Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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8 NOV. 27, 2017 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME With the addition of Marlborough (Mass.) High three-star power forward Chris Doherty Nov. 13, Notre Dame likely completed its 2018 recruiting class with five signees. As of November 17, that five-man haul — which included four Rivals150 prospects in Northfield (Mass.) Mt. Hermon forward Nate Laszewski (No. 70), Washington (D.C.) Gonzaga point guard Prentiss Hubb (No. 84), Mars (Pa.) High shooting guard Robby Carmody (No. 87) and Upper Arling- ton (Ohio) High shooting guard Dane Goodwin (No. 106) — was ranked No. 9 nationally by Rivals. Rivals national analyst Corey Evans is a big fan of the class and how well each player fits head coach Mike Brey's program. BGI: What are your thoughts on the five-man class? Evans: "It's the best class that Mike Brey has ever put together from one to five. They've really hit on everything they needed. You have a point in Pren- tiss Hubb. You have a number of shot makers with Laszewski and Goodwin. Then you have some tough dudes with Chris Doherty and Robby Carmody. "I think every box that was left unfilled was checked with this 2018 class." BGI: Overall what skill sets do these five guys add to the program? Evans: "Toughness — I think you have five guys that are tough. Pretty much everyone they've got maybe minus Dane — he can also be on the ball — can play different spots on the floor. "As we all know you have to be a versatile ball- player to succeed in Mike Brey's offense, and all five guys are. "It seems it's pretty consistent when a kid is competitive and tough, they're definitely going to get better and better in college. "Once these guys are juniors and seniors in college, like Matt Farrell, like Bonzie Colson, they're poten- tial All-Americans, and that's how you beat Duke and Carolina." BGI: How excited should Irish fans be about this group? Evans: "Amped. It's a top-10 class on paper nationally. … From a fit perspective, it's probably a top two or three class in America. "You have five guys that fit the ethos of Notre Dame basketball, and all five guys are sure-fire contributors." BGI: Who is the guy you think will make an early impact for the Irish? Evans: "From a need perspective, Prentiss Hubb is going to be needed first. What worries me is he tore his ACL [and will miss his senior year], so will he be ready for that? "Losing someone like Matt Farrell is going to be difficult. I think T.J. Gibbs has already shown he is more than sufficed to be a point guard. Rex Pflueger may be used on the ball a little more. But I think Prentiss Hubb is going to be needed the most. "Who is going to be able to produce the fastest? Probably Nate because of how well he shoots it. When you lose guys like Colson, Geben and Torres, there is more of a need in the frontcourt as well. Nate has one thing that translates from each level — which is shooting the ball at a high rate." BGI: What type of impact can this group make in South Bend long term? Evans: "It seems like every year we talk about 'that was the most winning group in school history.' This group could be one of the most impactful groups as a whole depth-wise that Notre Dame has seen in a while. … I think these five will contribute if not freshman year, but all as sophomores. "The impact is going to be immediate to me, and it's going to be long-lasting as well." — Corey Bodden Five Questions With … RIVALS NATIONAL BASKETBALL RECRUITING ANALYST COREY EVANS T.J. Gibbs As A Third Scorer By Corey Bodden Notre Dame needs a third player to surface on the offensive end in order to reach its 2017-18 goals, which include an ACC title and making it to the Final Four. Sophomore T.J. Gibbs becoming that third scorer — complement- ing seniors Bonzie Colson in the frontcourt and Matt Farrell in the backcourt —would be the most advantageous development for head coach Mike Brey. Gibbs proving he can get his own on the offen- sive end would free Brey up to get Farrell extra rest when necessary, and allow Gibbs to run the point guard position and still keep the offense rolling at its consistently proficient pace. The sophomore then could also take pressure off junior guard Rex Pflueger, who exerts a ton of energy on the defensive end while guard- ing the Irish opponent's best perimeter player most nights. It may be hard for Pflueger to find a rhythm offensively, so Gibbs taking more of the load offensively would work out better for Notre Dame. With Farrell graduating at the end of the sea- son, Gibbs is in line to take over the lead guard role next year. This season could really advance Gibbs' development offensively, which is what the Irish will need next season when their two senior stars exit the program. Gibbs has already shown how explosive he can be offensively, scoring a career-high 21 points against DePaul in the opener and two games later topping that with 23 versus Chicago State. The Irish hope that these perfor- mances are a precursor of things to come. D.J. Harvey As The Star In Waiting By Lou Somogyi Prior to the season, it was clear there was a four-man nucleus for Mike Brey's team with individual roles: senior forward Bonzie Colson was the All- American double-double machine, senior point guard Matt Farrell was the vocal floor general, junior guard Rex Pflueger was the defensive stopper who would set the tone there, and the slimmed-down T.J. Gibbs would be the burgeoning third scorer in the 12- to 15-point range per game. The fifth spot was more open-ended. Senior big men Martinas Geben and Austin Torres, along with junior Elijah Burns and maybe sophomore John Mooney, would be a "post committee" with yeoman-like duties to complement the quartet. However, it has crystallized that 6-6½, 220-pound freshman swingman D.J. Harvey — a rare top-50 recruit for the Irish — can be impact- ful in all aspects. Whether it is shooting (11 of 17 from the floor in his first three games, including 3 of 6 from three-point range), handling the ball, defending, manufacturing shots, rebounding or passing, his all-around game portends more and more playing time. Through three games, he already was fifth with 21 minutes per contest. Don't be surprised if that moves into the 25-minute range by January. Brey generally brings along freshmen slowly, but the evidence is showing this process is going to be hastened for the gifted product from tradition-rich DeMatha High, which previously produced first-round picks Adrian Dantley (1973-76) and Jerian Grant (2011-15) for the Irish. Point ✦ Counterpoint: WHO NEEDS TO EMERGE THE MOST ON THE 2017-18 MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM? T.J. GIBBS D.J. HARVEY Evans believes Notre Dame's No. 9-ranked 2018 class will have a long-term impact on the program. PHOTO COURTESY COREY EVANS