Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com JUNE/JULY 2020 43 Trey Wertz turned on his TV one afternoon in late March and stum- bled upon an old basketball game he remembered watching live. CBS was re-airing recent NCAA Tourna- ment classics in the wake of the 2020 tournament's cancellation. This one was Notre Dame's near takedown of unbeaten Kentucky in the 2015 Elite Eight. His first viewing had him gripped. He had also watched the Fighting Irish beat childhood favorite North Carolina in the 2015 ACC Tourna- ment. This second viewing, five years later, helped him reach a real- ization: Notre Dame's offense would fit him well. Notre Dame's staff had already reached out to Wertz, a former Santa Clara guard, when he entered the NCAA transfer portal. As those con- versations went on, they eventually came back to one member of that 2015 team. "Their coaching staff believes me and Jerian Grant are a good com- parison," Wertz said. "I went back on Synergy and watched a lot of that team. It's definitely fun to watch. That team was really good." In the process, he found his next destination and fulfilled a child- hood dream of playing in the ACC. Wertz, a 6-4, 180-pound guard from Charlotte, N.C., committed to Notre Dame April 11 after spending two seasons at Santa Clara. He started 58 of 62 games and averaged 12.0 points across his two years. He signed with Notre Dame April 15, the first day of the spring signing period, and will sit out the 2020-21 season. "Good off-the-dribble skill set," Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey said. "He's got a 6-foot-11 wingspan, and length is always important in this game. He's 180, but by the time he takes the floor for us I bet he will be 195, maybe 200." In discussions with Brey and assis- tant Ryan Humphrey — who made first contact — the idea of fit came up often. One of Wertz's primary moti- vations for transferring was finding an offense that was built on spacing and player movement with a lot of ball screens. Brey told Wertz that he watched five minutes of him on film and identified him as ideal for it. Wertz, in turn, knew after a short viewing that Notre Dame's structure on offense and his place in it would be hard to top. "It was the same for me," Wertz said. "I could tell by the first couple possessions of offense that I could fit in really well in the spread-out, free- flowing system. He loves guys with freedom, and that's just my game." Wertz and Brey were in lockstep the entire process, each understand- ing the other's thinking and what it meant. They could see eye to eye and sensed they belonged on the same court. "He really saw an opportunity in the style of play," Brey explained. "I knew we were in good shape when he texted me in the process, 'Coach, I've been on Synergy and do you see me playing like Jerian Grant in your system?' I said, 'Yes. Bingo.'" Wertz heard from about 60 schools after entering the portal, but nar- rowed his list to Notre Dame, Butler, Arizona, North Carolina, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Virginia. He dove into each as best he could. The CO- VID-19 pandemic meant he would not be able to take visits before mak- ing a decision. He relied on virtual tours and Zoom meetings. One Zoom call with Notre Dame's staff lasted about an hour, he said. It included the academic presentation normally given to recruits on visits. He found the school's online tour, and the coaching staff showed him pictures and video of the basketball facilities. Wertz and his parents, Whitni and Langston, sat down to discuss op- tions, with offensive fit and academic opportunities as two of the most im- portant criteria to meet. Wertz is a finance major who was on track to graduate from Santa Clara in three years. He wants to pursue an MBA. "We both looked at each other and realized Notre Dame's pretty high in all the categories," Wertz said. "It was a no-brainer at that point." — Patrick Engel COMMITMENT PROFILE TREY WERTZ Santa Clara Transfer Guard Finds Perfect Fit With Notre Dame Wertz was one of 12 Division I players last sea- son to shoot at least 48 percent from the floor, 40 percent on three-pointers and 75 percent from the foul line while averaging four or more three-point attempts per game. PHOTO COURTESY SANTA CLARA 2020-21 NOTRE DAME ROSTER BREAKDOWN Seniors: Juwan Durham and Nikola Djogo Juniors: Prentiss Hubb, Dane Goodwin, Nate Laszewski, Robby Carmody (redshirted 2019‑20), Cormac Ryan (redshirted 2019‑20) and Trey Wertz (will redshirt 2020‑21) Sophomores: None Freshmen: Matt Zona, Elijah Taylor and Tony Sanders Jr. As it stands now, Notre Dame has four spots open for 2021‑22. The Fighting Irish have a commitment from three‑star wing JR Koniec‑ zny from South Bend's Saint Joseph High School. They also have offered another local product, four‑star guard Blake Wesley from Riley High School. SCOUTING TREY WERTZ Trey Wertz averaged 11.9 points, 3.9 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game as a sophomore in 2019‑20. He was one of 12 Division I players last season to shoot at least 48 percent from the floor, 40 percent on three‑pointers and 75 percent from the foul line while averaging four or more three‑point attempts per game. "We were so concerned about not being able to hard hedge and contain and stay with him," said one Division I coach who faced Wertz this year. "We knew if we didn't stay with the dribble at least two slides on hedges that he would pick us apart. "… He's big enough where he could see over the top of people and make passes. He's strong enough that physicality like a hard hedge didn't bother him."