Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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48 NOV. 20, 2017 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED MEN'S BASKETBALL BY COREY BODDEN E verything went according to plan for the Mike Brey and his staff Nov. 8 during the first day of the early signing period. All four Irish pledges — Wash- ington (D.C.) Gonzaga point guard Prentiss Hubb, Mars (Pa.) High shooting guard Robby Carmody, Up- per Arlington (Ohio) High shooting guard Dane Goodwin and North- field (Mass.) Mount Hermon forward Nate Laszewski — signed with Notre Dame before noon. With seniors Bonzie Colson, Matt Farrell, Martinas Geben and Austin Torres finishing up their Irish careers this season, the 2018 class was impor- tant in helping replenish the depth and talent exiting South Bend. Mission accomplished. All four players ranked inside the top 106 nationally, with Laszewski leading the way at No. 70 overall, fol- lowed by Hubb at No. 84, Carmody at No. 87 and Goodwin at No. 106. The group was ranked No. 11 nation- ally by Rivals as of Nov. 9, and was third in the ACC behind North Caro- lina (No. 3) and Duke (No. 6). Seldom in the last 30 years has an Irish class received such attention. "Certainly we're thrilled about this group," Brey said. "They are great fits for how we play. We certainly needed to fill some holes with what we're graduating. To fill it with these four guys, I am thoroughly pleased. "It's maybe the best group we have put together in my 18 years at Notre Dame. All of the guys have won big, play with an edge and are a great fit for how we do things in our culture." The Irish seemed to make quick work with the class, landing the ma- jority of their top targets and avoid- ing moving to any plan B's through- out the process. Hubb, Carmody and Goodwin committed before the end of July, while Laszewski was the last to join the fold in late September. Brey gave credit to his staff for be- ing able to close on the class. "It was a lot of work," Brey said. "I re- ally tip my hat off to the staff. Certainly Ryan [Ayers] and Ryan [Humphrey] have given us kind of new energy, but Rod Balanis was fabulous handling prospects and helping Ryan and Ryan a little bit about how we do it. "… Then when you add [Eric] Atkins and [Harold] Swanagan on campus visits, those guys were able to interact with families. … That's a powerful five that can really connect with young people." 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! W, 88-59 Nov. 7 Cardinal Stritch! W, 90-46 Nov. 11 at DePaul W, 72-58 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 Quality Quartet Notre Dame signed four Rivals150 prospects in its 2018 class Mike Brey and the Irish beat out North Carolina and Arizona, among others, to land forward Nate Laszewski, who Rivals ranks as the nation's No. 70 overall player. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM