Latest news with #MarkusBurton
Yahoo
09-08-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
For obvious, and not so obvious reasons, meet Notre Dame basketball's Mr. Sunshine
SOUTH BEND — Leave it to the surfer-looking dude with a savage summer tan and determined disposition to save the what-to-write-about-today day. When it was time for a peek Monday at the Notre Dame basketball team during a summer workout at Rolfs Hall, the initial to-do/watch list focused on almost everyone but the graduate transfer power forward who led the nation in rebounding (12.4 per game) at Northern Arizona last season. Irish in the Pros: What former Notre Dame basketball players did what and where in 2025? Top 25 in 2025: Who are the top 25 Notre Dame basketball players over the last 25 seasons? We wanted to watch all-everything point guard Markus Burton. We needed to notice freshman swingman Jalen Haralson, the highest-rated recruit (Top 18 nationally) to sign with Notre Dame in the modern era. We had to see sophomore guard Sir Mohammed, the gem of last season's recruiting class for third-year head coach Micah Shrewsberry. Minutes before the vanilla bland 57-minute session started, Burton was sent home with the flu. Illness also kept Haralson away while Mohammed, whose freshman year never got on track after a knee injury suffered last summer, also was absent with an ailment this summer. Add junior Braeden Shrewsberry and freshman Tommy Ahneman, both sidelined with injuries, and it was slim storyline pickings on the only day until fall to see the Irish. When guard Logan Imes left barely halfway through the workout with what looked like a balky back, the Irish were down to seven healthy scholarship players. Halfcourt drills, anyone? Freshmen Ryder Frost and Brady Koehler both had their moments. Good and bad. They're freshmen. Thank God for graduate transfer Carson Towt, clearly the best player on the floor after spending Sunday the best way he knows how to spend an off day — at the beach working on that tan. In many ways, Towt is the program's Mr. Sunshine. He needs it like others need oxygen. He'll light up teammates with his words during pickup. He'll light up a room of reporters. Sunshine all around. On Monday, nobody played harder than Towt. Nobody talked more before drills, during drills and after drills, than Towt. Earlier this summer, Coach Shrewsberry praised the 6-foot-8, 235-pound Towt for bringing something that this program has lacked since the days of point guard Prentiss Hubb (2018-22). 'He brings a little bit of swag and $#%&-talking,' Shrewsberry said. Make that, a lot of both. On Monday, Towt brought that swag and that $#%&-talking and everything else. All of it by design for someone whose next game and next start for Notre Dame will be his first. 'That's something I work on and I train (to do),' Towt said afterward in the Rolfs Hall lobby, where he may have held court all afternoon if not for a mandatory weight room session. 'The energy's going to get low at certain parts of practice or a game, but it's important to keep that energy up. That juice matters. People feel it.' Why is it important that people — his teammates — feel and hear Towt? How has someone who has never seen the inside of an Atlantic Coast Conference game up close and personal be so important to a lot — and maybe everything — this program might do in the coming months? 'That's a huge part of why I'm here,' Towt said. 'It's a skill that I picked up along the way and I understand how important it can be. It's something I pride myself on, being kind of a lunchbox guy.' That was Towt late Monday morning, at his lunchbox best. It likely was by design that the practice featured an overdose of halfcourt defensive drills. Closeouts. High hands. Boxouts. Guarding guys. Communicating. Competing. It was stuff Notre Dame did well in Shrewsberry's first season, and stuff that saw serious slippage last season. The Irish went from 49th nationally in total defense (67.2 ppg.) and 86th in field goal percentage defense (.422 percent) in Shrewsberry's first season to 193rd (72.5 ppg.) and 242nd (.449 percent) in his second. There was Towt anchoring the blue team in a four-on-four defensive drill. 'Yeah, blue! Yeah, blue!' There was Towt after the blue team got a coveted stop. 'All day!' Each time Shrewsberry called for a break, Towt was the first back on the floor for more. When the head coach wondered aloud if the blue team had won a drill before the break, Towt was the only one to speak. 'Yeah, we did.' 'He's just a dawg, so I have to bring it every single day,' said fellow power forward Kebba Njie, matched against Towt in every practice. 'I've got to be high motor. I've got to be high energy. If I don't bring it, it's going to look bad on me. 'He brings greatness out of me and greatness out of everybody with his energy.' All part of his playbook, shrugged Towt, who oozes the most personality in a program once filled with them since fellow West Coast native Rex Pflueger (2015-20), a three-time team captain. A former walk-on at Northern Arizona once unsure if he had a place in the college game, the Gilbert, Arizona native believes he belongs. He boosted that belief by talking and by working. Confidence that was once an issue no longer is one. So what if he's never made a start at Notre Dame? So what if he's never played a second in the ACC? He's going to do both soon, and he may do both well. It's destiny. 'I believe in manifestation; I believe in what you think about, what you ingest, what you talk about, what you watch' Towt said. 'All that stuff matters. Then, all of a sudden, the things you envision become your reality and then you're confident and convicted in that new reality that you have. 'You just keep stepping into the moment, stepping in the now and you keep shedding layers.' Get that? Get him? Hope so. Towt is one of one, in the best of ways. Follow South Bend Tribune and NDInsider columnist Tom Noie on X (formerly Twitter): @tnoieNDI. Contact Noie at tnoie@ This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: This new guy can be a key guy for the Notre Dame basketball program
Indianapolis Star
23-04-2025
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Noie: Notre Dame basketball wins offseason game, an opportunity for future wins
SOUTH BEND — Nobody gave buckets or grabbed key rebounds. There weren't any assists handed out, no turnovers forced, no ties or lead changes, or last-second scenarios that took fans in the stands to the edge of their seats. Nothing happened on the court Tuesday, but Notre Dame basketball won a game in a way. The transfer portal game. Kind of. For now. College basketball players wishing to find new homes in time for the 2025-26 season had until 11:59 p.m., Tuesday to enter the transfer portal. On Wednesday morning, Verbal Commits tallied 2,499 players in the portal. That's enough to fill out complete 13-man rosters of 192 teams of the 355 in Division I. Following Notre Dame 's 15-18 season that saw too few ups and too many downs, many wondered if as many as half a dozen Irish would explore the transfer portal. Certainly, leading scorer/local guy Markus Burton would seek a change of scenery. He likely wouldn't be the only main guy/starter to bounce. Maybe an upperclassman who hasn't delivered. Maybe a sophomore or a freshman. Anybody could/should seek a fresh start when the portal officially opened for basketball business on March 24. In this era of ultimate player empowerment, everyone can leave, and so many do. Five Atlantic Coast Conference programs saw their rosters shredded. Virginia sent 13 to the portal. Cal had 11. Miami (Fla.), Florida State, and North Carolina State, which went to the 2024 Final Four, all had 10. All but Cal brought in new coaches. And to think Irish fans freaked when Notre Dame lost four to the portal when its coaching change happened in 2023. It's a razor-thin line for teams to keep everyone or no one. How thin? Players feel it necessary to announce they're returning to school. It's a thing. Burton did it on April 4. Each of his seven returning teammates did the same on the days that followed. In addition to I'm done, it's I'm back. It's exhausting. When the portal closed Tuesday night, only two Irish left. After two seasons in South Bend, Tae Davis sought a fresh start in the Southeastern Conference at Oklahoma (good luck) if his NBA dream (yeah, sure) doesn't develop this spring. After four seasons in South Bend, guard J.R. Konieczny believed it best to reset on the final year of his college eligibility. He has yet to announce his new home. Neither transfer was a surprise. A Davis return was a tough ask once Notre Dame signed McDonald's All American Jalen Haralson, who slides into that Davis small forward starting spot from the jump. Konieczny, for myriad reasons, never fit into Shrewsberry's plans. Among the 79 teams in Power Five conferences — Atlantic Coast Conference, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC — only 10 had two or fewer enter the transfer portal. Notre Dame, 28-38 overall and 15-25 in the ACC since the portal thing became a thing, was one of the 10. Duke had no portal players. Houston, Kentucky and Tennessee each had one. Notre Dame was one of six schools — Louisville, Marquette, Nebraska, Stanford, Texas — with two. That's a Top 10 that Notre Dame can be in. That it must be in. Now two years in, head coach Micah Shrewsberry seems set on a path back for a program that has staggered through three consecutive losing seasons and remains in search of its first NCAA tournament trip since a near-Sweet 16 taste in 2021-22. That team won a school record 15 league games. In three seasons since, Notre Dame has won 18 league games. Shrewsberry believes Notre Dame must do it through recruiting, player development, and roster retention, which limits portal defections. Two years in, so far so good. The Irish have lost three players – Davis and Konieczny this spring, and former power forward Carey Booth last spring. Booth's exit, like with Davis and Konieczny, wasn't a surprise. He was unhappy with his role and his playing time before landing at Illinois, where his role and his playing time each drastically decreased. His search continues. He's since transferred to Colorado State. One transfer tracking site had 115 players from the ACC's 18 teams portalled this spring. That's an average of 6.3 players per team. That only two left Notre Dame offers this program something that's been scarce. Hope. Hope that better seasons next season and beyond are possible thanks to that roster continuity. Hope that the coaching staff is recruiting the right fits who want to be at Notre Dame for the right reasons (i.e., for more than just a paycheck). Hope that the staff knows what works at Notre Dame. Hope that this program can survive what college basketball has become – professional basketball. Hope this spring that next winter offers optimism. Real, not perceived. While Tuesday was the deadline to go into the portal, players still in it have time to find new homes. Last season, Notre Dame added three graduate transfers and didn't have its roster set until the middle of May. Notre Dame has added one transfer — former Northern Arizona University power forward Carson Towt. It might add one more to the 2025-26 roster. It might not. Notre Dame isn't going to get good/get better overnight leaning heavily on the portal. It's had the opportunity to do that and hasn't done that. It doesn't much matter. If the subtractions remain at a minimum year to year, Notre Dame may have something moving forward. A chance.
USA Today
13-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Five takeaways from UNC's dominant, ACC Tournament-opening win over Notre Dame Wednesday
Five takeaways from UNC's dominant, ACC Tournament-opening win over Notre Dame Wednesday Here's five takeaways from UNC's blowout victory over Notre Dame in Wednesday ACC Tournament action. Entering Wednesday's ACC Tournament Opener against Notre Dame, the North Carolina Tar Heels needed a victory to extend their season and have a shot at playing in the NCAA Tournament next week. When the final seconds ticked off the clock in Charlotte, UNC left the Spectrum Center court with a dominant, 76-56 victory that showcased just how dangerous the team can be. North Carolina (21-12, 13-7 ACC) left little doubt on Wednesday afternoon, building a 14-point halftime lead and keeping the pedal down during a strong second half. Jae'Lyn Withers enjoyed the game of his life, anchoring the Tar Heels' victory with 21 points (all on 3-pointers) and nine rebounds. Ven-Allen Lubin continued his strong play, recording his second double-double in three games, complete with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Though it's easy to point towards UNC's stellar offense as the major reason it advanced to Thursday's rematch with Wake Forest, North Carolina's defense played a big role. The Tar Heels limited an opponent to under 60 points – for the second time in three games. Only one Notre Dame (15-18, 8-12) starter, Markus Burton, scored in double-figures. Speaking of defense, UNC will have a tall task Thursday afternoon when it faces in-state rival Wake Forest, (21-10, 13-7) at 2:30 p.m. The Demon Deacons, who earned the ACC Tournament's fourth seed, allow just 68 opponent points per game. North Carolina averages 81.7 points per game, second in the ACC to only Duke, so something will have to give. The Tar Heels play their best basketball when post players are producing UNC looks to its deep backcourt for most of its scoring production, but historically, UNC plays its best basketball when the power forward and center are leading the charge. Withers and Lubin did exactly that on Wednesday afternoon, combining for half of North Carolina's 76 points. Withers scored all 21 of his points on 3-pointers and added nine rebounds, while Lubin recorded a 17-point, 10-rebound double-double. The Tar Heels blocked just four shots on Wednesday afternoon – all coming from the Withers-Lubin duo. This production is needed for UNC to go anywhere in March. North Carolina's defense is better than you think The Tar Heels limited Notre Dame to just 56 points on Wednesday. This marks the second time – in three games – a UNC opponent failed to score 60 points. North Carolina held the Fighting Irish to just a 32.3 percent mark from the field. Markus Burton scored 11 points, making him the only Notre Dame player to score in double-figures. Elliot Cadeau taking care of the basketball is extremely undervalued When you're an aggressive player like Elliot Cadeau, turnovers are bound to happen. On Wednesday afternoon against Notre Dame, Cadeau turned the ball over just two times. More importantly, Cadeau dished out a Tar Heels-best 10 assists. This allowed for eight of Cadeau's teammates to score, keeping the Fighting Irish guessing all day. UNC is a much different team than when it last faced Wake Forest When North Carolina faced Wake Forest ( in January, we were talking about the Demon Deacons being a NCAA Tournament team. UNC entered Winston-Salem off a 1-point loss to Stanford, which created doubts about how good UNC really was. Wake Forest, with its stellar defense, held the Tar Heels to 66 points in a 67-66 victory. The score isn't indicative of how poorly UNC played in the second half. Now, North Carolina is on a mission to prove it belongs in the Big Dance. The Demon Deacons are on the bubble too, but fading fast. Hubert Davis needs to stick with his same rotation on Thursday Ian Jackson and Seth Trimble coming off the bench? Withers starting? Moving Jalen Washington to the bench for Lubin? Since the Tar Heels' head coach made these moves, on-court results are noticeably different. UNC is rolling with a traditional, 1-5 lineup in which it can compete with taller teams. RJ is playing good basketball, Cadeau continues to play well in the starting lineup, Drake Powell can do just about anything, while Withers and Lubin are the players we've been hoping for all year. I see teams try to get cute and switch up their rotations. North Carolina needs to stay with what works on Thursday, because Hubert's rotation could very well be the deciding factor in an NCAA Tournament berth.
USA Today
11-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
ACC Network broadcast was in disbelief after Notre Dame beat Pitt on a dreadful last-second foul call
ACC Network broadcast was in disbelief after Notre Dame beat Pitt on a dreadful last-second foul call The Pitt Panthers went into Tuesday's ACC tournament opener against Notre Dame essentially needing to run the table in Charlotte to make the NCAA tournament. Instead, the Panthers got bounced after one game in a way that will sting all offseason. With the game tied in the final seconds, Markus Burton's desperation jumper was wide off the side of the rim, but Notre Dame's Tae Davis was there for the tip-in chance and somehow missed. Now, Pitt's Zack Austin did make somewhat of an attempt to contest the last-second tip, but the far-side official saw it as a foul. You won't see many weaker calls than that, though, and the ACC Network broadcast of Wes Durham, Cory Alexander and Jim Boeheim were in disbelief at the whistle in that situation. That call sent Davis to the line with less than a second remaining, and he split the pair to give Notre Dame the 55-54 win. Pitt head coach Jeff Capel didn't hold back about the call either, telling reporters that he was shocked with how that game ended. With the loss, the Panthers likely head into the offseason unless the NIT or CBI give them an invite (and they may decline those).
USA Today
23-02-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Notre Dame vs. Cal men's basketball tickets still available for Saturday, March 8
Notre Dame vs. Cal men's basketball tickets still available for Saturday, March 8 The California Golden Bears (12-15, 5-11 ACC) meet a fellow ACC opponent, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (12-15, 6-10 ACC), on Saturday, March 8, 2025 at Purcell Pavilion. The game will tip off at 4:00 PM ET and is available via ACC Network. Buy tickets for Notre Dame vs. Cal Shop ND Fighting Irish basketball tickets at SeatGeek Shop ND Fighting Irish basketball tickets at StubHub Notre Dame vs. Cal game information Date: Saturday, March 8, 2025 Saturday, March 8, 2025 Time: 4:00 PM ET 4:00 PM ET How to watch on TV: ACC Network ACC Network Location: South Bend, Indiana South Bend, Indiana Venue: Purcell Pavilion Watch college basketball on Fubo! Notre Dame leaders So far this season, Tae Davis puts up 15.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. Defensively, he puts up 0.6 steals and 0.1 blocked shots. Offensively, Markus Burton posts 20.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. At the other end, he delivers 1.6 steals and 0.1 blocked shots. Braeden Shrewsberry posts 14.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game, shooting 41.3% from the floor and 36.9% from downtown with 2.8 made 3-pointers per game. On a per-game basis, Matt Allocco is posting nine points. Kebba Njie puts up 6.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 0.4 assists per contest. On defense, he delivers 0.5 steals and 0.6 blocked shots. Cal leaders On the hardwood, Andrej Stojakovic is averaging 17.6 points, 1.7 assists and 4.6 rebounds per contest. Rytis Petraitis is putting up 8.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. Jeremiah Wilkinson averages 14.6 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game this season. Defensively, he posts 0.7 steals and 0.1 blocked shots. From an offensive standpoint, Mady Sissoko is posting 7.1 points, 0.3 assists and 7.5 rebounds per contest. So far this season, Jovan Blacksher Jr. posts 10.1 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game, shooting 33.8% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc with 1.9 made 3-pointers per game. Notre Dame vs. Cal stats breakdown This season the Fighting Irish are shooting 45.7% from the field, only 0.9% lower than the Golden Bears concede. Notre Dame is 7-6 against the spread and 11-2 overall when shooting higher than 46.6% from the field. The Golden Bears' 42.0% shooting percentage is 3.4% lower than the Fighting Irish have given up. This year Cal is 7-3 against the spread and 7-3 overall when shooting higher than 45.4% from the field. The Fighting Irish average 31.2 rebounds, 1.7 fewer than the Golden Bears' average. The Golden Bears are 133rd in rebounding in the country, and the Fighting Irish are 235th. The Fighting Irish average just 2.0 fewer points than the Golden Bears concede (75.3). The Golden Bears score only 2.2 more points per game (74.1) than the Fighting Irish allow (71.9). Shop ND Fighting Irish basketball tickets at SeatGeek Shop ND Fighting Irish basketball tickets at StubHub
