As head coach Micah Shrewsberry reflected after Tuesday’s double-overtime loss to the 16th-ranked Virginia Cavaliers, “We’re not into moral victories.”
And though the Irish are right to refuse to get too excited about the loss that knocked them to 2-6 in conference play, there are some notable bright spots that revealed themselves Tuesday night. One of those bright spots is freshman forward Brady Koehler.
Throughout the beginning of his first college season, Koehler’s performance has been hardly reliable. 15 games into the season and 4 into conference play, his minutes had ranged from 3 to 22, and he never posted more than 10 points. But Koehler always gets his opportunity — he has appeared in all 21 games of the season, and all that exposure has allowed him to build confidence and experience. Number six for the Irish always seemed like he might be on the verge of a breakthrough.
Then, on Jan. 17, Koehler came off the bench to tally 17 points, the best of his young career, leading all Notre Dame scorers in their loss at Virginia Tech. He showed a glimpse of his defensive prowess as well, posting 2 steals and 3 rebounds. Shrewsberry rewarded that high-impact performance by featuring Koehler in the starting five for the first time in their next game against North Carolina. Maybe Koehler was not ready for the starting role, or maybe the talented North Carolina team just proved too much for Notre Dame to handle. Whatever the reason, Koehler followed up his 17 points in Blacksburg with just 2 in Chapel Hill. Similarly, Koehler contributed only 3 points in the win against Boston College. His defense, especially his rim protection, still allowed him to contribute to the victory against the Eagles, but the Koehler of Virginia Tech was nowhere to be found.
In the Virginia Tech game, the world caught a glimpse of Koehler’s remarkable talents. The question that remained after North Carolina and Boston College was how consistently he could deliver as he stepped into a larger role.
On Tuesday, Koehler’s performance in the double overtime battle against Virginia provided more promise. Koehler posted his first career double-double against the Cavaliers, with 16 points and 10 rebounds, plus 4 blocks and 3 steals. He played a career high 42 minutes including the entirety of the second half and first overtime, shattering his previous maximum of just under 23 minutes.
Koehler was also clearly making an impact beyond what showed up in the box score. He is a smart, confident defender, always in the perfect position to help off-ball. He shut down driving lanes using his 7-foot wingspan and limited Virginia’s offensive opportunities in moments when the Cavalier second-half comeback could have quickly gotten out of hand. His strong post defense forced a travel with 27 seconds left in the first overtime to get the ball back to the Irish offense.
He remarked that defensively, “being in the right spots (and) having the confidence to know what you’re supposed to do,” is an area where his game has been growing.
He even handled the ball in critical minutes — a throwback to the beginning of his high school career when he was a guard — and served as the Irish inbounder whenever he was in the game. Roles like those indicate that Koehler’s teammates trust him in high-pressure situations and that he is not shying away from the still-unfamiliar spotlight. The lefty also went 9-10 from the charity stripe in a foul-heavy game where free throws were a crucial factor.
The performance was impressive, but as seen after Virginia Tech, a standout game every once in a while is not enough. The Irish need games like that from Koehler to be the norm, not the exception. The fact that he has already turned in two such performances in January is exceptionally promising. Koehler knows that he still has growing to do; he admits to his own inconsistency, but he believes he can continue to make an impact in the future.
“I think I’ve been a little bit inconsistent throughout the year, and that’s why my minutes have been all over the place. But going forward, I just need to keep working on myself,” Koehler said after the Virginia game.
Furthermore, Koehler’s recent growth and success should provide hope to the Irish faithful, particularly because it is not occurring in a vacuum. Koehler is just one example of talented recent recruits that can help carry the program to future success. He joins freshmen guards Jalen Haralson and Ryder Frost, as well as first-year center Tommy Ahneman to make up the highest-rated recruiting class in the program‘s modern history.
Shrewsberry has prioritized high school recruiting over the transfer portal; this year graduate forward Carson Towt was the only transfer to join the roster. It is a somewhat-risky strategy in the modern college basketball landscape, but watching young players like Koehler show off their upside makes it worthwhile.
Perhaps the only Irish player to outshine Koehler on Tuesday night was sophomore guard Cole Certa, who notched 34 points and knocked down key threes at the moments when Notre Dame needed them most. Certa also reflects a success story of recent recruiting. He chose Notre Dame from several high-major offers, including top-10 programs Nebraska and Illinois. Coach Shrewsberry’s ability to continue to attract top high school talent is certainly a reason to believe that the team’s struggles will not last forever. If Koehler continues to solidify himself alongside Haralson and Certa as a youngster that Notre Dame can count on in key moments, then the program has even more reason to hope.
In other words, if Notre Dame wants to turn their story around, Koehler is sure to be among the most central pieces, especially if he achieves more of that consistency that he is hoping to find. And although his performances against Virginia and Virginia Tech were impressive in and of themselves, they do not represent Koehler’s ceiling. He is still only a freshman, and one with a work ethic applauded by Shrewsberry. He is accumulating experience in the critical minutes of tough games, learning how to thrive in his growing role. The best of Brady Koehler is certainly yet to come, and the Irish need him more than ever.
