Hoops Notebook: Notre Dame's Mike Brey On Injuries, Accolades & More
· Senior forward Zach Auguste hyperextended his knee in Saturday's loss at Georgia Tech, Irish head coach Mike Brey revealed Monday.
· Auguste was not expected to practice Monday, and Brey is hopeful to get him back for Tuesday's practice.
· The senior's status for Wednesday's game at Wake Forest is unclear as of Feb. 22.
Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey spoke both on the ACC teleconference and with local media on Monday.
Here are three takeaways to note from his Feb. 22 comments.
Auguste Hyperextended Knee
Brey said senior forward Zach Auguste hyperextended his knee late in the Feb. 20 loss at Georgia Tech. The injury occurred on one of the game's final plays, when Auguste almost secured a rebound but fell, and the call ended in a jump ball.
The head coach is hopefuly to get Auguste back for practice on Tuesday.
"We checked him out yesterday [Sunday]," Brey said. "He's a little sore. I'm not sure how much he can do today.
"I'm hoping we'll have him back in practice on Tuesday. It was an unusual fall, which you worry about. We avoided some scary stuff, but he's sore. He'll jog a little bit today. He's better today; still sore. Hopefully we have him Wednesday."
Auguste has started every game for the Irish this year, averaging a double-double with 14.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game.
Winning And Individual Accolades
Irish junior guard Demetrius Jackson hasn't received much attention for ACC Player of the Year honors and some other accolades, despite being the clear leader of a Notre Dame team that (technically) can still contend for the ACC regular season title.
One ACC guard who's received more attention than Jackson is N.C. State's Cat Barber, after the junior's averaged 23.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game for the Wolfpack. In spite of Barber's terrific numbers, however, Mark Gottfried's squad is just 4-10 in conference play, and 14-13 overall on the season.
Brey stopped short of setting a specific bar for how much a team should be winning for a player to be in contention for such honors, but did say he's always thought team wins should be taken into consideration.
For comparison to Barber, Jackson is averaging 16.4 points, 4.9 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game.
"I've always been a believer in the Player of the Year should come from a team that's in contention," Brey said. "A NCAA tournament team; a team that is winning. I'm a big believer in that.
"The year [former Irish forward] Luke Harangody was a part of a team that I think was 7-9, it was hard for me to say 'yeah, he should be Player of the Year', and his numbers were great. So I've been on both sides of it."
Different Wake Forest Team?
Notre Dame's already beaten Wednesday's opponent - Wake Forest - once this season, an 85-62 beatdown in Purcell Pavilion on Jan. 31. The Deacons tried their best to speed that game up, and thus were often out of control that day, committing 18 turnovers against an Irish squad that usually doesn't force teams to cough the ball up.
This isn't that same Deacons team, though, that Notre Dame will see Feb. 24. Sitting out the back half of a two-game suspension is senior forward Devin Thomas, the team's leading scorer (15.8 points per game) and rebounder (10.2).
Is there a chance Thomas' suspension creates a bit of an "addition by subtraction" situation? Wake Forest did beat Boston College 74-48 on Feb. 21 minus Thomas, and freshman center Doral Moore scored 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds in his first start.
"Dorel Moore looked like Tim Duncan last night," Brey said. "He's a really gifted guy. I remember seeing him in the summer and now he's getting an opportunity.
"They're a scary bunch. They play fast, they can score it, and they've got size and athletic ability. I think they've found a new vibe. I thought there was a new energy and excitement with the nucleus that started."