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Notre Dame Basketball: Five best Eric Atkins moments

By Greg Hadley

Feb 13, 2016; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Mike Brey celebrates with former players Eric Atkins and Pat Connaughton and Jerian Grant after Notre Dame defeated the Louisville Cardinals 71-66 at the Purcell Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 13, 2016; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Mike Brey celebrates with former players Eric Atkins and Pat Connaughton and Jerian Grant after Notre Dame defeated the Louisville Cardinals 71-66 at the Purcell Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports /
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With the recent news that Eric Atkins is returning to Notre Dame basketball as a video coordinator on Mike Brey’s coaching staff, it’s a great time to take a trip down memory lane and reminisce about the program’s first three-time captain.

You could be forgiven for not remembering Atkins all that well, what with the NBA talent of Demetrius Jackson recently gracing the hardwood of Purcell Pavilion, but to ignore Atkins is to ignore one of the best point guards in Fighting Irish history.

Here’s a brief rundown of his collegiate stats and where they rank in school history.

  • 1,421 points and 589 assists in his career, good for 20th and fourth all-time, respectively. He is also one of five Irish players ever to top both 1,000 points and 500 assists.
  • 151 career steals, eighth in program history.
  • 133 games played, tied for third all-time, and 105 starts, 11th all-time.
  • 178 career 3-point field goals on 469 attempts, both 10th overall.
  • Posted four seasons of 100 or more assists, one of only four Notre Dame players to do so.

Atkins’s pro career never really took off, as he bounced around Greece, the D-League and a brief stint with the Utah Jazz, but he has maintained a strong connection with Notre Dame and Brey, returning to campus several times, including last year’s home win over Louisville.

So without further ado, here are the five best moments of Eric Atkins’s career at Notre Dame.

Next: Five-overtime thriller