Notre Dame Men’s Basketball builds identity on defense

 

ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, Ind. - Since arriving on campus, defense has been non-negotiable for Notre Dame Head Coach Micah Shrewsberry.

He's made it clear from the start of the season that it’s the team’s focus.

"You are what you emphasize and for us we need to have a defensive DNA from the start," Shrewsberry said.

And as the team forges deeper into the season, players are buying into that focus, watching their efforts flourish on the court.

The buy-in factor from players, has the Irish defense currently ranked 45th in the NCAA and second in the ACC conference.

"When we get people in the half-court, were tough to score on," Shrewsberry mentioned.

Shrewsberry's defensive scheme is simple.

"It's pretty cool for us to see because, you know, I give them an update after every game of like, where are we? What are we doing? Here's where we are. And like, they're starting to buy into it like and really like getting excited about like, yeah, we're getting stops, now we're doing our job. We're getting them into the shots that we want them to take. And then we rebounded it like that's a simple, simple formula," Shrewsberry added.