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Notre Dame Basketball: The Recruit Who Could Change Everything

By Chase Eyrich

SOUTH BEND, IN - FEBRUARY 11: Head coach Mike Brey of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrates with students after the game against the Florida State Seminoles at Purcell Pavilion on February 11, 2017 in South Bend, Indiana. Notre Dame defeated Florida State 84-72. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
SOUTH BEND, IN - FEBRUARY 11: Head coach Mike Brey of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrates with students after the game against the Florida State Seminoles at Purcell Pavilion on February 11, 2017 in South Bend, Indiana. Notre Dame defeated Florida State 84-72. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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Notre Dame basketball is in need of a player that will set them apart. That player could be Isaiah Stewart.

Over the last few years, it’s been clear — the Notre Dame basketball program has been on the rise. Back-to-back Elite Eight appearances, ACC Champions, numerous upsets and tremendous talent is just a glimpse of Notre Dame’s recent success. Injuries derailed the 2017-2018 season, but the infrastructure is in place.

The next step for the Irish is getting over the hump. The Final Four seems to be on the mind of this program, yet it’s been just out of reach.

Part of Notre Dame’s success has been from their recruiting. In fact, the incoming 2018 class is stacked! The Irish have four 4-star recruits all ranked in the top 100 in the country by 247Sports. That should give Notre Dame fans nothing but hope for the future.

But the player who could change the face of Notre Dame basketball and get them over that hump could possibly arrive in 2019.

Isaiah Stewart has to be the top target of the 2019 class. Notre Dame is in need of a strong center and Stewart is the player they have been waiting for. The 6’8” center comes with a tremendous amount of upside.

Built like a tank, you don’t want to stand in front when he has a full head of steam. Even more impressive is when he has his back to the basket. Taller matchups will still struggle to slow down Stewart. His post moves are excellent and his strength opens up many opportunities.

If Stewart isn’t in a good position for to score, his vision to dump off a pass is great as well. On a guard-oriented team such as Notre Dame, he would have vast options as to where to dump the ball off to.

What kind of player are we talking about? Imagine Bonzie Colson. Standing two inches shorter than Stewart, Colson etched his name into Notre Dame’s legacy. The National Player of the Year candidate seemingly was able to do whatever he wanted despite being undersized.

Stewart would bring that same caliber of play, except he’s built more like a true center. The game plan for him would be the same as it was for Colson  — let him work.

Currently sitting as the number eight prospect in the 2019 class, Stewart would be the biggest recruit in Mike Brey’s tenure.

Is Stewart to Notre Dame realistic?

So how realistic is it that Notre Dame lands Stewart? Maybe more realistic than you would think.

Stewart is playing at La Lumiere, which isn’t even 30 miles away from Notre Dame. The proximity works highly in favor of the Irish. It’s hard to say that another school has made their presence as well know as Notre Dame has during the recruiting process.

Another connection to Notre Dame is Elijah Burns. Notre Dame’s current power forward played on the same AAU team in New York.

In a classic Notre Dame move, the Irish have also offered Joseph Girard, a combo guard who is also an AAU teammate of Stewart. A package deal that included Austin Torres is what helped get Demetrius Jackson to Notre Dame. Could this be the same sort of scenario?

The biggest obstacle right now is ACC foe Duke. Currently, the Blue Devils are the favorites to land both players according to 247Sports’ Crystal Ball predictions.

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While those are just predictions, neither player has really leaned one way or the other. When Stewart does narrow down his list, Notre Dame has no reason to believe that they won’t be in the fight down the stretch.