Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BASKETBALL RECRUITING Meanwhile, another five-star big man postponed his visit to South Bend, but it wasn't due to lack of in- terest. Mono (Ontario) Orangeville Prep five-star center Thon Maker — the teammate of new Notre Dame com- mit Nikola Djogo — was going to visit Notre Dame over the weekend of Oct. 16-18 for the home football game against USC, but had to cancel because he wasn't able to take the SAT on time. NCAA rules prohibit official visits without an ACT or SAT score and a transcript. "I spoke to Coach Brey — they wanted to get him to the USC game," said Ed Smith, who is Maker's guard- ian. "Thon was already going to take it on Nov. 7, but he tried to speed it up so he could get to the USC game. It just didn't work out. "Thon was like, 'I'd rather go see a basketball game. I want to see them play. I'm not playing football.' He wants to see how they play, how Coach Brey coaches and how they in- teract. You can get a lot out of that." Several top programs, along with Notre Dame, are chasing the 7-0, 210-pound center — who is rated as a five-star prospect but is not currently ranked by Rivals because he reclassi- fied from 2015 to 2016. Arizona State is considered in some recruiting circles to be the clubhouse leader, but Smith said Maker hasn't finalized any his top schools. "He hasn't made a list yet," Smith said. "But there are people who are re- cruiting him the hardest, like Arizona State and Notre Dame. You've got In- diana, you've got other schools like Kentucky who have said, 'If there's a general interest, let us know when you're ready and we'll begin the pro- cess.' So that's their approach. It's a lit- tle different, but it's efficient. St. John's came up recently, and a few others are in the periphery. "I think the timeline is the spring. I think it gives you a chance to see who's where, and how things play out. You get all your stuff into the NCAA, and you see who leaves for the draft, which teams have a need, and then you can make an educated decision. He wants to make an impact and make sure he's got players around him." Maker can begin scheduling trips after he takes the SAT on Nov. 7. ✦ IRISH ROLL TO EXHIBITION WIN In the first of two preseason tune-ups, Notre Dame cruised to an 87-56 victory over St. Fran- cis (Ill.) Oct. 30. Sophomore forward Bonzie Colson led the Irish in scoring with 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting, while three others tallied double figures in a balanced attack. "We got a lot to work with," head coach Mike Brey said. "We've got a little more time to work on our rotation, but I thought the guys who got in there did what they were supposed to do." Sophomore guard Matt Farrell shined off the bench for the Irish, finishing with 10 points — on 4-of-5 shooting, including 2 of 2 from three- point range — and four assists. Junior starters Demetrious Jackson and Steve Vasturia also contributed 10 points apiece. Notre Dame will play its second exhibition game against Caldwell Nov. 5. The regular sea- son begins Nov. 13 with a home contest against St. Francis (Pa.) that tips off at 7:30 p.m. ET. — Jordan Wells