Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BASKETBALL RECRUITING In an even more impressive game April 26, Montgomery‑DeLaurier scored 22 points on 8‑of‑10 shoot‑ ing and grabbed eight rebounds in a matchup against a Team Loaded N.C. squad that features 6‑9, 220‑pound five‑ star power forward Edrice Adebayo. The staff offered Montgomery‑DeLau‑ rier a scholarship shortly after. "Notre Dame is obviously a great program, and they had a great season last year," he said. "I like the way they play. … They played small and took it to a lot of teams, which was impres‑ sive." Montgomery‑DeLaurier was aver‑ aging 13.1 points and 7.4 rebounds a game through seven contests for Team Loaded Virginia this spring. JAMES BANKS Center • 6-10, 230 Stockbridge (Ga.) Mount Vernon Christian School Rivals.com Rankings: Four‑star recruit and No. 100 overall prospect nation‑ ally. The Skinny: Banks has a lengthy list of suitors, including several schools in the ACC and Big 12. He's a bit more raw than Notre Dame's other frontcourt targets, averaging only 5.0 points and 5.4 rebounds per game for the Atlanta Celtics on the adidas circuit this spring, but his athleticism and upside (he's only played basketball for three years) were more than evident April 24‑26 in Indianapolis. He is looking for a quality degree to fall back on if a professional career in basketball doesn't pan out, which could greatly help Notre Dame's chances in his recruitment. Solomon was present at several of Banks games, along with hoards of other coaches, given that 6‑5, 175‑pound five‑star junior point guard Kobi Simmons and 6‑7, 205‑pound four‑star junior forward Braxton Black‑ well also play for the Celtics. "Notre Dame is a great team in a great conference," Banks said. "They have a great coaching staff, and I like both the way they use their bigs and their tempo. The coaches think I have my best basketball ahead of me and that I really fit their system." A.J. BRODEUR Power Forward • 6-8, 215 Northfield (Mass.) Mount Hermon Rivals.com Rankings: Three‑star prospect. The Skinny: Brodeur — who already held a slew of offers from Ivy League programs, plus Boston College, Mas‑ sachusetts, Charlotte and Davidson — received an offer from the Irish in December. The coaching staff was pres‑ ent at a couple of his games April 24‑26 in Indianapolis, where he averaged 8.3 points and 4.0 rebounds in four con‑ tests. "They are great," Brodeur said of Notre Dame. "You see how well they did last year in the tournament — they almost beat Kentucky. That's a big step. "I like how they coach their kids and how they run their offense. I'm definitely interested in them. I like the high‑low basketball they play in the ACC, and they have one of the best coaches in the country." Brodeur averaged 14.1 points, 6.4 re‑ bounds and 2.6 assists per game while helping Mount Hermon to a 26‑9 record during his junior campaign. ✦