There’s been plenty written about Kyle McAlarney. The Notre Dame junior guard who was kicked out of school last year for marijuana possession back in December 2006 wasn’t sure he’d ever return to South Bend.

Even if Coach Mike Brey was extremely supportive and visited him as a friend out at the former Moore Catholic standout’s home, nothing was set in stone. Especially with the distraught McAlarney looking at other college options to resume his basketball career.

What wasn’t known was the amount of psychological damage the whole episode caused for the Staten Island kid who took responsibility for his actions and felt the heavy burden.

Still, our whole community was pulling for one of our own, who had made good playing Div. I ball from many a day practicing that outside shot which defies logic to this day. Just ask Jim Boeheim.

There was a special Sunday column in the Daily News on Kyle’s struggles with anxiety when he didn’t know what was wrong. As someone who’s dealt with similar issues over the past year, I could certainly relate to what he went through. It’s never easy to comprehend what’s going on.

You just want to get things righted. Much like McAlarney, I’ve also rectified my situation and am doing much better.

I definitely recommend the article above as it really is informative and details McAlarney’s dramatic turnaround leading to a great junior season where he and teammates will look to make a run in the Eastern region as the No.5 seed. A possible Sweet 16 showdown could come down against the top seeded Tar Heels.

But all of this was so far away 14 months ago as to hear McAlarney tell it:

“There are so many things that felt like rock-bottom that it’s hard to say,” said McAlarney, who starred for Moore Catholic High on Staten Island. “I’m not sure any of them was worse than the first game after my arrest. I remember watching ESPN and seeing my name across the bottom: ‘Kyle McAlarney suspended on marijuana charges.’

“But walking out of the tunnel onto this court in plain clothes, behind my teammates, and being able to feel every eye in the place on me was maybe the harshest. I sat on the bench and I knew that the TV cameras would be on me and that the announcers would be talking about the biggest mistake of my life.”

All that kind of stuff had to be extremely difficult to deal with. That’s why how he’s handled his issues off the court is commendable. It’s never easy to go public with anxiety. I have found that the more open you are about things, the better you’ll feel.

It’s good to see McAlarney doing so well. That’s the most important thing. Best of luck to him and the Fighting Irish in the Big Dance!