| WHO: | Notre Dame (10-6) at Howard (6-7) |
| WHAT: | 2022 MLK Classic, Notre Dame’s first road trip to an HBCU |
| WHERE: | Burr Gymnasium | Washington, D.C. |
| WHEN: | Monday, January 17, 2022 | 2:30 p.m. ET |
| TV: | Fox | Play-by-Play: Tim Brando Analyst: Jim Jackson |
| RADIO: | Play-by-Play: Tony Simeone | Live locally on WSBT-AM 960/FM 96.1, worldwide on und.com |
The University of Notre Dame men’s basketball (10-6) team steps out of ACC competition to take part in the MLK Classic at Howard (6-7) on Martin Luther King Jr. Day at Burr Gymnasium in Washington, D.C. It marks Notre Dame’s first road game to a Historically Black College or University and the contest will be broadcast nationally on Fox at 2:30 p.m. ET.
The Notre Dame men’s basketball visit to Howard University for this season’s MLK Day Classic has been in development for over three years. When Howard hired Kenny Blakeney in May of 2019, Glenn and Stacey Murphy Head Men’s Basketball Coach Mike Brey quickly reached out to schedule a home-and-home with the Bisons, as Blakeney played for Brey at Duke and was a lead assistant with Brey at Delaware.
The first meeting of the home-and-home series was held in Purcell Pavilion on November 11, 2019, as part of the Men Against Breast Cancer Invitational. The Irish earned a 79-50 victory that day and started to look toward a date to return to Howard to complete the agreed upon series. In the summer of 2020, as protests and demontrations broke out around the country focused on racial injustice, Coach Brey and Coach Blakeney reached out to each other with the idea of playing the Notre Dame – Howard game on Martin Luther King. Jr. Day in January of 2021.
The Howard and Notre Dame men’s basketball programs also joined forces to help register voters for the 2020 election. Both teams took part in a voter registration drive guided by When We All Vote’s goal to change the culture around voting using data-driven and a multifacted approach to increase participation in elections.
Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic and its health and safety protocols saw last season’s game canceled. The teams quickly decided to rescheduled for January 17, 2022. Monday’s game marks the first road game for Notre Dame men’s basketball at one of the countries Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
The 2021-22 scholastic year at Notre Dame also marks the school’s celebration of the 75th Anniversary of the Black Student-Athlete. The Notre Dame team will be wearing special shooting warm up shirts for Monday’s game, honoring former Black student-athletes who helped create the foundation of the men’s basketball program.
|
Current Student-Athlete |
Former Student-Athlete |
No. |
Hometown |
At ND |
Short Biography |
|
Paul Atkinson Jr. |
Adrian Dantley |
44 |
Washington, DC |
1973-76 |
Notre Dame Ring of Honor • Naismith Hall of Fame • six-time NBA All-Star, two-time Consensus All-American • leading scorer for 1976 Olympic Gold Medal Team. |
|
Alex Wade |
Ray ‘Dice’ Martin |
21 |
Long Island, NY |
1973-77 |
Took the charge that set up Dwight Clay’s game winning shot vs. UCLA in 1973 • won national championship as an assistant coach at NC State in 1983 • one of the founding fathers of the Black Coaches Association • still an assistant coach today at St. Augustine University. |
|
Blake Wesley |
Entee Shine |
13 |
South Bend, IN |
1951-52 |
Along with Joe Bertrand, the first Black student-athlete to earn a basketball Monogram at Notre Dame • also played on the 1950 Notre Dame football team • after serving in the Army, moved back to South Bend to mentor Black student-athletes at Notre Dame • passed away in 2009. |
|
Cormac Ryan |
Joe Bertrand |
8 |
Chicago, IL |
1951-54 |
Along with Entee Shine, the first Black student-athlete to earn a basketball Monogram at Notre Dame • the first Black men’s basketball player to score 1,000 points at Notre Dame • the first Black elected to to a city wide office in Chicago (City Treasurer, 1971-79) • passed away in 1990. |
|
Dane Goodwin |
Monty Williams |
3 |
Forest Heights, MD |
1989-94 |
Recovered from a pre-existing heart condition to earn All-America honors at Notre Dame • first-round NBA Draft selection (24th overall) in 1994 • scored over 2,800 points in nine NBA seasons • current head coach of the Phoenix Suns, who advanced to the 2021 NBA Finals • the 2021 NBCA Coach of the Year. |
|
Elijah Morgan |
Orlando Woolridge |
32 |
Mansfield, LA |
1977-81 |
One of the most dynamic front court players to ever suit up for Notre Dame • competed twice in the NBA Dunk Contest • played with Michael Jordan with the Chicago Bulls and Magic Johnson with the Los Angeles Lakers • also coached in the WNBA (Los Angeles Sparks) • passed away in 2012. |
|
J.R. Konieczny |
LaPhonso Ellis |
20 |
East St. Louis, IL |
1988-92 |
Notre Dame Ring of Honor • one of six players in school history with 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds • first-round NBA Draft selection (5th overall) • 11-year NBA career in which he scored over 7,400 points • member of the ESPN Game Day broadcast team. |
|
Matt Zona |
Stan Wilcox |
24 |
North Babylon, NY |
1977-81 |
A role player during his Notre Dame career who went on to a successful career in collegiate athletics • has served on the athletic administration team at the BIG EAST Conference, Notre Dame and Duke • was the athletic director at Florida State and now is in charge of regulatory affairs at the NCAA. |
|
Nate Laszewski |
Tommy Hawkins |
20 |
Chicago, IL |
1956-59 |
Notre Dame Ring of Honor • first Black student-athlete to earn basketball All-America honors at Notre Dame • all-time leading rebounder in school history • a trailblazer in all levels, after a 10-year career was the first Black television analyst and at one point the highest ranking Black administrator in baseball when he worked with the Dodgers • passed away in 2017. |
|
Prentiss Hubb |
Austin Carr |
34 |
Washington, DC |
1968-71 |
Notre Dame Ring of Honor • Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame • All-time leading scorer in school history • Averaged 34.6 points per game during his career and scored an NCAA tournament record 61 points against Ohio University in 1970 • ‘Mr. Cavalier’ was selected first overall by Cleveland in 1971 • still serves as an analyst for Cavalier radio broadcasts. |
|
Robby Carmody |
Dwight Clay |
15 |
Pittsburgh, PA |
1972-75 |
Nicknamed ‘The Iceman’ hit the legendary game-winning shot to end UCLA’s 88-game win streak in 1973 • made four shots that either tied or won a game for Notre Dame in the last 30 seconds • still serves as a basketball official in the Pittsburgh area. |
|
Tony Sanders Jr. |
Toby Knight |
43 |
Port Jefferson, NY |
1973-77 |
An overlooked stand out at Notre Dame who played for the Knicks before a knee injury (while guarding Larry Bird) ended his playing career • built one of the most successful athletic facility start ups in the nation – Knight Athletics – a privately-held, multi-million dollar organization that services athletic facilities, auditoriums and theaters. |
|
Elijah Taylor |
Sid Catlett |
43 |
Washington, DC |
1968-71 |
Played in the ‘the greatest high school basketball game of all-time’ DeMatha vs. Power Memorial in 1965 against Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, holding Jabbar to the lower point total of his career and ending Power Memorial’s 71-game win streak • after his career at Notre Dame, became a community organizer and served in the Peace Corps • passed away in 2017. |
|
Trey Wertz |
David Rivers |
4 |
Jersey City, NJ |
1984-88 |
Notre Dame Ring of Honor • Scored over 2,000 point in his career and second all-time in assists • one of the most decorated American players to ever suit up in the EuroLeague – a four-time FIBA EuroStar, owns a EuroLeague title (1997) and also earned Italian and Greek cup victories • recovered from a life-threatening car crash before his junior season at Notre Dame and never missed a game. |
|
Coaching Staff |
|||||
|
Mike Brey |
Bob Whitmore |
53 |
Washington, DC |
1966-69 |
Notre Dame Ring of Honor • started the ‘D.C. Pipeline’ of legendary Irish players from the DMV • one of just six players in school history with 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. |
|
Anthony Solomon |
John Shumate |
34 |
Elizabethtown, NJ |
1972-74 |
A trend setter and one of the earliest collegiate players to ‘leave school early’ after excelling for two years at Notre Dame • selected in the first round of the NBA Draft, fourth overall pick • played five season in the NBA and has coached in college (SMU), the WNBA (Phoenix Mercury) and as an assistant in the NBA (Phoenix Suns). |
|
Ryan Humphrey |
Collis Jones |
42 |
Washington, DC |
1968-71 |
Scored over 1,300 points at Notre Dame • selected in the first round of the NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks • combined with Austin Carr to give Notre Dame two of the top collegiate players in the nation. |
|
Antoni Wyche |
Don ‘Duck’ Williams |
25 |
Washington, DC |
1974-78 |
Point guard of the 1978 Final Four team • a third-team Parade All-American in 1974 • played for the New Orleans Jazz in the NBA • spent the summer of his senior year as a doorman of the U.S. Senate gallery. |
|
Pat Rogers |
Gary Brokaw |
25 |
New Brunswick, NJ |
1972-74 |
A third-team All-American at Notre Dame • first-round NBA Draft pick (18th overall) by the Milwaukee Bucks • was the head coach at Iona College from 1986-91 and was an assistant coach at Notre Dame • worked as the NBA Director of Basketball Operations (1991-95), then as an assistant coach for the Charlotte Bobcats (2004-05). |
NOTRE DAME – HOWARD – DMV CONNECTIONS
The connections between Notre Dame men’s basketball, the Howard coaching staff and the Washington, DC, area run deep.
Glenn and Stacey Murphy Head Men’s Basketball Coach Mike Brey, Howard head coach Kenny Blakeney and Bison associate head coach Rod Balanis (who served on the Notre Dame staff for 21 seasons) have roots in the DMV area and all three graduated from DeMatha High School.
Blakeney was recruited by, and played for Mike Brey at Duke (1992-95) while Brey was an assistant with the Blue Devils and was the head assistant coach under Brey at Delaware (2002-05).
The game also marks the return to the D.C. area for senior Prentiss Hubb (Upper Marlboro), who graduated from Gonzaga High School. Hubb is the latest Notre Dame stand out to call the Washington, D.C., area home, as the ‘D.C. Pipeline’ has included Austin Carr, Adrian Dantley, Jerian Grant, Bob Whitmore, Don Williams, Monty Williams, Collis Jones, Tracy Jackson, Tom Sluby, Sid Catlett and Notre Dame President Emeritus Rev. Edward A. Malloy, C.S.C.
THE ‘D.C. PIPELINE’ TO NOTRE DAME
It started with Bob Whitmore (1966-69) and still goes on today with senior Prentiss Hubb. The Washington D.C. to Notre Dame pipeline began when Irish head coach Johnny Dee was his friend Frannie Collins. Both had served in the Coast Guard together and Frannie introduced Dee to Whitmore. While it is assured that the recruitment wasn’t easy, Whitmore’s choice to head to Notre Dame began a run of elite DMV area talent to Northern Indiana.
The group of noteworthy players from the DMV area has scored over 17,000 points, pulled down 6,500 rebounds and dished out over 2,600 assists.
D.C. PIPELINE NOTEWORTHY PLAYERS
|
Student-Athlete |
Years at ND |
Games |
Pts |
Reb |
Ast |
|
Bob Whitmore |
1966-67 |
84 |
1580 |
1043 |
|
|
Austin Carr |
1968-71 |
74 |
2560 |
538 |
|
|
Sid Catlett |
1968-71 |
82 |
648 |
683 |
|
|
Collis Jones |
1968-71 |
85 |
1367 |
884 |
|
|
Adrian Dantley |
1973-76 |
86 |
2223 |
843 |
136 |
|
Donald ‘Duck’ Williams |
1974-78 |
115 |
1433 |
221 |
200 |
|
Tracy Jackson |
1977-81 |
114 |
1293 |
569 |
190 |
|
Tom Sluby |
1980-84 |
98 |
924 |
198 |
123 |
|
Monty Williams |
1989-94 |
84 |
1371 |
598 |
138 |
|
Jerian Grant |
2011-15 |
119 |
1739 |
343 |
690 |
|
Eric Atkins |
2010-14 |
133 |
1421 |
343 |
589 |
|
Prentiss Hubb |
2018-current |
106 |
1149 |
300 |
499 |
|
Totals |
1108 |
17708 |
6563 |
2656 |
PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP
|
23 |
Dane Goodwin |
SR |
6-4 |
202 |
Upper Arlington, OH |
15.3 ppg |
5.3 rpg |
.497 FG |
.467 3FG |
.939 FT |
• Has established himself as one of the most efficient and skilled scorers in the country – and is the only major conference player (and one of just two players in the country) to average .500 FG%, .400 3FG%, .900 FT% and score over 15 ppg.
• Dominated the first half against Clemson last Wednesday with 15 points, finishing with a game-high 21 points on 8-for-10 shooting.
• ACC Co-Player of the Week (12/27/21) who has hit double digit scoring in all 16 games this season (a career-best streak).
|
0 |
Blake Wesley |
FR |
6-5 |
185 |
South Bend, IN |
14.7 ppg |
3.2 rpg |
2.3 APG |
.333 3FG |
16 STL |
• One of the most dynamic playmaking freshmen in the country, owns four 20-point scoring games, including last two of the last three.
• National Freshman of the Week on January 10 (CBSSports/BWAA) and two-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 Mike Brey freshman to score 20 points in a career debut (vs. CSUN) since Chris Thomas in 2001.
• First South Bend, IN, public school MBB prospect to attend Notre Dame since 1985.
• See page 4 for more breakdowns of Wesley’s noteworthy rookie season.
|
20 |
Paul Atkinson Jr. |
GR |
6-9 |
230 |
W. Palm Beach, FL |
11.9 ppg |
6.5 rpg |
.598 FG |
.772 FT |
12 BS |
• Provides a low post scoring option, hitting double digit scoring in six of last eight games, set ACC personal high with 19 pts at VT.
• 2019-20 Ivy League Player of the Year at Yale, did not participate in 2020-21 as the Ivy League canceled all intercollegiate athletics.
• Ranked by ESPN+ as the fourth-best transfer prospect in 2020-21.
|
3 |
Prentiss Hubb |
SR |
6-3 |
176 |
Upper Marlboro, MD |
7.9 ppg |
2.7 rpg |
3.5 apg |
• Connected on the game-winning jumper with five seconds remaining at Pittsburgh (12/28/21).
• The big shot at Pitt capped a 13-point second half in which he finished 3-3 from three-point range.
• Needs one more assist to become the ninth Notre Dame player to reach 500 assists in a career.
• Preseason All-ACC Second Team.
|
14 |
Nate Laszewski |
SR |
6-10 |
235 |
Jupiter, FL |
8.0 ppg |
7.1 rpg |
.475 FG |
.433 3FG |
• Posted break out game of the season in victory over North Carolina (1/5/22) with 20 points, shooting 6-for-7 from three-point range.
• Notre Dame’s best rebounder, pulled down nine in the OT win at GT and eight in the victory on Wednesday over Clemson.
• Scored over 20 points four times last season and has six 20-point games in his career.
OFF THE BENCH
|
5 |
Cormac Ryan |
SR |
6-5 |
195 |
New York, NY |
8.3 ppg |
4.3 rpg |
1.8 apg |
.381 3FG |
• The team’s best on-ball defender who routinely assumes the assignment of the opponents best perimeter scoring threat.
• Filled up the stat line against No. 10/12 Kentucky with seven points, five rebounds, four assists and a steal.
• Scored 21 points in the first half in the victory at Duke last year, eventually scoring career-best 28 points.
|
2 |
Trey Wertz |
SR |
6-5 |
192 |
Charlotte, NC |
4.5 ppg |
2.0 rpg |
2.6 apg |
• Provides ball handling and a scoring punch off the bench.
• 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.