Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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basketball recruiting Notre Dame Checks In With Targets at Peach Jam By Dan Murphy N otre Dame head coach Mike Brey traveled to South Carolina in July for some one-stop recruit shopping at the well-known Peach Jam, a massive tournament that attracts some of the best high school basketball players in the country. Brey watched several prospects in the 2014 and 2015 classes, and checked in with a handful of Irish targets, including forwards D.J. Hogg, Jessie Govan and Bonzie Colson. Notre Dame wants to restock its roster with big players in the two coming recruiting class, and Brey's trip to South Carolina was part of the process. Hogg, a power forward from Plano (Texas) West turned heads with his smooth shooting stroke. He's currently rated by 247Sports as the No. 10 power forward and No. 39 overall prospect in the class of 2015. The Irish offered him a scholarship in April and continued to stay in contact with him during the spring contact period. "I like Coach Brey and the assistants," Hogg said. "I still have to do more research about Notre Dame, but I like them so far, and the coaches are showing me a lot of interest. It's also big that they are in the ACC. I just want to get to the next level, and that would help being in that conference." The self-described gym rat said he liked the way Notre Dame used its shooters in its offense. The 6-7, 190-pound rising junior is interested in the Irish, but also has early offers from Arizona, Houston, Iowa, Kansas State, SMU, TCU and Texas A&M. "Hogg is a sharp-shooting combo forward," said Jerry Meyer, a national scout for 247Sports. "A finesse skilled player, Hogg also has a lot of room to become a stronger and more physical player. "Nonetheless, Hogg's skill set and basketball IQ make him quite an intriguing prospect." Govan, a 6-9, 260-pound center from Manhasset, N.Y., is also working to get bigger and stronger heading into his junior year of high school. Govan played for the New York Lightning team at the Peach Jam. He averaged 20.3 points and 11.2 rebounds per game during his sophomore season at St. Mary's High School. Govan said Notre Dame is among the schools that have reached out to gauge his interest in the most recent contact period. "They've shown me a lot of interest," Govan said. "They called me a few times, and they sent me a few letters." Notre Dame's first choice at center in the 2015 class is Las Vegas Bishop Gorman standout Stephen Zimmerman. The seven-footer is ranked as