Improve Talent Leads To Notre Dame Basketball’s Sweet 16 Run

By Andrew Hall | Mar 24, 2015

Upgrade talented led to Notre Dame Basketball’s current run to the Sweet 16. Demetrius Jackson, former McDonald’s All-American, sparked the Irish down the stretch against Butler. Jerian Grant, Notre Dame’s best player, may leap into the NBA Lottery. Although players like Ben Hansborough and Luke Harangody carried the Irish as far as they could, they were simply not as talented as this year’s squad.

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Mike Brey’s “best” squad earned a 2-seed in 2011. Despite a great regular season and solid Big East Tournament run, the Irish bowed out of the tournament in the Round of 32 against Florida State.

The Rivals rankings of the 2010-2011 team and this year’s group illustrate the point. The average Rivals rating of each team’s top 7 players follows:

2010-2011: 3.00 rating
2014-2015: 3.57 rating

These ratings indicate a massive upgrade in talent. More importantly, with players like Jackson and Auguste, the Irish added significant athleticism. In the past, Notre Dame’s starting five would have featured players similar to Steve Vasturia, Pat Connaughton and Bonzie Colson. Although these players are extremely importantly, they do not make the next level plays.

Notre Dame further added talented players in the past recruiting class. Notre Dame signee Matt Ryan was named Gatorade Player of the Year in the state of New York. Brey also inked Power Forward Elijah Burns and Shooting Guard Rex Pflueger.

Next year, the Irish starting lineup should include PG Demetrius Jackson, SG Steve Vasturia, SF V.J. Beachem, PF Bonzie Colson and C Zach Auguste. This group totals an average of 3.8 in the Rivals star ratings. This assumes Jackson returns to Notre Dame next year. There are currently no indications that Jackson will depart but he is an NBA-type player.

With continued recruiting success, Notre Dame Basketball may make the Sweet 16 an annual occurrence.