NEW ORLEANS | Given the strong nucleus of experienced players Notre Dame has returning next year -- even without Tory Jackson and Luke Harangody -- coach Mike Brey was willing to look forward, even after a tough 51-50 loss to Old Dominion on Thursday morning.
He particularly mentioned Valparaiso grad Scott Martin, who sat out 2008-09 as a transfer and then missed this last season with an ACL tear suffered in the preseason.
"Coaches can turn the page quick, man," Brey said. "I'm excited to get Scott Martin out there, get him healthy and get him going."
Harangody still not 100 percent: Minutes after posting an underwhelming performance in what turned out to be his final game with Notre Dame, Luke Harangody admitted that he still is not 100 percent healthy after missing five games with a bone bruise in his right knee.
The Andrean grad emphasized that the admission wasn't an excuse for his four-point outing in 23 minutes in his team's loss.
Still, he said, he hasn't felt like his old self since his return, adding that it might take some time to get back to full strength.
"I definitely don't feel like myself out there yet," Harangody said afterward. "I'm not going to say I put up four points today because of that. I mean, there's no excuse for that. I owe this team more. But I'm not there yet. It's going to take a while."
Harangody injured the knee when he came down awkwardly trying to grab a rebound in a Feb. 11 game against Seton Hall. It was never clear exactly how long Harangody's rehabilitation would take, but there was a point when no one was sure if he would ever play again.
The day after a March 3 tilt with UConn -- Harangody's senior night -- he tested the knee and felt good, but he wasn't declared fit until making it through pregame warm-ups against Marquette the following Saturday.
Abromaitis' struggles continue: Tim Abromaitis was easily the surprise that Notre Dame needed this year on offense. The junior forward averaged more than 16 points per game, second-best on the team, and made a strong case for Big East Sixth Man of the Year.
But over the season's last six games, the sharpshooting wing player scored more than 10 points just once, against Marquette, and seven of his 18 points that afternoon came at the free-throw line.
"I feel for Abro a little bit, he has not shot it as well, even though we've won," Brey said. "We just need to get his legs back under him, get him shooting it next year."
MEN'S BASKETBALL | NOTRE DAME NOTES
