilman understandably gets a lot of the attention at safety, due in large part to his intense style of play and clutch playmaking skills, but Elliott is the player who seems to have emerged as the on and off the field leader on defense. A personable young man with an infectious smile and boisterous personal- ity, Elliott has the intangibles to be a captain. He is also expected to be one of Notre Dame's best players on defense this season, and his playmaking adds credibility to his words. During Notre Dame's summer camps for high school players, Elliott was always around, displaying a passion for the game, encouraging young people and promoting his school. Point ✦ Counterpoint: WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO BE A CAPTAIN THIS YEAR? On July 2, Notre Dame men's basketball an- nounced the hiring of 2012 Notre Dame Mono- gram Club Team MVP Scott Martin — who also was a 2011-12 Big East All-Academic selection — for its re-branded team development and re- cruiting coordinator position. Martin succeeds former teammate Eric Atkins (2010-14), whose title was video coordinator. Atkins took a full-time assistant coach position at Howard University this spring. Although slowed by knee problems through- out his career, Martin played 84 games at Notre Dame and averaged 9.2 points per contest, and starred in the British Basketball League before capping his pro career in the Czech Republic in 2018. BGI: You were in the business world for a year, which Mike Brey said you hated. So how did you land this position? Martin: "We were at [former teammate] Zach Hillesland's wedding here on campus [May 11]. I told Coach then that I wanted to get into basket- ball again. He said, 'Well we're not in a big rush to fill the position.' "And I said, 'What position? What are you talk- ing about?' And he's like, 'Well, what are you talk- ing about?' We went back and forth on that like a 'Who's On First?' skit. Finally, he told me about the job opening — and then I went and yelled at 'Swan' [director of basketball operations Harold Swanagan] for not letting me know. "We were able to get together and talk a week later. It kind of made sense for both sides, and here we are." BGI: What is going to be your day-to-day role? Martin: "I'll handle all the video work, all the cut-ups of whatever Coach wants, and in coor- dinating recruiting — just be there for the assis- tants and help them stay organized on different prospects, where they are, and keep them coor- dinated to any changes. "It's taking stuff off their plate that I can handle, make everything a little bit more efficient and smoother." BGI: How much recruiting are you allowed to do? Martin: "I can't take in-home visits, but when guys get here I help with setting schedules, itin- eraries, kind of keeping everybody organized with the different people we want them to talk with on campus. "Those administrative duties will fall more on my shoulders." BGI: Are you permitted to coach in practices? Martin: "Per the rules I can't do any on-court or active coaching. That aspect is a bit limited, but I can work with the assistants on all kinds of stuff to make their lives easier, break down the film. … "In practices, my job really begins when prac- tice ends, getting everything cut up to what Coach and the assistants want to see." BGI: Is your ultimate aim to become a head coach? "That's pretty much why everybody gets into this — just the love of the game and to be in the game again. This role is a bit limited in terms of basketball stuff, but I still get my fair share. "Hopefully I will learn a lot, and I get to learn from one of the best. Eventually I want to be more of an assistant, and then see where it goes from there." — Lou Somogyi Five Questions With … ND TEAM DEVELOPMENT/RECRUITING COORDINATOR SCOTT MARTIN Martin started all 84 games he played in and averaged 9.2 points per contest during his Notre Dame career from 2010-13. PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND