NEW YORK -- When his sophomore season hit the skids early in Big East
play after such a solid start and he needed a pick-me-up pep talk,
Notre Dame guard Alex Dragicevich turned to one of his Irish idols.
Former Notre Dame guard and fellow suburban Chicago native Colin Falls
could relate to what Dragicevich experienced. Still the leading
3-point shooter in school history with 331, Falls worked through a
similar confidence crisis early in a career that ended with first-team
All-Big East honors as a senior.
"I just wanted to reinforce that a guy in his role has to make shots,"
Falls said from Kansas City, Mo., where he now lives and works in
private business. "He can be that guy that we've always had.
"You just have to stay confident and believe in your game."
Dragicevich thought he was on his way to that after Notre Dame opened
league play Dec. 27 with a 72-59 home victory over Pittsburgh. He
connected on 8-of-13 shot attempts, 4-of-7 from 3, and scored a
career-high 22 points. He felt good about his game. And then his game
disappeared.
Over the next five conference contests, Dragicevich scored 19 total
points on 8-of-30 from the field, 1-of-14 from 3. He pressed. He
play after such a solid start and he needed a pick-me-up pep talk,
Notre Dame guard Alex Dragicevich turned to one of his Irish idols.
Former Notre Dame guard and fellow suburban Chicago native Colin Falls
could relate to what Dragicevich experienced. Still the leading
3-point shooter in school history with 331, Falls worked through a
similar confidence crisis early in a career that ended with first-team
All-Big East honors as a senior.
"I just wanted to reinforce that a guy in his role has to make shots,"
Falls said from Kansas City, Mo., where he now lives and works in
private business. "He can be that guy that we've always had.
"You just have to stay confident and believe in your game."
Dragicevich thought he was on his way to that after Notre Dame opened
league play Dec. 27 with a 72-59 home victory over Pittsburgh. He
connected on 8-of-13 shot attempts, 4-of-7 from 3, and scored a
career-high 22 points. He felt good about his game. And then his game
disappeared.
Over the next five conference contests, Dragicevich scored 19 total
points on 8-of-30 from the field, 1-of-14 from 3. He pressed. He
