Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1543321
BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM MARCH 2026 89 BY JACK SOBLE S ometimes in his job as Notre Dame h ea d b a s ke t b a l l c o a c h , M i c a h Shrewsberry has to think like a dad. His son and starting two guard, Braeden Shrewsberry, reached 1,000 collegiate points in Notre Dame's 89-81 loss to SMU Feb. 10. That's a source of pride for any player, as well as his father. "It's not like he scored 1,000 points by himself, right?" Shrewsberry said. "People are trying to guard him. People are trying to stop him and not allow him to do it. So, just kind of persevering, a lot of hard work, a lot of hours." The third-year Notre Dame head coach paused, then he started to think like a coach again. "I'm sure he would rather win than score 1,000 points," Shrewsberry said. It's the elephant in any room Shrews- berry is in as another season draws near another inauspicious end. And much like his first two in South Bend, this one is likely to end with a losing record. As of Feb. 16, Notre Dame sat at 12-14 overall and 3-10 in the ACC. The Irish are in position to make the conference tournament, barely, but they're not out of the woods yet by any stretch. It's not where Shrewsberry thought his pro- gram would be in Year 3, nor where any- one on campus wanted to end up. Purcell Pavilion's student section is still half-empty on Saturdays. The tal- ent, age and experience gaps between Notre Dame and the ACC's best remain stark. Late-game situations remain an adventure, and not one that often fea- tures a happy ending. It bothers Shrewsberry. Of course, it bothers him. He'll be the first to tell you that he's not pleasant to be around af- ter a loss. That was true in Year 1 of his rebuild, when losing was anticipated. It's certainly true now when meaningful games in March were the expectation. But Shrewsberry, even amid a stretch of 10 losses in 11 games, still sees the bigger picture. Irish Lean On Player Development During Lost Season MEN'S B A S K E T B A L L The progression of players like sophomore guard Cole Certa, who averaged 21.0 points over a six-game stretch from Jan. 27 to Feb. 14, gives Notre Dame hope in a disappointing year. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER