Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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48 NOV. 27, 2017 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED MEN'S BASKETBALL BY COREY BODDEN N otre Dame knows what it is going to get each night on the court from its senior leaders Bonzie Colson and Matt Farrell. Colson will anchor the front- court and flirt with a double- double, while Farrell will direct the offense and contribute at least a dozen points and around five assists. However, head coach Mike Brey's team has been seeking people to step into the role of third scoring option. After los- ing V.J. Beachem and Steve Vas- turia to graduation, Brey had to replace two starters that were reliable on the offensive end. Among the players vying to fill that void are junior guard Rex Pflueger and sophomore guard T.J. Gibbs. Both played a complementary role on last year 's ACC Tournament run- ner-up team. Pflueger started 11 games and primarily served as the de- fensive ace, while Gibbs was the first guard off the bench. Now, each is being counted on to take their games on of- fense to another level to help the Irish reach their goals. So far, so good. A g a i n s t D e - Paul in the season opener Nov. 11, Gibbs scored a g a m e - h i g h 2 1 points. He tallied 12 in the second half to help the Irish separate and secure a 72-58 win on the road. The sopho- more's previous high was 13 points against Virginia Tech last season. "He's been great in practice," Brey said after the victory versus the Blue Demons. "He stats out right behind Bonzie Colson a lot of times. "We played him 12 minutes [a game last year] and he'd score eight. He just scores. You give him extended minutes, and I thought it would come around. It's great for him to get more confident." During the offseason, Gibbs shed 15 pounds in an attempt to reshape his body after weighing around 205 pounds as a freshman. He played 38 minutes against the Blue Demons and seemed ready for more once the game concluded. "I attribute that to my parents and the strength and conditioning staff," Gibbs stated. "They've done an ex- cellent job of getting me here and get- ting my body to where it is. … The result itself comes from them, and I give them all the credit. … Let's go another 40 [minutes]." After Gibbs scored a career-best 23 points in a 105-66 win over Chicago State Nov. 16, his season average stood at 17.7 points per game. Pflueger stole the show in an 88-62 victory versus Moun St. Mary's Nov. 13, notching his first ca- reer double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Both figures are career highs, and he also dished out five assists. Pflueger is typically tabbed with guarding the opposing team's best perimeter player, which is what he did against DePaul's three-point threat Max Strus. Locating Strus and run- ning with him may have con- tributed to his 1-of-6 shooting. Brey understands Pflueger 's scoring game may not always be there given what the junior is asked to do defensively. "That's a key for him," Brey noted following Pflueger's dou- ble-double. "Understanding not to hang his hat on his jump shot. … I think he understands where to get his stuff offensively. "With the defense, the re- bounding and the good stuff with the ball and the overall communication, he's been just fabulous. He's another leader on the floor." Pflueger changed his of- fensive approach a bit against Mount St. Mary's after attempting five three-pointers against DePaul. The junior drove to the bucket more and did not at- tempt a trey. He had eight f re e t h ro w a t - tempts in the first h a l f a n d m a d e seven to keep the Irish offense moving in the right di- rection, despite a 13-of-31 effort from the floor. "Attacking the glass is something I've been working on especially from an energy standpoint," Pflueger said. "Our shots aren't falling right now, and that's just getting a feel for the game. I know we're a danger- ous team once our shots start falling. That's going to come." During the first three contests, Pflueger averaged 7.7 points, 7.0 re- bounds, 2.0 assists and 1.3 steals. Similar production from Gibbs and Pflueger the remainder of the season should help Irish foes be mindful of more than just Colson and Farrell. ✦ Gibbs (10) averaged 17.7 points and 2.7 assists per game during Notre Dame's 3-0 start, while Pflueger (0) tallied 7.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.3 steals per contest. PHOTO BY COREY BODDEN EMERGING SCORERS T.J. Gibbs and Rex Pflueger have increased their offensive production