Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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MEN'S BASKETBALL RECRUITING rell and Demetrius Jackson in the NCAA Tournament en route to the Elite Eight. Gibbs Jr. has the skill set to play both on and off the ball, which could enable him and Lykes to play alongside each other. "Coach [Mike] Brey is a real laid- back guy," Lykes said. "We've been in touch since they offered here and there. He has a good reputation up here. "A lot of kids in my class, their fa- thers are friends with him. I've heard nothing but good things about him as a coach and as a person." Lykes had no official visits set through early May, but he does expect to use one to see Notre Dame at some point. Rivals rates him as a four-star prospect and the No. 97 overall player nationally in the 2017 class. The junior averaged 22.0 points, 4.3 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 2.7 steals per game for Gonzaga, while leading his squad to a 24-10 record. He shot 47.3 percent from behind the arc for the season and was also named D.C.'s Ga- torade Player of the Year. STANDOUT WINGS INCLUDE D.J. HARVEY AND BRANDON RANDOLPH Among the handful of 2017 perim- eter players that hold a Notre Dame offer are Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha Catholic forward D.J. Harvey and Westtown (Pa.) School four-star guard Brandon Randolph. The 6-7, 180-pound Harvey is ranked as a five-star recruit and the No. 24 overall player nationally in the 2017 class by Rivals. He already holds offers from Connecticut, Duke, Louis- ville and Notre Dame, among others. That's a lofty group for Notre Dame to battle head to head with, but there are several connections to the Irish for Harvey. Brey and Balanis both attended DeMatha, and so did Irish legends Adrian Dantley and more re- cently Jerian Grant. "I think that's why the DeMatha connection is so good," Harvey said. "They [Brey and Balanis] are really into DeMatha basketball and people that come out of there. They look after those that come out of the school." Harvey has already been cam- pus once, an unofficial visit over the Oct. 17 weekend for the home football game against USC. His mother, father and two assistant coaches joined him on that trip to South Bend. "It was very fun," Harvey said. "The guys, I knew some of them through the EYBL [Nike Elite Youth Basket- ball League]. They showed me a great time. "I love Coach Brey; he keeps it real. My coaches have been up there since Jerian and the Grants have been up there, so it's nothing new to them. But my parents really enjoyed it. They love Notre Dame basketball." Harvey and Lykes play together with Team Takeover on the Nike circuit for spring ball, leading their squad to a 5-2 start in the EYBL. Randolph — a 6-5, 165-pound shoot- ing guard that is listed as a four-star talent and the No. 73 overall player