College Basketball
ACC Basketball: Western PA’s Robby Carmody Healthy for Notre Dame
CHARLOTTE – It’s been such a great while since Mike Brey had seen Robby Carmody on the court that the Notre Dame men’s basketball coach had to do a double-take last week during practice.
“I forgot who he was as a player, it was so long,” Brey said Tuesday at the ACC’s Operation Basketball.
It’s been nearly a year since Carmody has suited up for the Fighting Irish. His last game action came on Dec. 8, 2018, where he played just three minutes in a loss against UCLA. Later that month, Carmody underwent surgery on his left shoulder to repair a partial labrum tear and he was ruled out for the rest of his freshman season.
But Brey has been impressed by what he’s seen of the Mars Area product recently, and Carmody looks to be healthy for the upcoming season.
“Robby has been very good,” Brey said. “He was making some shots, there’s a physicalness about him and a fearlessness about him. He’s been really good.”
Notre Dame head men’s basketball coach Mike Brey takes questions from the media on Oct. 8, 2019 in Charlotte, N.C. (Mitchell Northam / Pittsburgh Sports Now)
Carmody was the 2018 Gatorade Player of the Year in Pennsylvania and led Mars Area to the 2018 WPIAL Class 5A title. ESPN tabbed him as the 81st best player in the class of 2018 rankings, and TribLive named him as their 2018 Player of the Year. A four-star prospect, the 6-foot-4 guard opted to sign with Notre Dame over offers from Purdue, Pitt, Penn State, Louisville and Maryland, among others.
Before his injury, Carmody played in just nine games as a freshman – starting twice – and averaged 3.7 points per-game. Notre Dame limped to a 14-19 record last season and lost their final regular season game to Pitt.
Carmody was able to obtain a medical redshirt and will retain all four years of his eligibility.
“Robby is looking a lot better,” Notre Dame senior forward Juwan Durham said. “You can tell he’s gaining a lot more confidence in himself and the shoulder. He’s one of those bulldog-type of players. He likes to go out there and go at the biggest guy, so he’s constantly coming at me, trying to rebound with me and stuff, but he’s doing really good.”
Notre Dame hosts Pitt on Feb. 5.
