Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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48 SEPT. 2, 2023 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY JACK SOBLE Chantilly (Va.) Paul VI Catholic class of 2024 power forward Garrett Sun- dra had dinner with his family and the Notre Dame coaching staff on Aug. 1. He had an announcement after everyone sat down. At t h a t m e a l , t h e 6 - f o o t -1 0, 215-pound Sundra told the coaching staff that he would be committing to Notre Dame. The visit put the Irish over the top in a recruitment led by assistant coach Mike Farrelly. "Ultimately, it came down to the coaching staff," said Sundra, who pub- licly announced his decision Aug. 10. "Coach Farrelly and Coach [Micah] Shrewsberry are phenomenal coaches off the court. And then pairing that with watching a practice and seeing how good they were with the guys, how good they were with the team. It really made the decision fairly easy." Sundra, a three-star prospect and the No. 163 overall player in the On3 Indus- try Ranking, liked how Notre Dame used its forwards, giving them the freedom to shoot threes. He considers himself a stretch four. In his junior season, Sundra was able to play his natural position with the additions of center Patrick Ngongba (No. 26 in the On3 Industry Ranking) and small forward Isaiah Abraham (No. 62). Abraham is a UConn commit, and Ngongba announced a top eight of Duke, Indiana, Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky, Michigan, Providence and UConn in July. "Pat is a great center, so it was him under the rim," Sundra said. "That al- lowed me to step out." Sundra could play on the wing and shoot more threes. Paul VI Catholic had another dominant season with him as a featured player, and boasts 62-9 record while being a perennial top-10 team in the country over the past two years. Last season, led by coach Glenn Farello, Paul VI Catholic also featured guard Darren Harris, who will attend Duke this fall, and shooting guard De- Shawn Harris-Smith, who signed with Maryland. "I believe iron sharpens iron," Farello said. "We're fortunate to have some great players, and the competition level that we have in the schedule we put to- gether gives a lot of opportunities for the kids to grow. And I think Garrett really took advantage of that." While Sundra had been on Farrel- ly's radar since he was a sophomore, he grew, literally, into a top target as a junior. Farello estimates Sundra was around 6-foot-4 to 6-foot-5 as a fresh- man. He grew a couple inches here and there and all of a sudden, he was close to 7 feet tall. Already a skilled forward, Sundra added the size to go with it. "That's why I really believe his best basketball is ahead of him," Farello said. "Once that frame fills out, a lot of the things that he's able to do will come more to fruition. We saw a lot of that growth, as far as his personal develop- ment and his physical development. They're now catching up to his skill and his basketball IQ." Farello has no doubt Sundra, a hard worker, will fill out his frame and continue improving as his career moves forward. "It's not trying to convince him that he has to do this, this and this, to get better at this or better at that," Farello said. "Garrett knows who he is as a bas- ketball player." Farrelly had recruited some of Farel- lo's players in the past, and the two had a good relationship. It didn't hurt that Farello's grandfather went to Notre Dame, either. "The Irish have always had a special place in my heart," Farello said. "And so it's nice that I can say in my career, for the first time, that I have one of my own going to Notre Dame, and I'm very excited that Garrett is that kid. I think he's a perfect fit." Sundra, Farello said, is a quintessen- tial "Notre Dame kid." His visit included a trip to the Mendoza College of Busi- ness, which he plans on attending. "I'm grateful, very grateful, to be part of the Notre Dame family," Sundra said. ✦ Skilled Virginia Big Man A 'Perfect Fit' for Notre Dame COMMITMENT PROFILE GARRETT SUNDRA FILM ANALYSIS "Garrett Sundra has legit size — he is push- ing 7 feet — but it's the fluidity and skill that make him so interesting. Sundra is a good run-and-jump athlete for a player his size. He moves well and has fluidity in his hips. "You want to see him rebound better, and that may come with more strength. More strength will also most likely help him when it comes to his core balance and setting his base on offense. There is touch there with projected range on the jump shot." — On3 national recruiting analyst Jamie Shaw Sundra, a 6-10 forward, is listed as the No. 163 overall player nationally in the On3 Industry Ranking. PHOTO COURTESY GARRETT SUNDRA "The Irish have always been a special place in my heart. And so it's nice that I can say in my career, for the first time, that I have one of my own going to Notre Dame, and I'm very excited that Garrett is that kid. I think he's a perfect fit." CHANTILLY (VA.) PAUL VI CATHOLIC HEAD COACH GLENN FARELLO, WHOSE GRANDFATHER ATTENDED NOTRE DAME, ON SUNDRA