Incoming ND Athlete -- Named to Team USA

You can bet Muffet McGraw's smiling this morning. One of her prized incoming recruits, was just named by USA Basketball to the 12 member U18 National Team. Kayla McBride, out of Erie, PA is the fifth ND Women's Basketball Player to earn this honor in the last seven years. Kayla was selected to this team after six days of tryouts at the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. She'll remain out there for the next two weeks, with her new teammates, as they prepare for the qualifying round of the FIBA U19 World Championships. The Americans must finish among the top four teams in the eight team qualifying round to earn the trip to Chile for the World Championship. The Team USA honor caps off a great high school career for McBride which earned her McDonald's All American, USA Today All American, Parade All American, ESPN RISE All American and Pennsylvania's Gatorade Player of the Year honors. She led her team to "back to back" Pennsylvania State Championships earning Kayla recognition as one of the top-25 players in America. I'm sure Muffet can't wait to have the 5'-11" McGraw join Skylar Diggs, in the Irish backcourt, for the next three seasons -- it's going to be fun!

Girl from Vietnam -- Hesburgh-Yusko Scholar!

The University of Notre Dame's inaugural class of Hesburgh-Yusko Scholars -- includes a young lady from Vietnam. Hien Luu, a senior at Conard High School in West Hartford, CT is one of 25 incoming Notre Dame students who have received this "first of it's kind" scholarship. The Hesburgh-Yusko scholarship includes an all-expenses paid summer experience each year, the first is next month when the twenty-five incoming freshmen, will go on a mountaineering experience in the Northern Cascades in Washington. Luu and her family left Vietnam for America in 1998. Here's a link to a wonderful story, in the Hartford Courant, about Hien Luu and her family:

VIETNAMESE GIRL RECEIVES HESBURGH-YUSKO SCHOLARSHIP

ND Grad's TV Show -- Debuts on Fox Today!

"Judge" Anthony Napolitano, Notre Dame Law Grad, debuts his new show "Freedom Watch" this morning at 10 AM EST -- on the Fox Business Channel. His first guests; Sarah Palin and Ron Paul. Here's a link to Judge Napolitano's website:

FREEDOM WATCH -- FOX BUSINESS CHANNEL

Irish Athletics -- Tops Again in Classroom!

The NCAA just released its sixth annual Academic Progress Rate (APR) statistics -- and, once again, all 26 of Notre Dame's varsity athletic teams exceeded the NCAA standards. (2010 NCAA APR REPORT - LINKED BELOW) In fact, eight Irish teams earned perfect scores! Five Men's teams; cross country, indoor track & field, outdoor track & field and golf -- and three Women's teams; rowing, soccer and tennis. The only school with more perfect scores than Notre Dame - Duke, they had ten. The NCAA's APR uses a series of formulas related to student-athlete retention and eligibility to measure the academic performances of all participants who receive grants-in-aid on every team at every NCAA Division I college and university. Congratulations Notre Dame Athletics! Notre Dame Football received a 978 NCAA APR score -- as compared to the NCAA APR scores for the Football Teams on Notre Dame's schedule this fall -- ranked below - from highest to lowest:
-Stanford: 976
-Navy: 973
-Boston College: 967
-USC: 965
-Army: 964
-Western Michigan: 956
-Pittsburgh: 950
-Utah: 949
-Michigan State: 941
-Tulsa: 939
-Michigan: 936
-Purdue: 930

2010 NCAA APR DATABASE

How will Notre Dame acknowledge USC games?

In the wake of today's announcement that USC must, in essence, forfeit every game that Reggie Bush played in during his three-year career with the Trojans - I wonder how Notre Dame will acknowledge these games in their record books? Do they add "three wins" to their overall total? Does Ty Willingham's and Charlie Weis's career coaching records change? It's going to be interesting to see how all of USC's opponents during the 2003, 2004 and 2005 seasons treat today's NCAA ruling.

San Francisco Giants Draft Golden Tate!

In the 50th round of the just completed Major League Baseball Draft - the San Francisco Giants selected former ND All-American and current Seattle Seahawk; Golden Tate. Tate was an "outfielder" in his spare time with the Irish baseball team. Will Golden leave football?

ND Victory March -- Key Evidence in Court Case

A recording of the Notre Dame Victory March has just become the key piece of evidence in a story that garnered national headlines in March. Jack McKenna, a 21-year old University of Maryland student was part of a "post game" celebration after Maryland's upset victory over top-ranked Duke in college basketball. Well, McKenna was roughed up by Police and the incident was caught on video. Come to find out, McKenna was "singing the Notre Dame Victory March" and apparently, the police took the words "Shake down the thunder..." as a threat -- which led to their actions caught on camera. Attorneys for McKenna apparently have a cell phone recording of McKenna signing the ND Fight Song and are using it as evidence. Here's a link to the original video and the news story of how the Victory March is being used in McKenna's court case. You can't make this up -- Promise!

LINK TO NOTRE DAME VICTORY MARCH AS EVIDENCE

The Ultimate Irish Tailgater!

If you're looking for a place to "tailgate" before an Irish Football Game this Fall - here's an option for you - The Notre Dame Football Hospitality Village. Tickets are available right now for you to entertain your family, friends or clients -- before kick-off of every home football game. Just click on this link for more information:

THE ULTIMATE IRISH TAILGATER

A Notre Dame Author You Should Follow

His name is Bryan Gruley and he's a 1979 graduate of the University of Notre Dame. Gruley is currently the Chicago Bureau Chief for the Wall Street Journal - but that's just his "day job!" Gruley continues to receive critical acclaim for his first novel; Starvation Lake: A Mystery -- which garnered him an Edgar Award nomination for "Best First Novel" by the Mystery Writers of America. And, just this past week, the Anthony Awards recognized Starvation Lake with two more nominations; Best First Novel and Best Paperback Original -- the award winners will be announced in October. Gruley's sequel, The Hanging Tree will hit the bookstores this August -- keep an eye out for it! Here's a link to Bryan's Blog where you can buy his books:

BRYAN GRULEY -- A NOTRE DAME AUTHOR

Follow a Fantasy FB Camper at Notre Dame!

NBC Sports Writer, Keith Arnold, is attending the Notre Dame Football Fantasy Camp this week and he's "blogging" about his experiences on NBC's Inside the Irish Blog. Today was "registration day" and Keith tells his story. Should be fun to follow him this week -- see the link:

ND FOOTBALL FANTASY CAMP BLOG

ND FB Recruit - Wins NJ State 110M Hurdles!

Notre Dame football recruit, Bennett Jackson, a wide receiver from Raritan High School, won the 2010 New Jersey Meet of Champions State Championship in the 110 Meter Hurdles! Here's a link to his race, he's in Lane Five, as well as a link to a highlight video from his senior season:

ND FOOTBALL RECRUIT -- JERSEY STATE CHAMPION 110 METER HURDLES

ND FOOTBALL RECRUIT -- FOOTBALL HIGHLIGHT VIDEO

ND Lacrosse Goalie -- Taken 7th in MLL's Draft!

Notre Dame All-American Lacrosse Goalie, Scott Rodgers -- was drafted 7th overall yesterday by the Major League Lacrosse's Toronto Nationals in their 10th Annual Collegiate Draft held at Yale University. The Nationals "traded up" to the top of the Second Round to get Rodgers -- who was recently named Most Outstanding Player in the 2010 NCAA Men's Lacrosse National Championships. Teammate Grant Krebs, was drafted 45th overall to the Boston Cannons. The ND Men's Lacrosse team is currently in Japan on a week long exhibition tour -- playing some of the "national" teams in Japan. Congratulations Scott and Grant!

MAJOR LEAGUE LACROSSE DRAFT -- RODGERS GOES SEVENTH TO TORONTO

The Coach Kelly Challenge!

Notre Dame Head Football Coach -- Brian Kelly & Family, recently donated $250,000 to the University of Notre Dame -- and with the donation, challenged the Notre Dame Family to follow their lead. And, if you do -- you'll get to wear the same "Kelly Green ND Lapel Pin" that Coach Kelly wears (photo above left). I went online today and made a donation -- please consider doing the same! To learn more about the Coach Kelly Challenge - click on the link below:

COACH KELLY CHALLENGE

Think You Can Do This? -- Think Again!

Notre Dame Linebacker Steve Filer - just might be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound! Here's a YOUTUBE video that is garnering "legendary" status for Filer. I don't think you'll want to try this at home -- see link:

FILER'S POOL TRICK

R.I.P -- Coach John Wooden

Former UCLA Head Basketball Coach John Wooden passed away yesterday at the age of 99. Wooden often called "The Wizard of Westwood" -- set many, many coaching marks that will probably never be broken. Winning 10 National Championships in a 12 year span at UCLA is just one of them. He hails from the town of Hall, IN where he was born in 1910. At the age of 14 his family moved to Martinsville, IN where he led his high school to three consecutive Indiana State Championships as a player -- earning All State honors all three years. Wooden then went on to play at Purdue where he helped the Boilermakers win a National Championship in 1932 and All American honors three times. He's the first ever to be elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame as a player and as a coach. Coach Wooden even coached for ten years at South Bend Central High School. However, Notre Dame fans know him best from the games his Bruins played against Digger Phelps and the Irish. One of the most famous -- from a ND Fan's perspective -- is the game January 19, 1974 when the #2 ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish stopped the #1 ranked Bruins record 88 game win streak by scoring the last eleven points of the game in the 71-70 Irish victory. The photo above is of Dwight Clay's game winning basket -- that's Adrian Dantley in the foreground. What's often forgot about UCLA's record streak is Notre Dame had the last victory against UCLA in 1971 -- before they went on their 88 game run. And, the Irish didn't make the Sports Illustrated cover commemorating this win -- the following Monday -- which bugs Digger to this day. Click on the link below to see the last five minutes of this game. Coach Wooden, you were a true gentleman!

NOTRE DAME ENDS UCLA'S RECORD WINNING STREAK

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

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

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!

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