Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/825270
50 JUNE/JULY 2017 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED MEN'S BASKETBALL RECRUITING BY COREY BODDEN F ollowing the conclusion of the 2017-18 season, first-team All-ACC forward Bonzie Colson, honorable mention all-conference point guard Matt Farrell, and big men Martinas Geben and Austin Torres will all graduate and exit the Irish program. As of May 15, Notre Dame had three open scholarships, following the graduation of wings Steve Vas- turia and V.J. Beachem, the transfer of sophomore wing Matt Ryan to Vanderbilt and only the addition of incoming freshman wing D.J. Har- vey out of Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha Catholic to replace the trio. The staff used 12 of its 13 available scholar- ships last season. In addition to trying to fill the three available scholarships for the upcom- ing season, head coach Mike Brey and his staff are also recruiting to replace the four seniors who will be playing their final year of Notre Dame bas- ketball. Under Brey, Notre Dame has never signed more than four high school seniors in a given class, so it is likely all seven spots will not be filled in the coming months. The 2018 recruiting class will be vi- tal for the continued success of Brey's program. The staff used the April live evaluation period to expand its board, but has yet to secure a commit- ment from a rising senior. Below are the top class of 2018 tar- gets on the board for Notre Dame following the evaluation period and heading into the summer. POINT GUARDS With the departure of Farrell fol- lowing the 2017-18 campaign, Notre Dame is trying to land at least one ball handler this cycle. Through mid-May, four point guards were on the board for the Irish, with three joining the list dur- ing the spring evaluation period in April. The longtime target is Wash- ington (D.C.) Gonzaga Rivals100 tal- ent Prentiss Hubb. The 6-2, 155-pounder is ranked as the No. 45 overall player nationally by Rivals, and he has Notre Dame in his final four along with Villanova, Maryland and Virginia. Hubb took a visit to South Bend April 30-May 1 and per his head coach at Gonzaga, Stephen Turner, the trip went well. Heading into the visit, the Irish were thought to be trailing Maryland and Villanova. Ground appears to have been made up, but it is unclear if the Irish will be able to overtake the Terrapins and Wildcats. During the two weeks of the April evaluation period (the weekends of April 21-23 and April 28-30) and the first week of May, Notre Dame of- fered three point guards: five-star Darius Garland of Brentwood (Tenn.) Academy, Jalen Carey of Montclair (N.J.) Immaculate Conception and Devon Dotson of Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day. Carey, a 6-4, 170-pounder who is ranked as the No. 53 overall player nationally by Rivals, plans to visit South Bend. Garland and Dotson are two of the most-sought-after point guards in the class. The 6-1, 170-pound Dotson, who is ranked as the No. 37 overall prospect in the country by Rivals, holds offers from North Carolina, North Carolina State, Villanova, Ari- zona, Florida, Kansas and others. The 6-0, 150-pound Garland, who is listed as the No. 8 overall player in the land, claims offers from Duke, Kansas, Indiana, Vanderbilt, Louis- ville and others. Carey and Hubb appear to be Notre Dame's best options to land a point guard. Notre Dame Faces Vital Recruiting Cycle In 2018 Transfer Possibility Transfers are another avenue Notre Dame is considering to fill its roster spots. As of May 15, the only transfer the Irish have been linked to is Connecticut freshman big man Juwan Durham, who took a visit the weekend of May 5. Durham, who was ranked as the No. 47 overall player nationally in the 2016 class, played in 28 games and averaged eight minutes per contest as a freshman for the Huskies. The 6-11, 207-pounder suffered an ACL tear in both knees between the tail end of his junior season and before his senior campaign. Durham's former head coach at Tampa (Fla.) Prep, Joe Fenlon, told Blue & Gold Illustrated that Dur- ham didn't see a fit at Connecticut and decided moving on was the best option for his future. Fenlon mentioned Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech as other programs involved with Durham. Class of 2018 shooting guard Robby Carmody, the No. 99 overall player nationally according to Rivals, has been to Notre Dame multiple times and has the Irish high on his list. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM