— Story by Taylor Kennedy
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are looking to pick up right where they left off a season ago. Last season, Notre Dame finished 19-6 and won six straight to finish the season.
The new condensed season will be difficult for everyone involved. Jarrod West, who is entering his 14th season as the Fighting Irish head basketball coach, says everyone will be making new adjustments to their schedule.
“It is going to be a very trying season not only for us but for everyone. You are going to have to get into shape faster than normal. You will have to put your system in faster than normal. You have to take safety precautions. That is going to be the hardest thing. You can only do so much as it pertains to social distancing while you are practicing. It is going to be very difficult,” said West.
Last season all three boys state tournaments were canceled due to growing COVID-19 numbers. Among those teams that got their season cut short was Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish were listed as the No. 4 seed before the cancellation. West says that he is happy for the opportunity to play.
“Hopefully, we can get a full season or as much as a normal full season, maybe we can call it that this season. Also, I hope we can get a state tournament and an eventual state champion. We are excited about it. We know the risks that we are taking, but we are going to take all the safety precautions,” said West.
“This is going to be a day-by-day thing. Not too many high and lows, but you are going to have to take it day-by-day and be diligent as to how we approach this thing.”
When we discuss this horrible pandemic that has impacted thousands of lives, people tend to think about the negatives, but for West, the positive for this is getting his kids back onto the hardwood.
“The kids get the chance to get back into the gym. One thing I know about kids is their resiliency. Once we get into the gym, we may be dealing with a pandemic outside of the gym, but on the gym floor and in-between those lines they are thinking about basketball. I think that is going to help out a lot,” said West.
“People do not realize the importance of sports, and what they do on a day-to-day basis to a lot of people, and when you take that away it is hard. Getting back and playing is key. We are going to enjoy that as much as possible.”
With these different safety protocols, people have not been able to see the usual people they see on a day-to-day basis. Dealing with that has been hard. West says that his main message to his players is to remain safe and in shape.
“Just most importantly watch your circle. I know it is hard, but if you do not have to go out then stay home. Take the precautions and stuff that you need to take. Also, whenever you get a chance, get some conditioning in, or get some running in. Obviously, with the snow and stuff, it is hard to run outside. Just control what you can control,” said West.
Notre Dame will be returning guys that played significant time a season ago, which led them to reach the Class A state tournament. West is optimistic that he and his team will not have to teach any new system things.
“One thing that will help us this year is that we did not lose anybody. Everybody is coming back. As it pertains to putting in the system, these guys know it. They are well aware of what we want to do. That is a big plus for us compared to a team that may have lost three or four seniors, and they have to start from scratch. The limited time for us will not sting as much. We can use a lot of it for conditioning and getting into shape,” said West.
The Fighting Irish return four seniors on this year’s active roster. Joining those seniors that will be West’s youngest son Jaidyn. Jaidyn was selected onto the Class A all-state team, and he averaged 21 points, six rebounds, and five steals his sophomore season. West is optimistic about the potential that his team holds this season.
“We have four seniors coming back. Three seniors are starters Kobe and Clay Martino plus Elijah Goodman. We expect a big year from those guys to go along with Jaidyn. We are very excited about this year and next year. We will have three seniors and 10 juniors this year. We have a lot of experience coming back. We are ready to hit the ground running,” said West.
Among all the chaos with COVID-19, the WVSSAC is testing a four-class realignment. Teams will be moving from classes they were in last year to possibly higher classes. West and Notre Dame will be moving from Class A to Class AAA this season.
The Fighting Irish are in Class AAA region two section two along with Lewis County, Liberty Harrison, Lincoln, and Robert C. Byrd. West gives a lot of respect to what those teams have done over the last couple of years.
“Being the new kid on the block, especially being a coach that knows the importance of scouting other teams and film, we are in the dark. We have never played those teams. We do not have any film on them. I do not know their systems, and with the condensed season, there will not be as much time to get out and scout these guys. It is going to be interesting. I do know Robert C. Byrd, in my opinion, is one of, if not the best, defensive teams in the state, especially in the last few years. I know Lincoln is a gritty team. I know they compete hard. Liberty is up and coming. Lewis County I have sometimes seen play. We are the new kids on the block,” said West.
Notre Dame will begin its 2021 campaign on March 6th as the Fighting Irish will head up to Monongalia County to take on the Morgantown Mohigans.