An in-depth look at Irish Hoops Recruiting

The college basketball season finished a little over a month ago, and 2018 recruiting is beginning to heat up for the Irish staff. Unlike football, by the time basketball season rolls around many classes have been locked in for some time. Outside of the random five-star, most players sign their national letter of intent in November.

In the 2017 cycle, Notre Dame was only able to land one recruit, but it was the top target of the staff. Small Forward D.J. Harvey out of DeMatha Catholic in Hyattsville, Maryland was a consensus top 50 recruit in the country and a player Mike Brey heavily targeted for over two years. Harvey held offers from many of the nations top programs including Duke, Arizona, Villanova, UCLA, Louisville and Texas, but his relationship with Mike Brey was simply too strong in the end. Harvey will come to Notre Dame as one of the schools most decorated basketball recruits in recent memory and should carve out a huge role during his freshman season. Matt Ryan’s transfer to Vanderbilt is only further proof.

The Irish always seem to be a rumored destination for transfers, mainly due to their lack of depth in the front court and this year is no different. UConn transfer Juwan Durham is scheduled to visit Notre Dame this week and the buzz is positive. According to 247sports.com, Durham was the 46th ranked player in the 2016 class and the 12th rated power forward. During his freshman season, Durham played sparingly only averaging 8.3 min and 1.6 points per game. If Notre Dame is fortunate enough to land Durham he would have to sit a year, but it should be well worth the wait. At 6’11, Notre Dame would finally have a rim protector the program has sorely lacked in recent years.

2018 Updates and Targets 

As I mentioned in the opening paragraph, the 2018 cycle is beginning to heat up. Recruits are taking official visits and college staffs are identifying top targets. Once camp circuits begin in the summer recruiting will ramp up even more and athletes will begin making their college decisions. Here is a rundown of the Irish top targets:

PG Luther Muhammad, New Jersey 

Notre Dame continues its trend of recruiting the Northeast with this 6’4 guard from Hudson Catholic in New Jersey. Muhammad is coming off a recent visit to South Bend and one that he described as a “great experience” according to Blue & Gold Illustrated. Brey is the lead recruiter here, and Muhammad is a target the staff really covets. Notre Dame, Seton Hall and St. John’s seem to be the top 3 as of now.

Combo Guard Prentiss Hubb, Washington, DC

Hubb insists he is a point guard with off the ball skills, but for the sake of this post I will consider him a combo guard. Maryland and Villanova are the co-favorites at the moment, but Hubb began his official visit to Notre Dame last night and we will have better information once his visit is completed. The staff has made him a priority recruit, but he will be a tough pull. He recently narrowed his list to four with Virginia the fourth team in the mix. His decision could come soon.

SG Robby Carmody, Pennsylvania 

Carmody still does not have a top list, but Notre Dame is squarely in the mix. He plans to cut his list to 10 soon, and then 5 after July. It is a long ways away, but I expect Notre Dame to make this final list. Some believe Carmody is Mike Brey’s top overall target, and he traditionally does well when that is the case. Brey has been out to see him multiple times and his dad recently told Blue & Gold Illustrated Notre Dame “checks all the boxes for us”. Remember this name when the summer rolls around.

SG Tim Finke, Illinois 

Finke is from Illini country and that is where I expect him to land. With that said, if he were to land somewhere besides Illinois, Notre Dame has as good a chance as anyone. Keep this name in the back of your mind.

SG Cormac Ryan, Massachusetts

Ryan was a guy I thought Notre Dame had a great chance with early, but in recent weeks it seems the staff has cooled on him. We know that the guys above are higher on the staff’s board, and they might feel very good where they stand with a few of them. Regardless, Ryan is a player worth mentioning.

Expect this list to expand in the coming months, but for now these are the few guys to keep an eye for the 2018 class. We should know soon whether or not Durham intends on transferring to Notre Dame , and that will help the staff make decisions for the 2018 cycle. Make sure to stay connected to Golden Domer Daily for future updates on all things recruiting.