Notre Dame Fighting Irish - Official Athletics Website

Irish Honor Seniors, Cap 2021-22 Regular Season Vs. Pitt Saturday

WHO: Notre Dame (21-9, 14-5) vs. Pittsburgh (11-19, 6-13)
WHAT: Final regular season contest, final home game of the 2021-22 season
WHERE: Purcell Pavilion | Notre Dame, IN
WHEN: Saturday, March 5, 2022 | 2:30 p.m. ET
TICKETS: Available at und.com/buytickets
LIVE STATS: Available at und.com/mediastats
TV: ESPNews | Play-by-Play: Jay Alter | Analyst: Mike Lightfoot
RADIO: Play-by-Play: Tony Simeone | Live locally on WSBT-AM 960/FM 96.1, worldwide on und.com

ND_MBB_Game Notes vs._Pitt

The University of Notre Dame men’s basketball finishes off the 2021-22 regular season against Pittsburgh on Saturday, March 5, 2022, in Purcell Pavilion. The Irish will honor the senior class before the contest and look to secure the program’s first 15-win conference record and secure the No. 2 seed in the ACC Championship that begins next week in Brooklyn, New York.    

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP

23

Dane Goodwin

SR

6-4

202

Upper Arlington, OH

14.2 ppg

4.8 rpg

.500 fg

.449 3fg

.855 ft

• Fifth in the nation among major conference players in 3FG% (.464). 

• ACC Co-Player of the Week (12/27/21) who has become an All-ACC level guard this season.

20

Paul Atkinson Jr.

GR

6-9

230

W. Palm Beach, FL

12.7 ppg

7.3 rpg

.575 fg

.766 ft

18 blk

Second among all active NCAA players in career field goal percentage, shooting .637 in his career. See page 7 for more details. 

• Coming off his seventh double-double of the year against Florida State with 17 points and 10 rebounds. 

• Named ACC Player of the Week while posting three consecutive double-doubles at Miami, NC State and at home vs. Louisville.  

• 2019-20 Ivy League Player of the Year at Yale, did not participate in 2020-21 as the Ivy League canceled all intercollegiate athletics.

3

Prentiss Hubb

SR

6-3

176

Upper Marlboro, MD

8.8 ppg

3.2 rpg

3.7 apg

• Leads all active ACC players with 380 assists in conference play. See page 7 for more details.   

• Has continued his penchant for game-winning plays this season, with game winning or game sealing plays at Howard, at Pittsburgh, vs. Virginia and vs. Boston College. See page 6 for more details.

• Preseason All-ACC Second Team.

14

Nate Laszewski

SR

6-10

235

Jupiter, FL

8.8 ppg

6.4 rpg

.494 fg

.453 3fg

• Has shown toughness in the month of February, coming back quickly from a leg bruise suffered at NC State (2/5/22) to miss just one full game. Was then sidelined from practice earlier this week with a stomach illness, only participated in shoot around before Syracuse and answered the bell with 17 points and five three pointers in 28 minutes of action.  

• Became the 67th player in Notre Dame men’s basketball history to surpass 1,000 career points against Duke. 

5

Cormac Ryan

SR

6-5

195

New York, NY

7.8 ppg

4.8 rpg

.364 3fg

.796 ft

• The team’s best on-ball defender who routinely assumes the assignment of the opponents best perimeter scoring threat.

• Scored 21 points in the first half in the victory at Duke last year, eventually scoring career-best 28 points.

OFF THE BENCH 

0

Blake Wesley

FR

6-5

185

South Bend, IN

14.9 ppg

3.6 rpg

2.5 apg

39 stl

• The only true freshmen in the country with 400 points, 100 rebounds, 70 assists, 50 3FGM and 30 steals.

• After 24 consecutive starts, will come off the bench against Pittsburgh as the Irish honor the 2022 senior class. 

• National Freshman of the Week on January 10 (CBSSports/BWAA) and three-time ACC Freshman of the Week. 

• In his first career start in Purcell Pavilion, hit the game-winning jump shot with :12 left to defeat No. 10/12 Kentucky.

• First South Bend, IN, public school MBB prospect to attend Notre Dame since 1985. 

2

Trey Wertz

SR

6-5

192

Charlotte, NC

4.4 ppg

.389 3fg

2.0 apg

• Keyed ND’s second half surge at NC State with ball handling against pressure and 12 points off the bench. 

• Went three-for-three from three point range at Louisville, surpassing 1,000 career points (747 scored at Santa Clara). 

• Planned to sit out 2020-21 after transferring from Santa Clara until all underclassmen transfers were given immediate eligibility in 12/20

• Hit the game-winning three pointer at the buzzer in the first round ACC tournament victory over Wake Forest last season. 

IRISH ITEMS – BY THE NUMBERS

1

Freshman Blake Wesley is the first rookie in the country this season to reach 400 points, 100 rebounds, 70 assists, 50 3FGM, 70 and 30 steals.  See page 5 for more details. 

2

Notre Dame is the only major conference school in the country with two players in the top five in three-point field goal percentage – senior Nate Laszewski (.453) and classmate Dane Goodwin (.449). 

4

Notre Dame has earned its fourth double bye for the ACC Tournament in nine years of league competition and can finish the regular season no lower than third place – which would match the 2014-15 team for the highest of the ACC era. 

7

Notre Dame will confer an NCAA men’s basketball high seven degrees in May, as seniors Robby Carmody, Dane Goodwin, Prentiss Hubb, Nate Laszewski, Cormac Ryan and Trey Wertz all will earn their undergraduate degree while graduate student Paul Atkinson Jr. has finished his work on a Master’s degree. 

14

Notre Dame has 14 wins in ACC play this season, matching the 2014-15 (ACC),  2007-08 and 2010-11 (BIG EAST) teams for the most in a single season. 

14

The Irish have connected on 10-or-more 3FGs 14 times this season (and are 13-1 in those contests). The team is threatening the single-season record for 10 3FGM games, as the 2019-20 Irish had 17 such games, while the 2016-17 squad posted 16. 

380

Career assists for senior Prentiss Hubb in ACC play, by far the most for any current player in the league. 

447

Points this season for freshman Blake Wesley, who is looking to become just the fourth Notre Dame rookie to surpass 500 points in a season – Troy Murphy (519), Chris Thomas (516) and Adrian Dantley (511). 

WESLEY’S ALL-AROUND GAME PLACES HIM AMONG ROOKIE ELITES

Freshman Blake Wesley had made his presence felt on both ends of the court this season and is putting up overall statistics that rank him among the best freshman to play college basketball over the past four years. 

Here are the true freshmen over the past four years who reached 400 points, 100 rebounds, 70 assists, 50 3FGM and 30 steals. 

Year

Name

School

Games

Points

Rebounds

Assists

3FGM

Steals

2021-22

Blake Wesley

Notre Dame

30

447

107

74

53

39

2020-21

Cade Cunningham

Oklahoma State

27

544

167

94

62

43

2019-20

Anthony Edwards

Georgia

32

610

167

91

72

43

2019-20

John-Michael Wright

High Point

32

454

169

73

60

34

2019-20

Tyrell Terry

Stanford

31

454

139

99

62

43

2018-19

Coby White

North Carolina

35

562

124

143

82

38

2018-19

R.J. Barrett

Duke

38

860

289

164

73

34

2018-19

Cam Reddish

Duke

36

485

133

70

89

56

2018-19

Ayo Dosunumu

Illinois

32

442

128

104

50

41

2018-19

Lugentez Dort

Arizona State

34

547

145

79

54

52

2018-19

Tyler Herro

Kentucky

37

519

166

91

60

40

WESLEY AMONG TOP FRESHMAN IN THE COUNTRY

It is that time of year to start compiling freshman All-America teams and from any measurement, in a selection of some of the top freshmen in the country, Blake Wesley deserves consideration as one of the top first-year players in the nation. 

Name

School

GP

FGM

FGA

FG%

3FGM

3FGA

3FG%

REB

REB/G

AST

STL

PTS

PTS/G

Blake Wesley

Notre Dame

30

158

381

.415

53

165

.321

107

3.6

74

39

447

14.9

Paolo Banchero

Duke

30

181

389

.465

33

100

.330

235

7.8

90

30

506

16.9

Terquavion Smith

NC State

30

169

420

.402

91

243

.374

99

3.3

63

42

483

16.1

Chet Holmgren

Gonzaga

27

143

232

.616

39

89

.438

261

9.7

51

19

388

14.4

Kennedy Chandler

Tennessee

28

147

327

.450

34

103

.330

91

3.3

129

64

382

13.6

Jabari Smith

Auburn

30

164

370

.443

68

150

.425

187

6.9

54

34

508

16.9

TyTy Washington

Kentucky

27

135

288

.469

30

87

.345

92

2.7

109

35

335

12.4

Ryan Nembard

Creighton

27

115

285

.404

33

106

.311

85

3.1

119

34

304

11.3

Kendall Brown

Baylor

30

119

201

.592

12

33

.364

146

4.9

57

31

296

9.9

Jalen Duren

Memphis

22

107

170

.629

0

1

107

7.4

24

19

262

11.9

Bryce McGowens

Nebraska

30

158

387

.408

40

143

.280

158

4.6

43

21

516

17.2

HUBB’S CLUTCH MOMENTS

Senior Prentiss Hubb has posted four game-winning moments this season to further enhance his legacy of stepping up in clutch situations throughout his Irish career. 

2018-19 – thrust into the starting lineup due to an illness to T.J. Gibbs, Hubb scores 16 points and puts the Irish ahead 67-66 with two free throws with 2.8 seconds left against Boston College. The Irish eventually won the game 69-66. 

2019-20 – his three pointer with 1:20 left ties the game at Syracuse, then his two free throws with :18 left seal the 88-87 victory. 

2019-20 – converts five of six free throws in the final minutes of the game as the Irish win 78-74 at Georgia Tech. 

2019-20 – drives the length of the court in the closing seconds at Boston College, finding T.J. Gibbs for the game-winning jumper in the lane at the buzzer. 

2020-21 – scores the final 11 points of the game against Kentucky, including the game-winning drive to the bucket for a 64-63 win. 

2020-21 – his 28-foot three pointer with :37 seconds left puts Notre Dame up five in the 93-89 victory at Duke. 

2021-22 – connects on the game-winning turnaround jump shot with :05 left in the 68-67 victory at Pittsburgh. 

2021-22 – turns in a clutch drive to the hoop at Howard with :19 remaining, turning a one-point lead into the three-point winning margin (71-68). It was Hubb’s first game back in the DMV after his prep hoops career at Gonzaga. 

2021-22 – steps to the line with :04 left and sinks both free throws to secure a 69-65 victory over Virginia. 

2021-22 – in overtime against Boston College, hits a turnaround jumper with :10 left to put the Irish up three, then steals the next inbounds pass, is fouled and hits two free throws to put the Irish up five. After a BC desperation three pointer is scored, calmly hits two more free throws to seal the game. Ended up scoring six points in 10 seconds to secure the victory. 

2021-22 – with just over three minutes left and the Irish up by two points, Hubb connects on a step back rainbow three pointer to put the Irish back up five points against Syracuse. The lead would not drop below three points the rest of the way in the 10-point Irish win.

 HUBB AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS IN CAREER ASSISTS OVER FOUR SEASONS

Prentiss Hubb’s 561 career assists are noteworthy without any qualifiers, but a further look at the numbers shows that the Upper Marlboro, MD, native is among the national leaders. 

Among Division I players in their fourth year of action, Hubb is sixth among such players in career assists. Filter to major conference players and he is fourth.  

DIVISION I CAREER ASSIST LEADERS – FOUR YEARS OR LESS

Player

Team

Seasons

Total Seasons

Games

Assists

1.

Andrew Nembhard

Gonzaga

2018-current

4

126

656

2.

RJ Cole

UConn

2017-current

4

119

638

3.

Cameron Parker

Montana

2018-current

4

106

625

4.

Camren Wynter

Drexel

2018-current

4

113

576

5.

Jalen Pickett

Penn State

2018-current

4

102

573

6.

Marcus Carr

Texas

2017-current

4

122

573

7.

Kyle Lofton

St. Bonaventure

2018-current

4

110

570

6.

Prentiss Hubb

Notre Dame

2018-current

4

121

561

8.

Xavier Johnson

Indiana

2018-current

4

112

541

HUBB LEADS ALL ACTIVE ACC PLAYERS IN CONFERENCE ASSISTS

Prentiss Hubb has always stepped up his game in conference play – of his 561 assists, 380 of them have been delivered during regular season ACC play– by far the most of any active player in the league.  

ACC ACTIVE CAREER ASSISTS IN LEAGUE PLAY

Player

Team

Seasons

Total Seasons

Games

Assists

1.

Prentiss Hubb

Notre Dame

2018-current

4

75

380

2.

Kihei Clark

Virginia

2018-current

4

74

324

3.

Michael Devoe

Georgia Tech

2018-current

4

72

223

4.

Leaky Black

North Carolina

2018-current

4

62

176

5.

Joe Girard

Syracuse

2019-current

3

55

169

ATKINSON JR. SECOND AMONG ALL ACTIVE NCAA PLAYERS IN CAREER FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE

Graduate student Paul Atkinson Jr. has continued his penchant for putting the ball in the basket while stepping up from the Ivy League to the Atlantic Coast Conference. The all-time field goal percentage leader in Yale basketball history, Atkinson Jr. is near the top of the list for active Division I players in career field goal percentage.  

DIVISION I ACTIVE CAREER FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE LEADERS

Player

Team

Height

Seasons

FGM

FG%

1.

Kevin Samuel

Florida Gulf Coast

6-11

2018-current

525

.649

2.

Paul Atkinson Jr. 

Notre Dame

6-9

2017-current

571

.637

3.

Drew Timme

Gonzaga

6-10

2019-current

552

.621

4.

Gavin Kensmil

Stephen F. Austin

6-8

2017-current

441

.607

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT HIGHLIGHTED BY 1,000 POINT SCORERS

Notre Dame has produced 67 1,000 point scorers throughout the history of the program with 26 of those players having been recruited by Mike Brey and exhausted their eligibility (or turned professional early).

Just this season alone, Dane Goodwin, Trey Wertz (who scored 747 of his career points at Santa Clara) and Nate Laszewski have reached the 1,000-point plateau. Along with Paul Atkinson Jr. and Prentiss Hubb, Notre Dame is the first program in the nation this year to have five players with over 1,000 point scored in a career.    

School

All-Time 1,000 Point Scorers

North Carolina

77

Louisville

69

NOTRE DAME

67

Duke

67

Villanova

67

Syracuse

63

Kansas

62

DECISIVE RUNS

In eight of Notre Dame’s last 11 victories the Irish have been challenged in the second half and responded with decisive runs to take control of the game and eventually earn the victory. 

Game

Date

Score

Time Left

Run

Run Time

Winning Margin

at Howard

January 17

ND down 2

18:22

18-4

4:00

3

at Louisville

January 22

ND down 3

9:42

20-4

6:30

3

NC State

January 26

ND up 3

10:16

10-3

3:00

8

at Miami

February 2

ND down 2

16:53

20-6

7:00

4

at NC State

February 5

ND down 1

15:02

18-4

10:00

12

Louisville

February 9

ND down 1

6:14

8-0

5:00

6

Boston College

February 16

ND down 4

3:39

8-3

2:50

4 in OT

Syracuse

February 23

ND up 2

4:00

14-6 (7-0 to finish game)

4:00

10

A DECADE OF ‘NO FOUL’ CONTINUES

One of the mantras of Notre Dame basketball under Mike Brey has been to keep the amount of opponent foul shots down. Defend without fouling is a way of life for Irish basketball and the statistics bear out that trend. 

In the last 11 years, Notre Dame has failed to finish among the top 10 in least amount of personal fouls committed just once. They have also led the country in least amount of personal fouls three times.  

The NCAA has been tracking the least amount of fouls committed in a season since 1993. Notre Dame is the only team since 1993 to lead the country in least amount of fouls more than twice and the Irish finished the 2020-21 season second in the NCAA. 

NOTRE DAME FOULS PER GAME NATIONAL/CONFERENCE FINAL RANKING

Year

Fouls Per Game

NCAA Raking

Conference Ranking

2011-12

13.8

1

1

2012-13

14.1

8

1

2013-14

16.2

15

5

2014-15

15.1

6

1

2015-16

15.1

1

1

2016-17

14.9

4

1

2017-18

13.1

1

1

2018-19

13.8

1

1

2019-20

12.4

1

1

2020-21

12.8

2

2

2021-22

12.9

3

1

IRISH INK NATIONALLY-RANKED RECRUITING CLASS

The University of Notre Dame men’s basketball program and Glenn and Stacey Murphy Head Men’s Basketball Coach Mike Brey have announced that three prospective student-athletes have signed National Letters of Intent to attend Notre Dame and compete for the Fighting Irish in 2022-23. 

The three-member class is composed of forwards Dom Campbell and Ven-Allen Lubin, along with guard J.J. Starling. All three are consensus top-100 players and four-star prospects which provide the Irish the 15th-ranked recruiting class by 24/7 Sports (fifth-best in the ACC) and the 18th-rated (fourth-best in the ACC) group from Rivals. 

“Our new staff started with a plan in June and I really like how we stayed focused and committed while being on the road in June and July, then followed through when the visits on campus took place,” Brey said. 

“It was a fabulous team effort by our coaching staff to get a three man class that will be part of a bright future for Notre Dame basketball. Our fans will love to watch these guys play and grow as part of our program.” 

Dom Campbell | Forward | 6-9, 265 | Phillips Exeter Academy (NH) | Scarborough, ME

“Dom is a gifted low post guy with great hands and footwork. He has the ability to carve out space and step out as well. He can make really good decisions with the ball in his hands.” 

– Mike Brey

Rivals 4 Star – 96th overall, 11th power forward

24/7 4 star – 123rd overall, 22nd power forward, 2nd state

Ven-Allen Lubin | Forward | 6-8, 220 | Orlando Christian Prep | Orlando, FL

“Ven-Allen is a position less basketball player. He has the ability to post up, face up, run and change ends. He also brings great length on the defensive end.” 

– Mike Brey

Rivals 4 Star – 63rd overall, 8th power forward

24/7 4 Star – 73rd overall, 14th power forward, 14th state

ESPN 4 star – 91st overall, 13th power forward, 14th state

J.J. Starling | Guard | 6-4, 195  | La Lumiere School (IN) | Baldwinsville, NY

“J.J. is an explosive guard. You can’t pigeonhole him as a point guard or a two man, he does a little bit of everything. The most infectious thing is his energy and charisma that he plays with. He really engages his teammates and leads on the floor.” 

– Mike Brey

Rivals 4 Star – 40th overall, 8th point guard

24/7 – 30th overall, 5th point guard, 1st state

ESPN – 17th overall, 4th point guard, 3rd state

STARLING EARNS A SPOT ON MCDONALD’S ALL-AMERICAN TEAM 

J.J. Starling, a 6-4, 185-pound guard from Baldwinsville, New York, and currently competing at La Lumiere School in Indiana, has been named to the 2022 McDonald’s All-America Boys Basketball Team. Starling has signed a National Letter of Intent to attend the University of Notre Dame and compete for the men’s basketball team in 2022-23.

The selections will appear in the 2022 McDonald’s All-American Game, which will be held in Chicago, Illinois, in March of 2022 at WinTrust Arena.

Starling is the 17th rated national recruit from ESPN, 25th by 24/7 Sports and 40th by Rivals.com.

He will become the fifth McDonald’s All-American recruited during Glenn and Stacey Murphy Head Men’s Basketball Coach Mike Brey’s tenure and the eighth to suit up for the Irish under Brey.

Notre Dame Men’s Basketball McDonald’s All-Americans

J.J. Starling, 2022

Demetrius Jackson, 2017

Luke Zeller, 2005

Torin Francis, 2002

Chris Thomas, 2001

Danny Miller, 1998 (transferred from Maryland)

Ryan Humphrey, 1997 (transferred from Oklahoma)

LaPhonso Ellis, 1988

Keith Robinson, 1986

Mark Stevenson, 1985 (transferred to Duquesne)

Matt Beeuwsaert, 1984 (transferred to California)

Ken Barlow, 1982

Tim Kempton, 1982

Joe Kleine, 1980 (transferred to Arkansas)

Tom Sluby, 1980

Barry Spencer, 1980

Tim Andree, 1979

John Paxson, 1979

Tracy Jackson, 1977

IRISH HAVE SHORT BUT STRONG HISTORY IN THE ACC TOURNAMENT

Notre Dame is finishing its ninth season as a member of the ACC and has already compiled a distinguished resume at the league tournament. The Irish are 11-6 (.647) all-time in the championship competition, including the 2015 title (defeating both Duke and North Carolina in Greensboro, North Carolina) while also advancing to the 2017 championship game against Duke.  

NOTRE DAME ACC TOURNAMENT HISTORY

Date

City

Site

Opponent

ND Seed

Opp Seed

W/L

ND

Opp

2014

3/12/2014

Greensboro, NC

Greensboro Coliseum

Wake Forest

13

12

L

69

81

2015

3/12/2015

Greensboro, NC

Greensboro Coliseum

Miami

3

6

W

70

63

3/13/2015

Greensboro, NC

Greensboro Coliseum

Duke

3

2

W

74

64

3/14/2015

Greensboro, NC

Greensboro Coliseum

North Carolina

3

5

W

90

82

2016

3/10/2016

Washington, DC

Verizon Center

Duke

4

5

W OT

84

79

3/11/2016

Washington, DC

Verizon Center

North Carolina

4

1

L

47

78

2017

3/9/17

Brooklyn, NY

Barclays Center

Virginia

3

6

W

71

58

3/10/17

Brooklyn, NY

Barclays Center

Florida State

3

2

W

77

73

3/11/17

Brooklyn, NY

Barclays Center

Duke

3

5

L

66

75

2018

3/6/18

Brooklyn, NY

Barclays Center

Pittsburgh

10

15

W

67

64

3/7/18

Brooklyn, NY

Barclays Center

Virginia Tech

10

7

W

71

65

3/8/18

Brooklyn, NY

Barclays Center

Duke

10

2

L

70

88

2019

3/12/19

Charlotte, NC

Spectrum Center

Georgia Tech

15

10

W

78

71

3/13/19

Charlotte, NC

Spectrum Center

Louisville

15

7

L

53

75

2020

3/11/20

Greensboro, NC

Greensboro Coliseum

Boston College

7

10

W

80

58

2021

3/9/21

Greensboro, NC

Greensboro Coliseum

Wake Forest

11

14

W

80

77

3/10/21

Greensboro, NC

Greensboro Coliseum

North Carolina

11

6

L

59

101