BIG EAST RECRUITING REPORT: NOTRE DAME

August 12, 2006


Projected 2007-2008 Roster


Seniors: Robert Kurz (F)
Juniors: Ryan Ayers (F/G), Kyle McAlarney (G), Zack Hillesland (F), Luke Zeller (BF/C)
Sophomores: Luke Harangody (BF), Tory Jackson (PG), Jonathan Peoples (G), Joe Harden (WF)
Freshmen: No Commits as of Yet.

Mike Brey and his Notre Dame staff have four open scholarships and are in need of some exciting news to breathe some momentum back into the Irish program. After three consecutive NIT appearances seeing their conference record slip in each (9-7 to 8-8 and to 6-10 last year), Notre Dame really needs to begin trending back in the other direction quickly. The class of 2007 is a great place to start.

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With just one senior in the projected 2007-2008 line-up, the Irish have a pretty full load from their 2005 and 2006 classes, so adding some impact players in 2007 is a must as their roster will probably be pretty stable for a couple seasons. Basically the Irish could use help at every position, not that they are really thin at any one position, but they could use some players with different skills to compliment the players on hand. For example, they have highly rated Luke Zeller as a BF/C, but Zeller is a finesse player, so adding Luke Harangody in the 2006 class was a very good move. Now, they need to add another big man that could be more of a shot-blocker and low post scorer. Unfortunately, that is a position that is hard to recruit for and the Irish do not look to have anyone in particular immediate in their sites.


Also, competing in their home state of Indiana has gotten much tougher of late with Purdue cleaning up on some very good in-state prospects. Scott Martin and Robbue Hummel were high school teammates that the Irish wanted badly, but both opted for the Boilermakers. Coach Brey's connections to the DeMatha Catholic progam in Hyattsville, MD has them involved seriously with Jerai Grant, and he is the type of forward the Irish could definitely use on their team. They also look like they will remain in the hunt for Tyrone Nash who spurned an offer from Kentucky for 2006 to attend prep school and keep his options open. The competition will be tough as all the Big East schools close to Nash's New York home are also seriously involved. Another BF/C with some bulk is Alexis Wangmene and the Irish hope that former Virginia assistant Gene Cross, recently hired at Notre Dame, can keep Wangmene on the Irish radar. Currently playing in Texas, which is an area that Brey has been trying often to recruit, could make him a viable Irish option. Michael Eric is a thin and offensively raw 6'10 C prospect from the Philadelphia area that the Irish have made contact with recently as well. 6'8 prep school baller Josh Owens is not only an excellent student (with Stanford and the Ivies interested), but showed this spring he can be a high-major basketball recruit too and the Irish are on his list.

On the wings and in the backcourt the Irish could also stand to get more physical, tough and athletic, especially to succees in the Big East. Chandler Parsons of Lake Howell, FL had a tremendous July and shot up the recruiting rankings like a bullet. He has the Irish fairly prominent on his list, but is now getting interest from everyone in his versatile wing skills. Jacob Pullen of Proviso East HS in Illinois is a tough and athletic guard that Notre Dame is often linked to on the recruiting trail and they have spent some time evaluating him. It is important to point out that assistant coach Cross is a Chicago native. Sweet shooting Blake Hoffarber from Minnesota is on the Irish radar. He is the typical sweet shooting guard that the Irish have had great success with lighting it up from 3-pt range recently.


For me, the Irish need to change some of their philosphy in recruiting. On many nights, the Irish may be the most skilled team on the floor, however, they seem to be lacking the athletic ability or physical toughness, at least in the paint, to do the little things to win games. I lost track on how many games they lost last year because of thei rinability to make the crucial stop, grab the important rebound or come up with the physical play to win a game. They have players that try hard and are smart, but in the Big East you have to be able to physically stand up night in and night out. Luke Harangody looks to be a player that can do that and Tory Jackson adds a different speed on the perimeter. Now, they need to continue to add more of that in the paint and on the wing. Right now, at this time, I really do not see the number of prospects interested in the Irish to change their make-up. With Purdue becoming a recruiting player in the state of Indiana again, the Irish might have to work a little harder. An assistant like Gene Cross, with his ties to Chicago, is a good start and might be a little bit of what they need, hopefully, for the Irish, it turns into some players that will excel in the Big East.

With four scholarships to offer, we will be watching closely if the Irish can recapture some of the excitement under Mike Brey they had not too long ago.

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