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New everything Doherty gives Notre Dame a fresh start
Posted: Saturday October 16, 1999 01:32 AM
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) -- New uniforms. New locker room. New sheriff in town. First-year Irish head coach Matt Doherty unveiled his new team on Friday with a new look, a new attitude and a desire to reconnect with Notre Dame's past. After more than 15 years of mediocrity, the former Kansas assistant promised to restore the Irish basketball program to its glory days of the 1970s and early '80s -- complete with shamrocks on their uniforms. "My goal was to set a tone. There's a new sheriff in town," Doherty said during Notre Dame's media day. "I wanted to set a tone that this is going to be intense and you have to work and if you don't work, you're not going to win. Nobody's going to give anything to you." Hired in March to replace John MacLeod after six mostly mediocre seasons, Doherty said he plans to revive a program that hasn't been to the NCAA tournament since the 1989-90 season by bringing a new attitude -- and an impressive pedigree. Though he has never been a head coach at any level, Doherty spent seven years as an assistant to Roy Williams at Kansas and he played under Dean Smith at North Carolina. And he isn't shy about mentioning his background. "I feel like I've got a pretty good education," Doherty said. "I got my undergraduate work at North Carolina under Dean Smith and my graduate work was with Roy Williams. It took me seven years to graduate, but ... I learned from some pretty good folks." That kind of pedigree has made it easy for players to put their faith in their new coach after MacLeod was forced to resign under pressure. "We really haven't talked about offensive strategy or anything. He just said by listening to him I'll be all right," said power forward Troy Murphy, last season's Big East Freshman of the Year. "He knows what he's doing, and I trust him." Players report a new intensity in conditioning drills that wasn't there last year. Pick-up games are more physical, and Doherty has made it clear that he wants a first-class operation from top to bottom. He even got the university to redo the team's locker room and its practice facility. The players have a new look as well, and not just because they're wearing new uniforms. Sophomore David Graves, the team's second leading scorer last season at 12.3 a game, dropped from 225 pounds to about 206 after Doherty made it clear he wanted a well-conditioned team. "It's just like a family. We're all thrilled and we're all happy," Graves said. "New uniform, new everything. Everything is new here, and I'm just thrilled to be a part of it." Doherty was to unveil his new vision at midnight Saturday, the earliest the NCAA allows teams to begin practice. Sportscaster Dick Vitale was scheduled to address the crowd, and designer Tommy Hilfiger was to hold a raffle for fans. Former Irish all start Austin Carr was also expected to make an appearance. "If I have to prove anything, it's to the players that they can trust me and my philosophy that it's sound and it works," Doherty said. "You don't just snap your fingers. It's an attitude that you have to bring everyday."
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