Irish Will Finish Calendar Year At Pittsburgh

Notre Dame MBB Game Notes at Pitt

2021-22 FIGHTING IRISH – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

The University of Notre Dame men’s basketball team (6-5) begins the bulk of the 2021-22 ACC schedule with a road trip to Pittsburgh (5-7) on Tuesday, December 28 (8 p.m. ET, ACC Network). The Irish will be looking to even up their conference record and earn their fifth victory in their seven most recent trips to the Petersen Events Center.   

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP

#20 | PAUL ATKINSON JR. | Graduate Student | 6-9 | 230 | West Palm Beach, FL

A tone setter for the Irish in the post, has hit double-digit scoring in last four games, including 31 points (17 and 14) in last two victories • 2019-20 Ivy League Player of the Year at Yale • did not participate in 2020-21, as the Ivy League cancelled all intercollegiate athletics • ranked by ESPN+ as the fourth-best transfer prospect in  2020-21 • boasts a .661 career field goal percentage – top for any returning NCAA Division I player this year – and led Ivy League in FG% all three seasons in which he competed.

#23 DANE GOODWIN | Senior | 6-4 | 202 | Upper Arlington, OH

Hit 20 points (21) for the first time this season against Texas A&M Corpus Christi • led the Irish with 18 points against Western Michigan while becoming the 66th Notre Dame player – and 25th recruited by Mike Brey – to reach 1,000 points in a career • has scored in double figures in all 11 games (a career-best streak) this season and leads the team with 15.3 ppg • averaging 15.3 ppg and 5.5 rpg this season • one of the best free throw shooters on the team, boasting a .834 career average from the stripe (24-26 this season).

#0 BLAKE WESLEY | Freshman | 6-5 | 185 | South Bend, IN

Dealt with pressure defense versus Texas A&M Corpus Christi to play a career-high 37 minutes, dishing out a career-best nine assists with 15 points • scored 15 points against Western Michigan, reaching double-digit scoring in eight of his first 10 career games – only other true freshmen of the Brey era to do the same are Chris Thomas and Luke Harangody • ACC Rookie of the Week (Dec. 13, 2021) • in first career start at home in Purcell Pavilion, hit the game-winning jumper with :12 seconds remaining to upset No. 10/12 Kentucky • third in the ACC in freshman scoring (13.5 ppg) and eighth among all major conference true freshmen in ppg • exploded for 24 points, 18 in the second half at Illinois in the first true road game of his career • 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 sign with Notre Dame since 1985.

#14 NATE LASZEWSKI | Senior | 6-10 | 235 | Jupiter, FL

(pronounced La-SHEH-skee) Ninth in the ACC in rebounding (7.3 per game) • scored eight points with six rebounds against Western Michigan • improved FG% 19 percent, 3FG% 11% and RPG by 3.1 last season • scored over 20 points four times last season and has five 20-point games in his career.

#3 PRENTISS HUBB | Senior | 6-3 | 176 | Upper Marlboro, MD

Preseason All-ACC Second Team • returned to starting lineup against Western Michigan and played possibly best all-around game of the season with 9 points, four assists and three rebounds • led the team with 15 points against Boston College, coming off the bench for the first time since the victory at Miami last season • led the Irish in  scoring (14.6) and three-point field goals made (65) last season • one of five major conference players to reach 100 assists in league play last season.

OFF THE BENCH

#5 CORMAC RYAN | Senior | 6-5 | 195 | New York, NY

Has scored 22 points in the second half of Notre Dame’s last two victories, shooting 7-9 from the floor and 5-5 from three-point range • scored 13 points off the bench against Western Michigan • filled up the stat line against No. 10/12 Kentucky with seven points, five rebounds, four assists and a steal • started 16 of 25 games in his first year with the Irish last season • scored 21 points in the first half in the victory at Duke last year, eventually scoring career-best 28 points • shot .344 from 3FG range last season.

#2 TREY WERTZ | Senior | 6-5 | 192 | Charlotte, NC

Missed the game vs. Texas A&M Corpus Christi with a sprained right ankle, hopes to return to action at Pittsburgh • hit double figures for the first time this season in the victory over No. 10/12 Kentucky with 12 points, two three-point field goals, two rebounds and two assists • planned to sit out 2020-21 season after transferring from Santa Clara until all underclassmen transfers were given immediate eligibility in December of 2020 • appeared in 21 games making 14 starts, shooting .429 from three-point range • hit the game-winning 3FG at the buzzer vs. WF in 2021 ACC tournament.

#1 J.R. KONIECZNY | Freshman | 6-6 | 195 | South Bend, IN

(pronounced Ko-NEZZ-knee) Saw action in first career game vs. CSUN, scored first career points vs. Chaminade • all-time leading scorer in St. Joseph County history (1,996) • joins classmate Blake Wesley as the first Northern Indiana Conference players to sign with Notre Dame since 2012 (D. Jackson, A. Torres).

IRISH ITEMS – BY THE NUMBERS

BLAKE WESLEY AMONG THE NATION’S TOP FRESHMAN

Freshman Blake Wesley, who was named ACC Rookie of the Week on Monday, Dec. 13 (he shared the award with NC State’s Terquavion Smith) is among the freshman leaders in scoring in the ACC and among major conference players.

ACC TRUE FRESHMAN SCORING

MAJOR CONFERENCE TRUE FRESHMAN SCORING

Expand to all true freshmen in the country and Wesley is tied for 20th in points per game.

WESLEY’S SOLID START AMONG THE BEST ROOKIES OF BREY ERA

Freshman Blake Wesley has started the last five games and has reached double figures in scoring after nine of his first 11 career games. He is now seventh among Brey era true freshman in double-digit scoring games and joins Chris Thomas and Luke Harangody as the only rookies to reach that plateau in eight of their first 10 games.

Thomas eventually finished 2001-02 by scoring in double digits 24 of 33 games (and in 12 of his first 14 career games). His longest streak of double-digit scoring games that season was nine.

Harangody compiled 2006-07 by scoring double digits in 22 of 32 games (and in 14 of his first 18 games). His longest streak of double-digit scoring games was six. Torin Francis finished 2002-03 with 19 double digit scoring games in 34 total appearances – his longest double-digit scoring game streak was five games.

BREY ERA FRESHMAN DOUBLE-DIGIT SCORING GAMES

ATKINSON JR. LED ALL RETURNING NCAA PLAYERS IN CAREER FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE

Graduate student Paul Atkinson Jr. not only brings over 1,000 career points and the 2019-20 Ivy League Player of the Year trophy to the Notre Dame roster, his amazing career field goal percentage ranks him at the top for all active NCAA players. Atkinson Jr. also is just the second active Division I player and only major conference player to average over .600 career field goal percentage entering the 2021-22 season.

Atkinson is shooting .605 (49-81) so far in 2021-22.

DIVISION I ACTIVE CAREER FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE LEADERS (heading into the season)

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT HIGHLIGHTED BY 1,000 POINT SCORERS

Notre Dame has produced 66 1,000 point scorers throughout the history of the program with 25 of those players having been recruited by Mike Brey and exhausted their eligibility (or turned professional early).

Dane Goodwin is the most recent Irish player with 1,000 career points, reaching the mark against Western Michigan on December 20, 2021.

Trey Wertz will be the next Irish player to reach 1,000 points, as he is at 974 entering the Texas A&M Corpus Christi game. Of those 974 points, 747 were scored at Santa Clara in from 2018-20.

Nate Laszewski will be the next Irish player to reach 1,000 points and is currently at 897.   

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 – 120th overall, 17th 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 – 114th overall, 22nd power forward, 18th state

ESPN 4 star – 75th overall, 12th 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 – 33rd overall, 7th point guard, 1st state

ESPN – 27th overall, 6th point guard, 3rd state

NOTRE DAME WILL MAKE TRIP TO HOWARD ON MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY

The University of Notre Dame men’s basketball team will travel to Washington, D.C., on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday, January 17, 2022, to face Howard University. The trip will mark the first road game for Notre Dame men’s basketball against one of the countries Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

The game was previously scheduled for January 18, 2021, but was postponed due to the health and safety regulations put in place for the coronavirus pandemic. The game will be played at Howard’s Burr Gymnasium and nationally broadcast on Fox at 2:30 p.m. ET.

“I am as excited about this trip than any game we have scheduled for next season,” Glenn and Stacey Murphy Head Men’s Basketball Coach Mike Brey said.

“We were so disappointed that we had to cancel last season’s game due to the pandemic, but the delay gives us an opportunity to really do it right. This game deserves the kind of atmosphere that only a full house at Burr Gymnasium can deliver. Our program’s first trip to an HBCU on Martin Luther King Jr. Day is another step in our commitment to remaining active participants in the push for social change in this country. This event will provide an amazing educational experience for our student-athletes, coaches, support staff and University.”

Since 2019, Howard ​has honored Dr. King’s Celebration of Excellence by hosting non conference contests with iconic, historical institutions. In the past two seasons, HU has greeted Ivy League perennials Harvard (2019) and Yale (2020) to The Burr.

“Dr. King’s impact on our world is remarkable, and his influence continues to be both felt and needed,” Howard head coach Kenny Blakeney said.

“It gives me chills to think that only a few miles from where Dr. King shifted the country with his infamous speeches, marches and meetings, our basketball programs will have a historic first by hosting Notre Dame at Howard University. We are pressing forward toward the beloved community Dr. King sought to achieve and I am honored to lead this program and work with my lifelong friend, Coach Mike Brey, to deepen the call for social justice with our players.”

The connections between Notre Dame men’s basketball, the Howard coaching staff and the Washington, DC, area run deep. Mike Brey graduated from DeMatha High School. Kenny Blakeney also is a DeMatha graduate, played at Duke (1992-95) while Mike 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  Irish senior Prentiss Hubb (Upper Marlboro), who graduated from Gonzaga High School. Hubb is the latest Notre Dame standout 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.

Notre Dame has welcomed 10 different HBCUs to campus for 12 men’s basketball games throughout the program’s history. The trip to Howard will be the first road trip for the Irish to an HBCU and the first for an Atlantic Coast Conference team since Miami (Florida) played at Savannah State on December 19, 2013.

The contest marks the first against a Power Five Conference team for Howard at home since Oregon State visited Burr Gymnasium on November 27, 2010.