Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com JUNE/JULY 2017 51 MEN'S BASKETBALL RECRUITING SHOOTING GUARDS Minus Vasturia and Ryan, Notre Dame needs to add talent along the perimeter. Arguably the top target on the board overall for Notre Dame is Mars (Pa.) High's Robby Carmody. The 6-4, 175-pounder has been to Notre Dame multiple time during the past year and a half, and the staff continues to make him a priority. Carmody is intrigued by Notre Dame's style of play and develop- ment of its guards under Brey and holds the Irish in high regard. Butler, Purdue and Syracuse are three other programs Carmody, who is ranked as the No. 99 overall prospect nationally by Rivals, listed as ardently recruiting him at this point. Irvington (N.J.) Hudson Catholic standout Luther Muhammad is an- other top priority for the Irish and made a trip to South Bend in April. The 6-3, 175-pounder described his interest level following the visit as "high" and saw a fit within the of- fense after playing in a pickup game. Muhammad, who is tabbed as the No. 56 overall player nationally by Rivals, hasn't narrowed his list, and is being courted by the likes of Connect- icut, Pittsburgh, St. John's and others. Champaign (Ill.) Central guard Tim Finke has been on Notre Dame's radar since May 2016, and the staff is still pushing for the 6-7, 215-pounder. Finke, who also sees a natural fit with the Irish and his style of play, has made multiple visits to South Bend with the latest coming last Sep- tember. Illinois is the current favorite for the nation's No. 88 overall recruit — his father attended the school, and his older brother currently plays bas- ketball for the Illini. A new name on the board is Ow- ings Mills (Md.) McDonogh four-star Noah Locke. The 6-2, 175-pounder told Blue & Gold Illustrated he hopes to visit Notre Dame this summer, and the way Brey uses his guards and the program's winning tradition appeals to him. Locke, who is rated as the No. 95 overall player in the land by Ri- vals, is on the upswing on the recruit- ing trail, and Notre Dame should be a contender moving forward. Flor- ida, Butler, Minnesota, Pittsburgh, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Xavier are among his other offers. Notre Dame offered Milton (Mass.) Academy's Cormac Ryan this past September during an unofficial visit. The offer put the Irish high up on Ry- an's list, but they appear to be play- ing catch-up for Rivals' No. 64 over- all prospect nationally. Northwestern and Stanford are the perceived fa- vorites for the 6-5, 190-pounder, with Yale the dark horse. SMALL FORWARDS The board at small forward, va- cated by Beachem, is not large, given the addition of Harvey and Canadian Nik Djogo entering the mix after a redshirt season as a freshman. One of the two Irish targets at small forward — Kanata (Ontario) Ashbury College product Noah Kirk- wood — is also a Canadian. Notre Dame offered the unranked 6-6, 210-pounder this past summer, and he wants to visit South Bend. Kirkwood associates the Irish pro- gram with success and sees himself fitting in well with the offense. The rising senior also mentioned the Irish having another Canadian on the ros- ter as a positive factor. Virginia, Texas and Vanderbilt have also offered Kirkwood. The live period offered prospects a chance to impress college coaches across the country, and Washington (D.C.) Sidwell Friends three-star Sad- diq Bey took advantage. Bey plays on the same AAU team (DC Premier) as Hubb and grabbed the attention of Brey. The Notre Dame head coach extended an offer shortly after watching Bey perform during the first weekend of the eval- uation period. The 6-6, 185-pounder is aware of Notre Dame's success and ties in the Mid-Atlantic corridor, including Brey's time at DeMatha as a player and assistant coach. Notre Dame was the first high-ma- jor offer for Bey, which could benefit the Irish in the long run. Bey contin- ues to add offers and is in no rush to make a decision. He plans to visit Notre Dame this summer. POST PLAYERS Losing Colson, Geben and Torres will leave a major hole in the post for the Irish with only John Mooney and Elijah Burns returning for the 2018- 19 season, when Mooney will be a junior and Burns a redshirt junior. Consequently, adding two post players via the high school ranks or through a transfer is a possibility. The top power forward targets are Saxton River (Vt.) Vermont Academy five-star Simisola Shittu and Stevens Point (Wis.) High's Joey Hauser. The 6-8, 210-pound Hauser, who is ranked as the No. 41 overall player nationally, received his Irish offer in April. Hauser has told Rivals affili- ates in the past that his recruitment is open despite his brother being at Marquette. Purdue, Wisconsin, Vir- ginia, Northwestern and Iowa State have also offered. Shittu received his offer in early May, adding Notre Dame to a list which includes Alabama, Connecti- cut, Louisville, Oklahoma, Oregon, Syracuse, Texas, UCLA and others. The 6-8, 220-pounder is rated as the No. 10 overall prospect in the country. ✦ Notre Dame impressed Irvington (N.J.) Hudson Catholic shooting guard Luther Muhammad, the No. 56 overall player nationally, during an April visit. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM ON THE WEB Visit BlueandGold.com for regular reports on Notre Dame football and basketball recruiting plus videos of Irish commitments and targets!