Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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the best at first, I take my defense up a notch and it helps on the offensive end." Brey and the Irish will gladly take those transition buckets, especially in the 18-game ACC season that will ul- timately define the 2014-15 campaign. "We've gotten some easier buck- ets," Brey said. "We've gotten some layups in transition because we turn people over. We're good in transition on missed field goals, especially our starting group because we're a little smaller and we can really spread you out." ✦ Recruiting Update Rex Pflueger Wins Dunk Contest Notre Dame already inked four-star shooting guard Rex Pflueger to its 2015 recruiting class in November, but the Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei prospect continues to elevate his stock as a high school senior. Rivals.com's No. 98 overall player in the nation captured the 2014 MaxPreps Holiday Classic dunk contest in front of 2,000 fans in Ran- cho Mirage, Calif., during the final week of December. Even with Pflueger's signature already secured, assistant coach Martin Ingelsby traveled to the West Coast the day after Christmas to visit the prospect. Prolific dunks by the current Irish squad during the month of De- cember opened some eyes for a program not typically known for such athletic feats, but it looks like Pflueger should fit right in next year. Irish Seek Size In 2016 Class While the Irish coaching staff continues to monitor the high school senior and college transfer landscape for a possible spring addition to the program for the 2015-16 season, the attention has shifted to the 2016 crop, where Notre Dame knows it must emphasize size. Atop its 2016 wish list is Alpharetta (Ga.) Milton power forward Chris Lewis. Assistant coach Anthony Solomon is leading the pursuit of the Rivals.com four-star forward, who is ranked as the No. 96 overall player in the country. Head coach Mike Brey got on the trail and visited Lewis Dec. 15 after the prospect visited South Bend during the fall. The Irish have already offered the 6-8, 230-pound Lewis and view him as the ideal fit for the program with his combination of size and athleticism. Lewis also holds offers from Auburn, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Memphis and Miami. During December, the coaching staff visited a few other 2016 prospects as well during exam week. Solomon made the trek to DeMatha Catholic High School in Maryland for the National High School Hoops Festival to see 2017 guard Aaron Thompson. The Fairfax, Va., native is a three-star prospect on Rivals.com. Solomon also watched 2016 power forward Javin Montgomery-Delaurier practice in Charlot- tesville, Va. The 2016 three-star prospect is not ranked on Rivals.com. Finally, Solomon traveled further south to watch 2016 power forward Jay Huff practice at Voyager Academy. The Durham, N.C., product stands 6-10 and is not yet rated by Rivals.com. — Andrew Owens Rivals.com rates Santa Ana (Calif.) shooting guard and N o t r e D a m e s i g n e e R e x Pflueger as a four-star prospect and the No. 98 overall player in the class of 2015. PHOTO BY JACEY ZEMBAL