Saturday, June 5, 2010

Former ND Alum Named Coach of NBA Hornets!

Former Irish Basketball Player, Monty Williams, Notre Dame Class of 1994 -- was hired late last night as the new Head Coach of the NBA's New Orleans Hornets! Williams becomes the "second" former ND hoops player to sit in the "head chair" on an NBA bench -- joining Adrian Dantley who was the Denver Nuggest "interim" Head Coach this past season. Williams, out of Potomac, MD came to ND as a 4.0 student and highly regarded forward. Unfortunately, Williams was diagnosed with a heart condition during his freshman season and he didn't play his sophomore or junior seasons -- but was cleared to play his senior season and a fifth year -- scoring 22.4 points a game for the Irish in the 1993-94 season. Williams was a first round pick of the New York Knicks in 1994 and played nine years in the NBA. His best game was a 30 point effort for the San Antonio Spurs -- one of five NBA teams he played for during his NBA career. Williams was hired as an Assistant Coach for the NBA Portland Trailblazers in 2005 -- and he's been with the Blazers ever since -- until he signed a three-year contract last night with the Hornets. Congratulations Monty!!! Here's a link to The Times Picayune article:

NBA HORNETS HIRE FORMER ND BASKETBALL PLAYER AS ITS HEAD COACH!

ESPN Ranks ND's Recruiting Class -- 11th

Head Coach Brian Kelly & Company have been hitting the recruiting trail hard, these past few months, seeking the talent needed to fit his style of play. And, so far so good. To date, nine high school "rising seniors" have verbally committed to the Irish -- even though the actual "Signing Day" isn't until February 2011. Just goes to show you how the recruiting game has changed. ESPN just released it's rankings of the verbal commitments to date and the Irish stand 11th in their ranking of college football recruiting. Headlining the Irish verbals are (Pictured L to R) Offensive Lineman; Matt Hegarty (New Mexico), Jordan Prestwood (Florida) and TE Ben Koyack (Pennsylvania). Koyack just won the Pennsylvania High School State Title in the Javelin. The first verbal commitment to this recruiting class came from Brad Carrico, who's a DE from Brady Quinn's old high school in Dublin, Ohio. Here's a link to the ESPN Rankings:

TOP TWENTY RECRUITING RANKINGS - CLASS OF 2011

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Alex Montoya -- A Notre Dame story!

This is the story of one of the first San Diegans mainstreamed from special education to an integrated school environment in 1980. A triple amputee from birth, Alex Montoya, is truly "one of a kind." An author and motivational speaker - Alex is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame (Class of 1996). Here is the promotional copy used by the Publisher of Alex's book "Swinging for the Fences." There are some odds that can't be beat, but Alex Montoya has yet to find them. Living his whole life with prosthetics has neither deterred nor discouraged Alex from achieving his dreams. From a young immigrant to the American dream, Montoya overcomes his obstacles with perseverance and a lot of laughter. From his tiring trials to become a citizen to fulfilling his dream of working in Major League Baseball, from his days at Notre Dame to his days in Hollywood, Alex Montoya's success is directly credited to his will. And his determined will, as he will tell you, was a conscious choice." When Alex isn't writing a book or giving a motivational speech, he serves as the Manager of Latino Relations for the San Diego Padres. Montoya has appeared in the major motion films Artificial Intelligence and minority Report. A former Olympic Torch Relay carrier, Montoya was named to San Diego Magazine’s "50 San Diegans To Watch" list in 2000. You can find Montoya's book "Swinging for the Fences" -- on sale in the Notre Dame Hammes Bookstore and at Amazon online. Here's a link to buy Alex's book:

SWINGING FOR THE FENCES -- AMAZON

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

ND Goalie -- Most Outstanding Player Award!

Notre Dame Senior, Scott Rodgers, was named the "Most Outstanding Player" for the 2010 NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championships! Rodgers finished the season with the highest save percentage in the country! Joining Rodgers on the All Tournament Team were teammates; Zach Brenneman and Kevin Ridgway. Congratulations!

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Darius Walker -- Needs Our Help!

Former Notre Dame running back, Darius Walker -- ND Class of 2009 -- has set his sites on a new career for himself...talk show host! Oprah Winfrey is running a contest on her website "YOUR OWN SHOW" in which Darius has submitted an audition tape. Click on the link below and you'll see how you can help Darius get this gig!

DARIUS WALKER'S AUDITION FOR OPRAH