Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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56 NOV. 6, 2017 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED MEN'S BASKETBALL BY COREY BODDEN A fter exceeding expectations much of the past three years, Notre Dame and head coach Mike Brey aren't sneaking up on anyone this time around. Behind the senior duo of preseason All-American forward Bonzie Colson and point guard Matt Farrell, the Irish are projected to be top-20 timber again. However, with the departures of for- ward V.J. Beachem and guard Steve Vasturia to graduation and forward Matt Ryan to transfer, there are some questions surrounding the Irish depth. Colson and Farrell are known com- modities. Junior guard Rex Pflueger, sophomore guard T.J. Gibbs and senior big man Martinas Geben are somewhat proven. Their skill sets were on display often last season, but they are now expected to make the next jump in their games. Pflueger started 11 games, earning valuable experience, toward the end of last year, with Gibbs coming off the bench when the Irish went small. The primary question marks reside after those five. With the Pflueger/Gibbs combo moving toward the starting lineup along with Geben, Notre Dame will need three players to step into vital re- serve roles to complement the starters. Brey and company added only freshman guard/forward D.J. Har- vey out of Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha Catholic in the 2017 class. Guard Nik Djogo enters the mix after redshirt- ing. Junior big man Elijah Burns and sophomore big John Mooney will be the reserve front court players to spell Colson and Geben. Unlike Pflueger, Geben and Gibbs, those four players are relative un- knowns on the collegiate level. Har- vey and Djogo have yet to play in a college game. Mooney and Burns averaged 3.9 minutes per game be- tween them last season while making a combined 23 appearances. Brey has touched on all four players during the offseason and what he's seem from each leading into the year. Their development will play a pivotal role in how far Notre Dame advances this spring in postseason play. PERIMETER HELP Much of the scoring help from the bench for the Irish this year is be- lieved to be coming from the Harvey and Djogo. Harvey is a heralded recruit, rank- ing No. 51 overall nationally accord- ing to Rivals. Brey has stated mul- tiple times this offseason the staff needs to get Harvey ready. "He's the lone rookie in there," Brey said during Notre Dame's me- dia day Oct. 19. "He's a sharp kid, which happens a lot at our program. He's learned to move without the ball. … He has the explosiveness and the ability to play in the midrange area. He can defend and sit in his stance. He rebounds well for his size like a Pat Connaughton rebounded. "We substitute him and we become smaller. He's that so-called stretch four. That's an interesting lineup we've played around through the first 10 practices." Last season, Gibbs served as the primary backup point guard. Now that he will be part of the starting group, Brey had to find a player to help handle the ball with the second group. Enter Djogo. The Canadian has been working as the point guard for the second unit during practices in preparation of playing that role this season. "I've been very impressed with Nik," Brey said. "He's had a heck of a burden starting with the practices in the summer. He's handling the ball, and he's not really a point guard. "He's becoming a better guard because he has to handle the ball against Farrell, Gibbs and Pflueger FINDING THEIR ROLES Notre Dame's starting five is set for now, but the Irish are still developing their bench Freshman wing D.J. Harvey is expected to play a key role for the Irish this season. PHOTO BY COREY BODDEN