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Notre Dame men’s basketball coach Micah Shrewsberry had some strong words following an embarrassing loss over the weekend, and the WNBA players’ union is taking the next step in contentious negotiations with the league.
The Bulls are headed for a stretch of home games, but are hoping Coby White can get back up to speed.
Every Tuesday, Tribune writers will provide an update on what happened — and what’s ahead — for the Bulls, Sky and local college basketball teams. Want more? Sign up for our Tribune sports newsletter.
WNBA players authorize strike
The WNBA players’ union is ready for the next step in a contentious negotiation over a new collective bargaining agreement.
The players voted to authorize a strike last Thursday with a 98% majority vote from participating players. This vote does not mean a work stoppage will occur in the near future; however, it gives the union’s executive committee the authority to initiate a strike in the future. Chicago Sky center Elizabeth Williams is one of the seven players on that executive committee, in addition to Nneka Ogwumike, Kelsey Plum, Napheesa Collier, Breanna Stewart and Brianna Turner.
“The players’ decision is an unavoidable response to the state of negotiations with the WNBA and its teams,” the WNBPA said in a statement. “Time and again, the players’ thoughtful and reasonable approach has been met by the WNBA and its teams with a resistance to change and a recommitment to the draconian provisions that have unfairly restricted players for nearly three decades. The players’ vote is neither a call for an immediate strike nor an intention to pursue one. Rather, it is an emphatic affirmation of the players’ confidence in their leadership and their unwavering solidarity against ongoing efforts to divide, conquer, and undervalue them.”
The league issued its own statement that the owners “strongly disagree with the WNBPA’s characterization of the current state of negotiations.” The two parties will now continue their work toward a Jan. 9 deadline, which was extended several times from an original expiration date in October.
Can Coby White get back up to speed?
This season is coming along slowly for Coby White, who played only his 12th game of the year in Sunday’s win over the Atlanta Hawks.
White missed the entirety of training camp, preseason and the first three weeks of the season with a calf strain that occurred in late August. Even after his return on Nov. 16, the guard has been hampered by tightness and discomfort in both calves, which resulted in four additional missed games. White wears sleeves on both calves during practice and games to help facilitate recovery in both injured legs — and avoid the risk of worse damage to his calves or Achilles tendons.
In recent weeks, the Bulls have seen a return of the version of White who could lead their offense in scoring. White scored 20 or more points in three of his last four games, including a 25-point heater in a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. He dove back into a heavier workload to play nearly 30 minutes per game without setbacks. But one area of White’s game still hasn’t caught up — his 3-point shooting.
White is shooting 29.8% from behind the arc, nearly eight percentage points below his career average of 36.7%. No one within the Bulls — teammates, coaches, staff — is worried about this bumpy start from 3-point range. It’s expected for a player still getting his wind and his bearings back after an extended absence. But White is still anxious to regain his comfort on the court and from his favored spot behind the line.
“I’m still trying to get it back,” White said. “I’ve never not had a training camp and preseason, so this is my first time ever not having this. It’s going to take some time. I was like, ‘Nah, I’ll be good.’ And now I’m starting to go through it. It’s tough for sure because everybody else is kind of ahead of the curve and I’m trying to catch up.”
International pipeline continues
Illinois men’s basketball brought in yet another international player last week, though this one won’t play this season.
The Illini signed 6-foot-8, 210-pound Croatian forward Toni Bilić last week. Bilić played three seasons for KK Cedevita Junior Zagreb in the Favbet Premier League in Croatia. Illinois announced that once he arrives on campus he will focus on strength training and development for the rest of this season and will not play in games.
Bilić joins an Illinois group that already consists of Croatian twins Tomislav and Zvonimir Ivišić, Montenegrin forward David Mirković and Serbian point guard Mihailo Petrović. The players share an agent.
“It’s an opportunity for him to come in here and not have any pressure of having to play,” Illinois coach Brad Underwood told reporters. “Very, very skilled downhill player. He fits what we’re looking for in terms of positional size. I love his IQ and his feel is extremely, extremely competitive. He plays really hard.
“He’s got tremendous perimeter skills. He sees the floor. He’s a passer. He’s got a lot of ability to make plays for others as well as himself and just needs strength. This will give him a great opportunity to do that.”
Intra-Indiana stunner
Notre Dame men’s basketball coach Micah Shrewsberry offered a unique thank you Sunday after his Irish lost to Purdue Fort Wayne 72-69 at home.
“Whoever booed me on the way out, thank you,” Shrewsberry said in his postgame news conference. “Thank you. I appreciate it, every single bit of it. Because it was deserved. It was deserved by us and how we played and how we coached them. But we’re not going to quit after tonight. What it did is ruin my Christmas. I’m going to watch this film. And there ain’t no Christmas in my house. There might be for everybody else in the family. But I have a huge chip on my shoulder.”
Shrewsberry said the Irish had a “total lack of leadership” that started with him, but also gave Purdue Fort Wayne credit.
Corey Hadnot II scored 29 points and had six rebounds, three steals and two assists to lead Purdue Fort Wayne to its first program victory over Notre Dame. The Mastodons have had wins against major conference opponents before — against Indiana in 2016 and 2017, and DePaul in 2023.
Number of the week: 12
Career 30-point games for Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo. She broke the Irish record, held by Arike Ogunbowale, on Sunday when she scored 30 points on 13-for-17 shooting in 22 minutes against Bellarmine. Hidalgo also had 13 steals and 10 assists for the first 30-point triple-double in Notre Dame history in the 110-38 win.
Week ahead: Bulls
Tuesday: @ Hawks, 6:30 p.m. (CHSN)
Friday: vs. 76ers, 6:30 p.m. (CHSN)
Saturday: vs. Bucks, 7 p.m. (CHSN)
Monday: vs. Timberwolves, 7 p.m. (CHSN)
It’s early to talk about tiebreakers, but the Bulls are already facing several key matchups for their year-long Eastern Conference standings. One of those matchups is on Tuesday against the Hawks, when the Bulls can sweep their season series with Atlanta. The Bulls already clinched a tiebreaker over Atlanta with Sunday’s win. Sweeping the series would give the Bulls another advantage to leapfrog the Hawks, who are currently one game ahead in the East.
Week ahead: Best college basketball games
Sunday: Illinois women at Purdue, 11 a.m. (Big Ten Network)
Monday: Southern men at No. 20 Illinois, 2 p.m. (Big Ten Network)
Monday: Pittsburgh women at No. 18 Notre Dame, 5 p.m. (ACC Network)
After Illinois’ Braggin’ Rights blowout over Missouri on Monday night, it’s a light week for many area basketball teams.
But the Illini women, who are now 11-1, continue Big Ten play this weekend at Purdue, while the Illini men host Southern in a weekday afternoon game Monday. Notre Dame hosts an ACC matchup with Pittsburgh.
What we’re reading this morning
Quote of the week
“I looked at it at halftime and it was like 83 points. It was crazy. I couldn’t believe it. I was like, ‘We have 83 points?’ And nobody had a reaction. I was like, this might be normal.” — Matas Buzelis after the Bulls and the Hawks combined for 302 points in the highest-scoring NBA game of the season
