Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com DECEMBER 2018 11 UNDER THE DOME ELIJAH BURNS LEAVES THE BASKETBALL PROGRAM Four games into the 2018-19 Notre Dame's men's basketball season, a captain aban- doned ship. On Nov. 20, Notre Dame announced senior forward Elijah Burns had left the program, and would graduate at the end of the semester and seek a transfer. "We fully support Elijah in his decision to move on from the University of Notre Dame following his graduation in December," head coach Mike Brey said in a statement. "We will provide any assistance he may need as he takes the next step in his academic and playing careers. "It is always tough when one of our guys doesn't end his career here, but we are proud that he will achieve the ultimate goal of any student-athlete that comes through our pro- gram — to leave Notre Dame with a degree from one of the top institutions in the country." It was a bit of a surprising move given his status as a captain, but playing time had de- creased for the New York product after going for a career-high 15 points in an 89-62 win over Chicago State Nov. 8. Burns played 12 minutes in a 63-60 loss to Radford Nov. 14, and notched just three minutes during the 73-64 win over William & Mary Nov. 17. Losing Burns will make what was a relatively inexperienced Irish frontcourt even more so leaving juniors John Mooney and Juwan Durham and freshman Nate Laszewski as the lone frontcourt players with playing time this season. Brey had been shaving the rotation down a bit after using a 10-man lineup the first two games. Losing Burns will make the process a bit easier for the Irish staff in terms of deter- mining who plays more each game. Freshman Chris Doherty was expected to redshirt this season, but he could potentially see some action to provide depth up front following the departure of Burns. Burns will have one year of eligibility remaining. With him set to graduate in December, it is possible Burns could apply for immediate eligibility at his new home. Notre Dame now will have three open scholarships at its disposal to use on potential transfers or during the late-signing period this spring. The early signing period ended Nov. 21 with the Irish not adding anybody. — Corey Bodden Burns scored a career-high 15 points in an 89-62 win over Chicago State Nov. 8, but saw his playing time dip in the next two contests. PHOTO BY COREY BODDEN The Fighting Irish have played up a storm all season long; now it's time for the final thunder ... a post-season bowl trip!! 2019 TICKETS NOW ON SALE! Tickets & Packages Pre-Register Now! 800-925-2500 NotreDameTickets.com