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Who is the leader of Notre Dame Basketball?

By Chase Eyrich

Dec 13, 2015; South Bend, IN, USA; Loyola Ramblers guard Milton Doyle (35) passes the ball as Notre Dame Fighting Irish forward V.J. Beachem (3) and forward Bonzie Colson (35) defend in the second half at the Purcell Pavilion. Notre Dame won 81-61. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 13, 2015; South Bend, IN, USA; Loyola Ramblers guard Milton Doyle (35) passes the ball as Notre Dame Fighting Irish forward V.J. Beachem (3) and forward Bonzie Colson (35) defend in the second half at the Purcell Pavilion. Notre Dame won 81-61. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports /
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With recent leaders of Notre Dame basketball off to the NBA, who will be the leader for the Irish in 2016-2017?

Some great leaders have passed though Notre Dame in recent years. From Harangody to Atkins Grant to Connaughton to Jackson, Mike Brey has always had someone with great leadership skills on the court. This year one of the big questions facing the program is who will be that leader.

The majority of veterans on the Irish roster have more of a quiet personality, with the exception of of Austin Torres, but as far as on-court captains go, he more than likely wont be in the running. The front runners for this season will more than likely be Steve Vasturia and V.J. Beachem. Both of these seniors on the court have quiet personalities. So who will be the one to step up?

Vasturia and Beachem have had pivotal roles in the past but none as big as what they will experience this season. The Irish will go only as far as these two will take them next year, which makes me feel comfortable about the teams potential.

Both of these players seem to understand how to handle themselves on the court, but how they will handle a struggling teammate will show who has true leadership attributes.

While I have confidence in both, I think that V.J. Beachem will emerge as the team’s true leader. His personality is similar to that of Grant and/or Jackson. He has the experience of going to the Elite Eight the last two years as well as winning the ACC tournament. From his sophomore to junior season, Beachem was able to double his points per game from 5.9 to 12. We saw Beachem emerge especially in the second half of last season as well as the tournament.

Related Story: How will the ACC 20-game basketball schedule affect the Irish?

Not only did we see Beachem improve as his career has gone along, but he also recently went through NBA workouts after declaring for the draft. Taking advantage of the benefits of the new NCAA rule, Beachem went and worked out for some NBA teams, learning what they are looking for and how he can improve. Pulling his name out of the draft, Beachem announced he will be back with the Irish for another year.

Beachem has emerged as one of my favorite players and I am excited to see how he takes on this role for the Irish. With the personnel he has backing him, Beachem has potential to take this team to places they have never been.