Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com SEPT. 30, 2019 47 MEN'S BASKETBALL RECRUITING BY MIKE SINGER T he wait for a class of 2020 commit- ment is finally over for Notre Dame. On Sept. 19, Philadelphia Imhotep Institute Charter School's Elijah Taylor announced his pledge to Notre Dame. Rivals ranks the 6-8, 215-pounder as a three-star recruit and the No. 28 center in the nation. Taylor took official visits to VCU, Seton Hall, Florida and Notre Dame, in that order, on consecutive week- ends from Aug. 22 to Sept. 13. Taylor was supposed to visit Pittsburgh Sept. 20, but he already made his mind up about committing to the Fighting Irish. Imhotep head coach Andre Noble raves about his versatile big man, not merely regarding his on-court skills but how Taylor may be at his best when he is off the hardwood. "He's incredible," Noble said. "Just talking about him already makes me miss him a little bit. He's a tremendous leader. Our school community loves him. He's on student council. He has one of the highest GPAs in his class. "He's a good student, has great char- acter and is loved by everyone in our building. He does everything the right way, and it's a credit to him and his folks who have supported him." At Nike's Peach Jam Tournament in July, Taylor averaged 13.2 points and 8.0 rebounds per game while shooting 44.0 percent from the field. "He's really physical around the rim," Noble said. "I think what's re- ally changed for him is how much he has improved his face-up game. He is really efficient at putting the ball on the floor and getting to the rim." Taylor didn't shoot the three ball very well at Peach Jam, sinking just 1 of 8 shots. However, Noble believes that Taylor's ability to shoot from be- hind the arc is an improving aspect of his game. "He shoots the high school three- point shot really well now," he ex- plained. "We're proud of the growth he's made with his shooting and doing more things on the floor. "Obviously, he's a good rim runner. His post game is good, especially on the turn-and-face." His prime value is as a two-way player. His defensive prowess may be even more impressive than what he can do with the ball in his hands. "He's a tremendous defensive player," Noble said. "He draws charges, rebounds the ball well, he blocks shots and plays with an unbe- lievable motor." While Taylor is listed as a center, Notre Dame doesn't like to give po- sition labels to its players. The Irish adopt the mindset of "position-less basketball." With that being said, Tay- lor can play power forward or center in a small-ball lineup. "I think he can do either one," Noble said. "Some of the schools recruited him as a four strictly. Some of them see him as a four and small-ball five. I think he's a good pick-and-pop four or five. "He's going to grow into being able to play as a stretch four, if he can con- tinue to improve his shooting. He's always working on the distance of his shot. He's going to shoot a lot of them in high school this year. "He's become way more versatile than he was just four months ago. The biggest part of that is because he's working so hard in the gym and put- ting effort into his craft. Few kids work as hard as he does." The recruiting process was a busy one for Taylor, especially in the past few weeks while he took four official visits. But now with a commitment to Notre Dame, all that is left is to sign anytime from Nov. 13-20. "He's a joy to coach," Noble stated. "I'm excited for him and this oppor- tunity. He's glad that this is over. It's always tough to figure out where you want to go. "You have to let some coaches that you've grown close to know that you're not going there. That's been tough for him, but he's handled it well." ✦ Irish Break The Seal On 2020 Class With Philadelphia Big Man NOTES FROM THE RECRUITING TRAIL • Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic center Matt Zona, a three-star recruit and the nation's No. 32 center in the 2020 class per Rivals, will look to have his official trip to Notre Dame during the last weekend of September. The Irish staff offered the 6-8, 220-pound big July 29 and have quickly formed a strong relationship with Zona. Zona's current top seven consists of Davidson, Harvard, Notre Dame, Pennsylvania, Penn State, St. Joseph's and Vanderbilt. • Notre Dame had two basketball official visi- tors during the weekend of Sept. 13-15 — new- est Irish pledge Elijah Taylor and Denton (Texas) Guyer's JaKobe Coles, who is listed as the No. 25 power forward and No. 124 overall recruit in the 2020 class by Rivals. "Notre Dame is one of my top schools," said Coles, who has now made two visits to South Bend. "They've always showed me love. I love all of the coaches. This official visit really opened my eyes about Notre Dame, and I really appreciated the coaching staff and players for accepting me." Coles, who plans to make a decision during the early signing period in November, has visits set to see TCU Sept. 27 and Texas A&M Oct. 12. • Local 2021 hoops recruits Blake Wesley and JR Konieczny are expected at most of Notre Dame's home football games this fall. Both South Bend natives were on hand for the New Mexico contest Sept. 14. Rivals rates the 6-5, 180-pound Wesley of Ri- ley High as the No. 25 shooting guard and No. 91 overall recruit nationally. Konieczny, a 6-7, 195-pound from St. Joseph's High who pledged to the Irish this summer, is listed as the No. 25 small forward and No. 134 overall prospect in the land. — Mike Singer SCOUTING REPORT "Best around the basket, Taylor displays soft hands, a strong IQ for the game in playing angles appropriately and has begun to shoot it more accurately out of the mid-range. Throw in his re- bounding prowess and shot-altering abilities and Taylor should impact the game on both ends." — Rivals national analyst Corey Evans Rivals rates new Irish pledge Elijah Taylor — a 6-8, 215-pounder from Philadelphia Imhotep Institute Charter School — as a three-star recruit and the No. 28 center in the country. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM