Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/123805
No International Trip This Summer Originally planning to play in Canada, which was then switched to Italy, head coach Mike Brey confirmed a foreign tour has been cancelled and the team will remain in South Bend this summer. "The foreign tour used to be important when you didn't have access to your guys in the summer," Brey explained. "Now that you get to practice with your guys in the summer, you're able to really evaluate and do that. I don't know if I'd want to do it with a veteran team. Maybe you do it when you have some more new guys and trying to get them broken in." Revisiting Alternate Uniforms The kids love them, which is all that matters. Head coach Mike Brey, on the other hand, admitted that the lime green jerseys Notre Dame broke out during the Big East and NCAA tournaments weren't exactly up his alley. "You do a little bit of everything to get out there," he said about reaching recruits and fans. "You get so many remarks on that. Certainly the old guard of people were like, 'Oh my God, how could you ever [do that?]' All I know is we played Marquette that night [in New York] and the next day by noon I got a picture of Demetrius Jackson has one on. He went to Dick's Sporting Goods and bought one. I showed our AD and said this is why we did it. "You've gotta do what you've gotta do sometimes." Wrapping Up Scheduling Notre Dame already knows it will play Georgia Tech and Boston College twice next season, and head coach Mike Brey said he believed the other two ACC repeat opponents will be announced by the end of April. As for the non-league slate, which is near completion and includes tilts with three Big Ten squads, playing Baylor in Dallas is currently on the table. The Irish will take on Indiana and Ohio State and another to-be-determined Big Ten school in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. ✦ Seniors Honored At Team Awards Banquet Jack Cooley made sure that his was the most memorable senior speech of the night on April 17 at the annual men's basketball awards banquet. Cooley earned a spot on the All-Big East first team and was named Notre Dame's Most Valuable Player earlier in the ceremony. The Glenview, Ill., product averaged 13.1 points (second on the team) and 10.1 rebounds (first). He added one final special moment inside Purcell Pavilion, proposing to his girlfriend on stage at the end of his speech. Jackie Oberlander said yes. Cooley, who pointed out his 70-percent clip from the foul line this past year, said there was a 30-percent chance his speech could "go horribly wrong" when he walked up on stage. It ended perfectly on one knee. "How did I get through this day?" said Cooley, who recently returned from the Portsmouth (Va.) Invitational Tournament, a four-day showcase of some of the top outgoing senior players in front of representatives from every NBA club. "How did I get through Portsmouth? Agents, NBA and then I had to go get a ring. I had a lot on my plate. I got the ring here; I got it [the night before]."