When they first put it on four years ago, it was just another basketball jersey, “Irish” emblazoned on the front, their names and numbers on the back.
Notre Dame was a once-proud program that had fallen to second-tier status.
David Graves and Harold Swanagan were on the losing end of their first college game.
And Saturday they were on the losing end of their last college game, falling 84-77 to Duke in the second round of the South Regional.
But when Graves and Swanagan wore their jerseys for the final time, they could take pride in the knowledge that in their four years, the Notre Dame program has gone from has-been to high-end.
Much of the credit goes to seniors Graves, Swanagan and Ryan Humphrey, who transferred to Notre Dame from Oklahoma.
In 1998, the Irish played a top-ranked Duke team “and got beat by 50,” Graves recalled.
Actually, 29. The point is, the Irish weren’t able to compete.
Saturday, the Irish played a top-ranked Duke team and almost pulled off an upset.
Graves finished his career with numerous Irish records, including most games played and most steals. He is seventh on the school’s career scoring list with 1,746 points.
Swanagan missed only four games in his career. And Humphrey leaves as the most prolific shot-blocker in Irish history.
“I told our young guys, `I hope you watched those three men out here lead, because it’s the best job I’ve ever been around as far as leadership and setting the tone and delivering on a daily basis,'” coach Mike Brey said.
The Graves-Humphrey-Swanagan class leaves with a 78-52 record, 41-21 in Humphrey’s two years.
“We should have pulled it out for the [seniors] because they deserve it,” freshman Chris Thomas said. “They turned our program around.”
“And it’s time for the younger guys to put this program on their back and take it to the next level,” Graves said.
“This is pride,” Graves added, pointing to the jersey he was wearing for the last time. “This means something now, and it didn’t before.”
