Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/651219
MEN'S BASKETBALL Three-Point Play 1. ACC Honors — The Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association tabbed junior guard Demetrius Jackson second-team All-ACC and senior forward Zach Auguste third-team All-ACC. Jackson spearheaded an Irish offense that ranked among the nation's best during the regular season with a team-high 15.9 points and 5.0 assists per game. Auguste averaged a double-double with 14.7 points and 10.4 rebounds per contest during Notre Dame's 30-game regular season. 2. Freshmen Show Potential — Perhaps no game this season revealed more about the abilities of two of Notre Dame's freshmen than the regular- season finale against NC State March 5. Forward Matt Ryan scored 17 points in the first half and finished with 19 total, sinking 5 of 8 shots including 4 of 6 from three-point range. It was the kind of breakout performance fans and even the staff has waited to see all year from Ryan, who was recruited for his deadly shooting range among other talents in his skill set. And guard Rex Pflueger added nine points in 24 minutes of play, but the story of his game wasn't his offense. His role revolved around slowing down North Carolina State star junior guard Cat Barber, a challenge with which even Jackson struggled. "It's funny, I've seen so many times on a Senior Day freshmen win the game," Brey said. "And how about our freshman today? "Matt Ryan, that was coming. It was bubbling the whole time. And Rex, I think [Barber] only scored one bucket on him. He's making threes for us and making hustle plays. "I love where those guys are heading into post- season play; those guys are not freshmen any- more." 3. Quiet On The Recruiting Trail — Notre Dame is still recruiting two prospects in the 2016 class — Austin (Texas) St. Stephen's Episcopal center Jarrett Allen and Mono (Ontario) Orangeville Prep center Thon Maker. Both are rated five-star prospects by Rivals. The 6-9, 225-pound Allen is ranked as the No. 20 overall player nationally, and he will play in the McDonald's All-American game March 30 at the United Center in Chicago. The 7-0, 210-pound Maker is unranked by Rivals due to a policy to not rank players who play in Canada, but most experts consider him a top-10 player in the class. Allen is aiming to wrap up his recruitment this spring and it's still unclear who he's favoring as a decision approaches. One top contender could be Texas, because Allen visited his hometown school for numerous Freshman forward Matt Ryan drained four three‑ pointers and scored a season‑high 17 points in Notre Dame's final regular‑season game. PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND