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More Mature McAlarney Returns

Memorial Day finally arrived and so did Kyle McAlarney. The bitterness, confusion and anger are gone, replaced by confidence, maturity and a renewed desire to excel. McAlarney is back from the one semester suspension he received for violating University rules and he’s a changed man. After that night last December when he was arrested with marijuana in his car the ensuing suspension gave him plenty of time to think, reflect and mature.

“It was just a growing process for me, kind of, you know, when everything happened and it all came out in the media that was the lowest point in the whole situation because I knew I embarrassed my family and my school,” McAlarney said. “Anything they told me in that meeting wouldn’t have made me feel any worse than I already had.

No longer will he have to work out alone, or watch helplessly on TV, or have to keep in touch with teammates only through text messages. He is back on campus, readmitted after the suspension and successful completion of the necessary coursework to maintain his eligibility.

McAlarney is back on the campus of Notre Dame, working out with teammates, participating in drills, helping the incoming freshmen and resuming his college career.

What brought his back to Notre Dame was a combination of support from Coach Mike Brey and his fellow ND basketball players and a desire to prove he could learn from the mistake.

“I realized I put myself in that position but the guys really helped with that. They stayed in touch with me with text messages and everything like that and stayed with me and in touch with me and that’s why I came back.”

His teammates wore his uniform number on their shoes to remind McAlarney he was on their minds as they advanced toward an NCAA Tournament bid. They talked about him openly. Freshman point guard Tory Jackson called him for advice. Ryan Ayers kept in contact as did senior Russell Carter.

As he looked in the mirror every morning he took responsibility for what he did. He walked with his head up, worked out alone and kept in touch with his teammates, who he watched play television. And he leaned on coach Mike Brey, whose support never wavered.

You have to give McAlarney credit. There were several easier roads he could have taken but never once did he try to use his “celebrity” as a Fighting Irish basketball player to get out of the situation. Not once did he deny his responsibility for his actions. And, he did not accept any of the many offers from other coaches to transfer.

"I really respect Kyle," Brey said. "I think he took his medicine very much like a man. As I've said to people here in the community when they've asked me, 'Is McAlarney back?' I've said, 'He's back, and it's going to be a great story.'

"He will graduate from here and he's going to be a heckuva basketball player, too. Already, he's had a big impact on our group, especially the freshmen, from a leadership standpoint."

Shortly after McAlarney's suspension, Brey flew out to see McAlarney in Staten Island.

"That showed me and my parents the loyalty he had to his players and what a family it is while you're here in this basketball program," McAlarney said. "That was something I didn't want to miss out on."

Even though there were plenty of options for McAlarney, it didn’t take him long to realize that Notre Dame is the best place for him. There was a lot of talk and fairly widespread criticism and debate as to whether the punishment fit the crime bringing many transfer offers. After all, at most schools he may have missed one or two games but not an entire semester. In fact, there are some schools who would have swept the whole incident under the rug. But eventually tempers cooled and the decision to return was made.

“The standards here are obviously higher than anywhere else,” McAlarney said. “I really had to look past all the anger and first feelings that I had just to understand that. It felt like a lot of the weight was lifted off my shoulders. When I really looked deep into it, there was no other school for me."

“When you really look into it and look at the big picture, this is why I came to Notre Dame, the kind of respect people who graduate here get,” McAlarney said. “That’s why it is the school that it is. That’s why they have the standards that they have.”

"That's why people who graduate from here are considered Notre Dame guys. That's why they get the jobs that they get. The standards here are obviously higher than anywhere else. That's something that I looked past—all the anger and the feelings that I had—just to understand that."

Harden lacks patience - leaving Irish hoops program

Joe Harden, a late commitment in the spring of 2006, has announced he is leaving Notre Dame with the intent of transferring closer to his California home.

It seems Harden was frustrated by the lack of playing time as he watched three other freshmen, Luke Harangody, Tory Jackson and Jonathan Peoples make meaningful contributions to the 2006-07 team.

"I think it's just time for me to take my career back to the West Coast," Harden said early Tuesday morning by cell phone. "Things didn't work out here."

His youth and lack of patience showed as he made it clear that he didn’t feel he would be able to crack the rotation during his sophomore year. "I never got the chance as a freshman and that was fine for one year," Harden said. "But I didn't want to wait another whole year and then have only two years (of eligibility) left.”

Seems he could have taken an example from Russell Carter who struggled tremendously his first two years before really coming into his own about halfway through his junior year.

"I just didn't feel like I could handle another year."

Harden was the high school player from west of the Mississippi River recruited to Notre Dame by head coach Mike Brey. He is leaving the Irish program after only one season with plans to transfer to a school closer to his Northern California home.

The night before the Irish left for Spokane, Wash., and the NCAA Tournament Harden had said that he planned to return to Notre Dame and challenge for playing time as a sophomore. At that time transferring was not an option. Evidently, once he went home for summer break and talked to his family and friends he changed his mind.

With Harden leaving the Irish will have two scholarships available for the 2007-08 recruiting year.