Written by John Brice
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Their returns came from different places in life, different points on a map, but they all converged in one spot: Notre Dame’s hallowed campus, where the basketball programs have their own rich histories.
Dane Goodwin, Nate Laszewski, Cormac Ryan and Trey Wertz together have donned a Fighting Irish basketball uniform for 366 career games.
The ‘Four Hoopsmen’ have signed on for one more season together.
As part of Mike Brey’s 22nd iteration in 2021-22, they added to the storied program’s benchmarks, with 15 wins in Atlantic Coast Conference play, a second consecutive in-season triumph against perennial blue-blood Kentucky, as well as home victories against eventual national runner-up North Carolina and erstwhile nemesis Syracuse.
“Look, I think building off of last year is key; I think it is time for us to focus entirely on this year and be laser-focused on where we’re headed,” said Ryan, the gritty New Yorker who began his collegiate career at Stanford but found home at Notre Dame. “We’ve got a new group, a talented group and I think, honestly, the sky is the limit.
“I think if we play the right way on both ends of the floor, there’s no reason why this team shouldn’t be a Final Four team, and I’ve said that. I believe that wholeheartedly. That’s obviously a lofty goal, but it’s attainable for us. I think keeping that grit and that fire focused on those goals is important for us. I think everyone in that locker realizes that and it’s time to go get it.”
Any one or all four individuals could have departed on the heels of a stirring NCAA tournament run that began with a gritty play-in victory in Dayton, Ohio, and was quelled in a second-round loss in San Diego against Texas Tech.
There were professional basketball options, internationally or in the NBA’s developmental league if not the sport’s top level; there were transfer options, and the Notre Dame brand – academics, athletics – travels.
On various levels, each player assessed the collective and individual potential of one last run together for the reenergized Brey and once-again-relevant Notre Dame program.
Quite simply, as Goodwin explained, they’ve all reupped for 30-plus additional games in an Irish uniform because, on some level, they all want three more minutes.
“There’s definitely an expectation coming off a year like last year,” said Goodwin, already with 1,341 career points and on track…