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Notre Dame Basketball New Guys: Robby Carmody

By Mychal Hunter

LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 10: Basketballs are shown in a ball rack before the championship game of the Western Athletic Conference basketball tournament between the New Mexico State Aggies and the Grand Canyon Lopesat the Orleans Arena on March 10, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Sam Wasson/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 10: Basketballs are shown in a ball rack before the championship game of the Western Athletic Conference basketball tournament between the New Mexico State Aggies and the Grand Canyon Lopesat the Orleans Arena on March 10, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Sam Wasson/Getty Images) /
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The new Steve Vasturia has arrived in freshman Robby Carmody for Notre Dame basketball.

Every once in a while, I watch video on a player and I can see the talent — but it is the peripherals that I wonder about. Notre Dame basketball Class of 2018 wing Robby Carmody is a good example of that. I can see the talent, heart and desire. But can he make the adjustment to not being the most gifted athlete?

Carmody is the second highest rated recruit in Notre Dame’s 2018 class and 79th player overall. A 6’4 shooting guard out of Pennsylvania, Robby is a somewhat smaller version of former Irish do-it-all player Steve Vasturia. While listed at 185 pounds, he looks like he bulked up during his senior year, but we shall see. The reason I make that comparison is because he is not a player that is going to beat you with his athleticism or his natural given gifts. He’s crafty, he’s confident and when the ref looks away for a heartbeat, he is going to hook you with a chicken wing and get by you.

If you are thinking I just called both he and Vasturia dirty players in the same breath, I would counter by saying they are crafty.

The good things about Robby’s game are quite evident after watching him play for just a short while. He can shoot it. The guy has a beautiful jumper. His release point is high, the arc is high and he gets the ball away fairly quickly. His bread and butter is in the open court, though. This kid is a freight train. He is going to put you on your heels and then drive the ball right down your throat. Again, I see him listed at 185 and I am not quite sure I believe it. He has the upper body of an NFL fullback, while still possessing explosiveness that surprise many. See below.

He is not what I would call a “high riser” but you can see what I mean by explosiveness. He dunks as if the rim once hurt someone in his family.

There are, however, some question marks for me. In most of the videos I was able to find on Carmody, he is the six million dollar man on the court. He is bigger, faster, stronger than almost everyone he is playing against.

This will obviously not be the case in the ACC.

There will be a period of adaptation and adjustments that need to be made. He also really likes getting out into those passing lanes, creating live ball turnovers and easy buckets. Again, this is something that is easier to do at the High School/Prep level than in the Power 5. Typically college players create better angles for passing lanes. If the defenders miss on those anticipation plays, they put themselves and their teammates in poor defensive situations.

As I have said before, defense is typically the thing that takes the longest for freshman to learn.

What to expect: I really like this young man’s game, attitude and maybe most importantly, his situation. I think he is the perfect Notre Dame player. He will play behind guys like Rex Pflueger and Temple Gibbs, who have been through countless battles in this league. He will be given the opportunity to pick his spots to be effective without having the pressure of coming in and being “the man”.

Next: Notre Dame Basketball New Guys: Nate Laszewski

By the time his junior year rolls around, he will be ready to step in and be, at the very least, a solid, productive ACC starter with the potential of a Steve Vasturia or Pat Connaughton.