Notre Dame is turning to a school legend to run both its men’s and women’s basketball teams. Former Fighting Irish basketball star Pat Garrity was named the school’s general manager for both teams Tuesday, Notre Dame announced.
Garrity was a standout player at the university from 1994 to 1998. In four seasons with the team, he averaged 18.8 points and seven rebounds per game. He was named the Big East Player of the Year in 1997. Notre Dame did not reach the NCAA tournament while Garrity was at the school.
Following an excellent 1997-98 season, in which Garrity averaged 23.2 points, he was the No. 19 overall pick in the 1998 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks. Garrity never played for the Bucks, and was traded with Dirk Nowitzki to the Dallas Mavericks. Garrity was then flipped to the Phoenix Suns, where he played out his rookie season. He was traded to the Orlando Magic after just one season in Phoenix. Garrity played out the rest of his 10-year NBA career with the Magic.
In 10 NBA seasons, Garrity averaged 7.3 points and 2.6 rebounds per game.
After his playing career, Garrity eventually returned to the NBA as an executive. He spent a few seasons as the Detroit Pistons’ assistant general manager before leaving in 2020.
In a statement Tuesday, Garrity called Notre Dame his “second home.”
“I’m thrilled to be returning to Notre Dame,” Pat Garrity stated. “At every point in my career and life, Notre Dame has always been a second home for me and my family. The University has shaped who I am, and its values resonate deeply within me.”
Garrity faces two very different tasks managing both the men’s and women’s team. Things should be easier on the women’s side. Notre Dame finished 28-6 last season, earning a No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament. The team advanced to the Sweet 16, where it lost to TCU. The team lost Sonia Citron in the WNBA Draft, but still features Hannah Hidalgo, one of the best players in college basketball. With Hidalgo around, Notre Dame is once again expected to be a force next season.
Getting the men’s side back on track might prove far more difficult. The men finished 15-18 last season, good for ninth place in the ACC. The team most recently appeared in the NCAA tournament in 2022. Notre Dame was one of the First Four teams, and did make its way into the tournament as a No. 11 seed. It won its first round game against Alabama before falling to Texas Tech in the second round.
