Notre Dame Basketball Returns An Excellent Possible Starting Five
By Andrew Hall
Nov 29, 2014; South Bend, IN, USA; Chicago State Cougars guard Jared Dimakos (11) drives around Notre Dame guard VJ Beachem (3) in the first half of action at Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Raymond-USA TODAY Sports
Small Forward: V.J. Beachem (5.9 PPG, 1.4 RPG, 0.5 APG)
Notre Dame needs V.J. Beachem to step up in order for the Irish to make a repeat run to the Elite Eight. Off of the bench, Beachem scored an average of 5.9 points per game, mostly from 3-point range. He shot .416 from beyond the arc.
Beachem has the most potential on the Notre Dame team. At 6’8″, Beachem has the length to be a great defender and unstoppable scorer at the collegiate level. This season, he was basically a jump shooter. However, at the end of the season, Beachem began to take defenders off the ball.
The Small Forward from Fort Wayne, Indiana played an average of 14.6 minutes per game. Beachem will add around 20 minutes. Does this correlate to at least 12 points? If it does, the Irish will not skip a beat.