Maybe we should call them the Fighting Mad Ants.

Kyle McAlarney, Rob Kurz and Ryan Ayers played three years together with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Through NBA D-League allocations and a trade, they've been reunited as part of the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.

For the trio, it's been good to see familiar faces in their still unfamiliar new home.

“It's a great thing for me and Ryan and Rob,” McAlarney said. “There's a lot of Notre Dame support in Fort Wayne. It's a big community with a lot of fans. And I'm sure we'll make some trips to South Bend to watch a few games. It's always good to have that kind of support system around you.”

McAlarney and Ayers were roommates for three years at Notre Dame, and both finished their careers last season with strong performances: McAlarney, a 6-foot-1 guard, averaged 15 points per game and set the school record for three-pointers made. Ayers, a 6-foot-7 forward, averaged 11.1 points per game as a senior.

The D-League assigned McAlarney and Kurz as the two allocated players of local interest for the Mad Ants this season.

“For mine and Kyle's first professional step, it's been a nice transition,” Ayers said.

Kurz, 6-foot-9 and a year older, spent last season with the NBA's Golden State Warriors, averaging 3.9 points per game while appearing in 40 games. He hit a best of 21 points against the Utah Jazz last April. Kurz signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers before this season and was released prior to the season.

The Ants traded their top draft pick, Alade Aminu, to the Erie Bayhawks for the rights to Kurz.

“This is where I wanted to come,” Kurz said. “Obviously, I'm fortunate it worked out. I feel good about this situation. I couldn't be happier about it.”

Mad Ants coach Joey Meyer trimmed the roster to 12 players Wednesday, and will have to cut two more by next Wednesday. The team will play an exhibition game at Erie on Friday, then open the regular season at home against Erie on Nov.27 at Memorial Coliseum.

Each of the Notre Dame players knows there are certain areas of their games they have to work on to make it to (or in Kurz's case, back to) the NBA.

Kurz is the closest, having played in the NBA last season.

“I feel I proved, especially when I got the playing time, to be very effective (in the NBA),” Kurz said. “My goal is to get back as soon as possible, but I'm excited to be here, too. I have a great coach, and great teammates to help me get better. I feel like we're all going to make each other better.”

McAlarney played with the Los Angeles Clippers in summer league ball and played briefly for a team in Israel.

He said he is excited about learning more about the game under Meyer.

“For me, I have to be a point guard,” McAlarney said. “In college, I was kind of a point guard and a shooting guard mix. I didn't have a set position. But, with my size, I'm very limited in being able to play off the ball at the NBA level. So I need to show I can play point guard and run the team and win games.”

McAlarney said he will also continue to work on his strong suit - the long-range shot - and try to exploit defenses with that when the opportunity arises.

Ayers has been around the game his entire life. His father, Randy, was the head coach at Ohio State and has coached for several years in the NBA.

“There are a lot of things I need to work on to get to the next level,” Ayers said. “Having a family member at the next level helps, and having Coach Meyer's tutelage will help as well.”

Ayers and Kurz have known each other since their high school days in Philadelphia. They nearly played on the same prep team, but Kurz moved to another school.

Ayers, Kurz and McAlarney are the first former Notre Dame players to play for the Mad Ants.

“I'm sure this is definitely a rare thing in professional basketball because guys play all over the world in different leagues,” McAlarney said. “To be able to be on the same team means a lot. You're going to have some bad days or tough days, and it'll be good to have them to pick you up and hang out with. It gives you that extra boost and extra support. I think we're all very excited to be together.”