Notre Dame completed the 2014-15 regular season with a 26-5 record. The record was 20-10 this season. The 2015 conference record was 14-4, third best in the ACC. It was 11-7 in 2016, good for fifth place. The 2014-15 season always felt like it was building to something substantial. The 2015-16 season had as many steps backward as it had steps forward. The Irish won the ACC Tournament in 2015. They split a pair of ACC Tournament games in 2016.

The 2015-16 Notre Dame basketball team can be considered comparable to its predecessor in precisely one way. Both teams made it to the NCAA Tournament’s round of eight.

Consecutive Elite Eight teams… That’s what Irish fans will remember in a few years, maybe as soon as a year from now. The rest will be irrelevant, and that’s a disservice to both teams.

The story of each team’s path to its tournament run is interesting, remarkable, and different. The 2014-15 squad started with great leadership, incorporated newly motivated Jerian Grant, and mastered the art of closing close games. The group was a coach’s dream, a group of young men working in harmony at all times.

This season’s Fighting Irish were, arguably, Mike Brey’s greatest motivational challenge since 2005. Leadership was an on the job training exercise.

The right player combination was hard to find. An exasperated Brey changed both the starting lineup and the makeup of the playing rotation after the January loss to Pittsburgh. He shuffled the lineup again when Demetrius Jackson was injured, tweaked it when Jackson returned, and changed both the starting lineup and rotation one last time before the first postseason game.

Can’t make a clutch free throw? Stop practicing them. Play a poor first half vs Michigan? Sarcastically tell tell your players that they needn’t worry because everyone will pat them on the back and praise their good grades. Repeat the poor first half in the round of 16 vs Wisconsin? Laugh about the mere four point deficit at halftime. Lose three out of four late in the season? Practice with a 20-second clock to get the team to play faster. Lose the one big man in the rotation vs North Carolina, making an already serious size disadvantage worse? Burn the shot clock on every possession for more than thirteen minutes while he’s on the bench.

“I’m really proud that this group got back to this point,” Brey said after the Wisconsin game. “We were there last year… played one of the great games in the history of the NCAA Tournament against Kentucky, and we’re back in it again. We have another opportunity to go to a Final Four. I’m very proud of this group because last year’s team had no pressure. We were coming off of a 15-17 year. This team had expectations from day one. To get us back and deliver with expectations, I’m really proud of them.”

Brey should be proud of himself as well. Almost every strategy change, tactical adjustment, and motivational ploy he tried this season worked… just not for long; but eventually, Brey got the cats into the corral.

Three wins in March changed the season-long journey from frustrating to memorable. It’s weird that three games can change how the 30 before it are perceived. And it’s wonderful that they did so.

MVP

A year ago, VJ Beachem was a bit player during Notre Dame’s postseason run. He played 49 minutes in the 7 postseason games, only 19 minutes in the 4 NCAA Tournament games. Shooting was his strength, and he wasn’t shooting well. Worse, he wasn’t playing with confidence.

Fast forward to March, 2016.

Beachem was Notre Dame’s most consistent and best player in the 2016 postseason. He averaged 16.7 points per game, made 63% of his shots, and connected on 54% of his three point attempts. His NCAA Tournament numbers were even better – 17.5 points, 65% from the field, and a 55% make rate beyond the arc.

Lest we think of Beachem’s emergence only in terms of shooting, he left us with the memory of a monster dunk in the final game.

The Irish need Beachem to provide a 30-game encore during the 2016-17 season because 41% of their scoring is leaving the program. If it happens, we’ll again be discussing Notre Dame’s tournament performance at this time next year; and Beachem will be discussing his NBA draft prospects.

Adios

Demetrius Jackson announced that he will forgo his final year of eligibility and enter the NBA draft.

“I am blessed with the opportunity to say I will be declaring for the NBA Draft,” Jackson posted on his Instragram feed. “It was an honor to represent such a great University and program. There have been many people who’ve helped me along this journey, and I’d like to thank my family, teammates, and coaches for shaping me to be the player and man I am today.

“The continuous support of the Notre Dame family has made these past three years unforgettable. a huge thank you to my foster family–you opened your home to me, gave me the best possible situation to be successful, and allowed me to open up and trust again. Words will never be enough to describe how you’ve helped me grow.

“And to all those who believed in me through the ups and downs, thank you. Not only do I have a place to call home with my foster family, but now another at Notre Dame.”

The key phrase is “how you’ve helped me grow.” Jackson has evolved from the freshman who was separated from the team for 10 days while he got his academics in order into the young man who inherited the role of team leader by default, accepted the challenge, and worked hard at it, and became very good in the role. Jackson’t talent will be missed next season, but the leader he would have been will be the greater loss.

Adios, Parte Dos

The games are fun, but the story of the season is the compelling story. Thank you, ND Nation, for letting me help tell that story.