Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com PRESEASON 2017 89 MEN'S BASKETBALL "We have the tools to get back there. We have the leadership and the best coaches in America. With that being said we can make a lot of noise in college basketball." The NBA dream is still alive for Colson, but just on hold for one more year. Having the chance to improve his game before making that step played a part in the decision to re- turn. "You can think about it, but at the end of the day you have to put the work in and work hard," he said. "Everyone wants to be in that po- sition, and everyone is working as hard. You kind of have to figure out what makes you special, what makes you different from everyone else. "Everyone who picks up a basket- ball, their dream is to make it to the NBA. You have to find what makes you special and continue to work hard and play with an edge and a chip on your shoulder." Colson will be an interesting case come time for the 2018 NBA Draft due to his production despite his lack of ideal size for a post player. Brey heard a comparison during his draft process this spring to another player who entered the NBA ranks in a simi- lar position as Colson. "A scout had a great line: if you squint real hard at Bonzie, you see Draymond Green," Brey said. "And I said, 'I'll take that one.' It is an era of some tweener guys. People are downshifting as we do and play smaller. "He's a really intriguing guy. He'll have a great opportunity. He's going to make it because there's just too big a ticker and he just gets too much stuff done." IRISH-BRUINS RENEW RIVALRY Notre Dame and UCLA — two of the winningest programs in college basketball history — met each sea- son from 1966-95 and provided fans with quality matchups and historic moments, including when the Irish snapped the Bruins' famed 88-game win streak on Jan. 19, 1974. The series eventually became more sporadic over the past two de- cades, with the last meeting occur- ring on Dec. 19, 2009, when the Irish defeated the Bruins 84-73 in South Bend. Notre Dame will travel to Pauley Pavilion on Dec. 8, 2018, and UCLA will return to South Bend in 2019 (date to be determined). The 2018 meeting in UCLA will be the 49th overall, with the Bruins leading the all-time series 28-20. Notre Dame is 7-17 at Pauley Pavilion. "The Notre Dame-UCLA basket- ball series is synonymous with col- lege basketball," head coach Mike Brey said in a university press re- lease. "We will get to play in front of our great Southern California fan base, take Rex Pflueger back to the Mater Dei area during his senior year with us and bring a historic rival back onto our schedule." During that 30-year period of con- secutive meetings, at least one team entered the game ranked inside the Associated Press top 25 all but two times. Notre Dame defeated UCLA in 1971, which was the last game the Bruins lost before their 88-game win streak began. ✦ As of Aug. 22, Notre Dame had three commit- ments in the 2018 class. The class is headlined by Washington (D.C.) Gonzaga point guard Prentiss Hubb, who is ranked as the No. 62 overall player nationally by Rivals. Shooting guards Robby Car- mody of Mars (Pa.) High and Dane Goodwin of Upper Arlington (Ohio) High round out the three- man haul. Rivals lists Carmody as the No. 89 overall prospect nationally, while Goodwin comes in at No. 105. The Irish are focused on adding a frontcourt pres- ence to complement the backcourt trio. Three scholarships remain open for the staff, but it is not likely all three will be filled given Brey's desire to not use all 13 available for roster management purposes. A duo of forward prospects headline the current targets remaining on the board: Saxton River (Vt.) Vermont Academy product Simi Shittu and North- field (Mass.) Mt. Hermon standout Nate Laszewski. Shittu — who is rated as a five-star talent and the No. 9 overall player in the country by Rivals — is the far less likely of that duo to join the Irish. Notre Dame continues to push hard for the talented, 6-9, 220-pound forward, but a visit has yet to occur and top programs such as North Carolina, Kentucky and Arizona have entered the mix. All four programs are in his top 10 along with Vanderbilt, Connecticut, Oregon, South Carolina, New Mexico and Arizona State. Laszewski has been on Notre Dame's radar for at least two years. The 6-10, 205-pounder made visits to South Bend in the summer of 2015 and this past fall. Notre Dame offered Rivals' No. 97 overall player nationally after a strong July showing, just before the likes of North Carolina, Arizona, Wiscon- sin and Indiana also joined the mix. Laszewski is intrigued by Notre Dame's academics to pair with the offensive system, which he feels is a good fit for his skill set. The stretch-four is working on setting up an of- ficial visit to Notre Dame, with the weekend of the Georgia football game the potential date. Another name to keep an eye on over the next several weeks is power forward Jaxson Hayes of Cincinnati Moeller. Notre Dame watched the 6-9, 195-pounder this summer and recently began com- municating with the rising prospect. Hayes has picked up 20-plus offers since April, including Texas, Butler, Ohio State, Purdue and Clemson. The Irish could join that list, but the recruitment process between the two sides was in the early stages in early August. Notre Dame is also tracking rising big man pros- pect Colin Castleton of Daytona Beach (Fla.) Father Lopez. The 6-11, 220-pounder released a top eight Aug. 21 that included Notre Dame despite the Irish not offering as of yet. Illinois, Florida State, Ohio State and Purdue made the cut as programs to have offered, while Florida, Baylor and Michigan remain in the mix without offering the senior. Castleton is intrigued by the Irish and an offer would likely put the program squarely in the mix with the quartet that has offered in that final eight. — Corey Bodden Rivals100 forward Nate Laszewski of Northfield (Mass.) Mt. Hermon has already made two trips to Notre Dame and is working on setting up an official visit after landing an offer following the July evaluation periods. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM 2018 Recruiting Update