Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com NOV. 6, 2017 57 MEN'S BASKETBALL with the blue team for most of prac- tice. He can shoot the basketball, he has the ability to drive it, he's athletic, and he gets up around the bucket and gets fouled. I think he's a great investment for us." Both Djogo and Harvey received their first taste of significant action in an Irish uniform Oct. 20 in an exhibi- tion game against local NAIA pro- gram Holy Cross College to benefit hurricane relief. In 23 minutes of action, Djogo scored 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Though it wasn't the start on offense he wanted, scoring six points on 3-of-9 shooting, Harvey displayed his value by grabbing seven re- bounds and notching two steals. How Brey manages the minutes of Harvey and Djogo will be a storyline early in the season. DEVELOPING FRONTCOURT Senior Austin Torres figures to fac- tor into the rotation for a few minutes each night, but Mooney and Burns will be the focus in terms of front- court production. Burns has made a significant im- pression on Brey this summer with his effort and play. The redshirt sopho- more is more of an all-around big man that can score in the post, has a devel- oping jumper, and can rebound and pass as well. Mooney is more modern big man that can stretch the floor, but also be a post presence if necessary. Brey knows their development is key for the program this season. "I'm excited about both of them," Brey explained. "They've made huge strides. Right now, I'd say Elijah Burns is our sixth man after what he's given us after 10-11 practices. "We're going to need both of those guys. They are our future after this year as well, and I'm very mindful of that when we lose those three senior big guys." Burns scored six points and grabbed five rebounds against Holy Cross. His rebounding efforts and ability to communicate have im- pressed his head coach. "Elijah is really easy to play with on both ends of the floor," Brey explained. "He really understands who he is. He's rebounding on both ends at a huge clip. One of the reasons we recruited him was we loved how he talked and communicated. He's fabulous there, and we loved how he passed the ball and moved it and knew who he was." Mooney's ability to space the floor with his shooting also makes him an intriguing option for Brey. The sopho- more sat out the Holy Cross exhibi- tion after a violation of team rules. "Johnny is also physical around the bucket and he can stretch the floor and make shots. … Both of those guys figure into our plans." Like the perimeter backups, Mooney and Burns may see their min- utes fluctuate depending on match- ups and the various lineups Brey im- plements throughout games. ✦ BONZIE COLSON IS THE ACC'S PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR During the league's annual Operation Basketball last week, senior forward Bonzie Colson was selected as the Preseason ACC Player of the Year by attending league media. Colson received 49 of a possible 69 votes. According to Notre Dame, Colson is the fourth player in Irish history to be selected preseason conference player of the year, joining Pat Gar- rity (1997-98), Troy Murphy (2000-01) and Luke Harangody (2008-09 and 2009-10). Garrity (1996-97), Murphy (1999-2000 and 2000-01), Harangody (2007-08) and Ben Hans- brough (2010-11) all won Big East Player of the Year honors at the conclusion of the season listed. Notre Dame was selected to finish third behind Duke and defending national champion North Caro- lina. The Irish received four first-place votes. It's the highest preseason conference ranking for Notre Dame since it joined the ACC in 2013-14. 2017-18 NOTRE DAME MEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Result/Time (ET) Oct. 20 Holy Cross College! W, 97-57 Nov. 3 Bethel College! (ACCNE) 7 p.m. Nov. 7 Cardinal Stritch! (ACCNE) 7 p.m. Nov. 11 at DePaul 4 p.m. Nov. 13 Mount St. Mary's+ (ACCN) 7 p.m. Nov. 16 Chicago State (ACCNE) 7 p.m. Nov. 20 vs. Chaminade# (ESPNU) 9 p.m. Nov. 21 vs. Michigan or LSU# (ESPN/2) 8 or 10:30 p.m. Nov. 22 vs. Cal, Marquette, VCU or Wichita State# TBA Nov. 30 at Michigan State& (ESPN) 7 p.m. Dec. 3 St. Francis Brooklyn (ACCNE) 2 p.m. Dec. 5 Ball State (ACCN) 7 p.m. Dec. 9 at Delaware 7 p.m. Dec. 16 vs. Indiana^ 2:30 p.m. Dec. 19 Dartmouth (ESPN2) 7 p.m. Dec. 21 SE Louisiana (ACCNE) 7 p.m. Dec. 30 Georgia Tech* (ESPN2) TBA Jan. 3 NC State* (ACCN) 9 p.m. Jan. 6 at Syracuse* (ESPN/2) 3:15 p.m. Jan. 10 at Georgia Tech* (ESPNU) 7 p.m. Jan. 13 North Carolina* (ESPN/2) 6 p.m. Jan. 16 Louisville* (ESPN2) 7 p.m. Jan. 20 at Clemson* (ESPN/2) 4 p.m. Jan. 27 Virginia Tech* (ESPN2) 8 p.m. Jan. 29 at Duke* (ESPN) 7 p.m. Feb. 3 at NC State* (ESPN/2) 12 p.m. Feb. 6 Boston College* (ACCN) 8 p.m. Feb. 10 Florida State* (ESPN/2) 4 p.m. Feb. 12 at North Carolina* (ESPN) 7 p.m. Feb. 17 at Boston College* (ACCN) 4 p.m. Feb. 19 Miami (Fla.)* (ESPN) 7 p.m. Feb. 24 at Wake Forest* (ACCN) 3 p.m. Feb. 28 Pittsburgh* (ESPNU) 7 p.m. March 3 at Virginia* (ACCN) 4 p.m. March 6-10 ACC Tournament$ TBA ! Exhibition; + Maui Jim Maui Invitational regional matchup; # Maui Jim Maui Invitational at Lahaina, Hawai'i; & ACC-Big Ten Challenge; ^ Crossroads Classic at Indianapolis; * ACC game; $ at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.; ACCN — ACC Network; ACCNE — ACC Network Extra Junior big man Elijah Burns has impressed head coach Mike Brey and the Irish staff leading into the 2017-18 campaign. PHOTO BY COREY BODDEN 1. Duke (57 first-place votes) 2. North Carolina (7) 3. Notre Dame (4) 4. Miami (1) 5. Louisville 6. Virginia 7. Virginia Tech 8. Florida State 9. Georgia Tech 10. Syracuse 11. Wake Forest 12. NC State 13. Clemson 14. Boston College 15. Pittsburgh ACC PRESEASON POLL