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Notre Dame Basketball: Why Notre Dame is best for Isaiah Stewart

By Mychal Hunter

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 doesn’t land prospects like Isaiah Stewart very often. Stewart may be the best fit at Notre Dame.

The primary target for Notre Dame Basketball in the class of 2019 is 6’8 center Isaiah Stewart. Stewart is the number seven recruit nationally and the second best center in the 2019 class. Currently, the expectation is that Stewart will commit to Duke with 9 out of 10 predictions on the crystal ball. However, the crystal ball has had its fair share of surprising moments recently, most notably with high profile players such as Zion Williamson and Kevin Knox. Always remember that the crystal ball is a tool, basically used to create conversation. It is not an exact science by any means.

Isaiah took an unofficial visit to South Bend ten days ago after naming Notre Dame in his final ten list of suitors on May 30th. So far, Stewart has taken unofficial visits to South Bend, Bloomington, and East Lansing.

Mike Brey and Notre Dame are the best fit for Stewart and his skills.

The Roster Make-up

The way the Irish roster sets up is perfect for a player like Stewart. This year’s freshmen are all perimeter players with the exception of Chris Doherty.

By the time Stewart would arrive on campus, high impact recruits Prentiss Hubb and Nate Laszewski will have a year under their belts, and we all know that the biggest leap is made between freshman and sophomore seasons.

I would expect four of the starting five to be Hubb, Temple Gibbs, Laszewski and Juwan Durham in 2019-20, if Gibbs stays after his junior season. The four spot is wide open for Stewart to slide into during his freshman season.

Stewart’s possible commitment also presents the opportunity for Coach Brey to potentially have one of the best defensive front courts in the ACC. Durham is already known as an elite rim protector and Stewart comes with the reputation as one as well.

Given the perimeter talent that the Irish project to deploy in 2019-20, it should also provide Stewart with significant room to operate. The shooting ability of Temple Gibbs, Nate Laszewski, and Prentiss Hubb will prevent teams from sagging into the paint to help out on Stewart, giving him more one on one opportunities.

Coaching

Former Notre Dame big man Ryan Humphrey has been on Brey’s staff since 2016 after a lengthy professional career. What better coach to prepare Stewart for a lengthy professional career than a man who just recently wrapped up his own successful stint?

Humphrey, like Stewart, was a defensive stalwart in college. He was a freakish athlete, just like Stewart, as well as a premier windex man.

Stewart was one of only five players to average a double double at the EYBL this year. The Nike EYBL Atlanta MVP averaged 20 points, 11.5 rebounds and nearly 3 blocks per game. He displayed a game that is stunningly similar to the one Coach Humphrey displayed during his time in South Bend.

In recent years, Humphrey has worked with Irish big men Bonzie Colson, Martinas Geben, and Zach Auguste. All showed drastic improvement in their games as time went on, Geben in particular.

Utilization

Coach Brey also has a history of utilizing his big men effectively.

Coach has yet to fully embrace the current trend of “4 out” basketball. While the 2018 Irish recruiting class is robust with perimeter talent, the product on the court is not necessarily going to be perimeter dominant.

The last time Notre Dame failed to deploy a post player that averaged double digit points was 2010-11. Since then, Jack Cooley, Zach Auguste, Garrick Sherman, Martinas Geben and Bonzie Colson have all rolled through the program and been focal points of the offense.

In the cases of Cooley, Auguste, and Colson, the offense focused on them as a first option. Brey has shown a propensity to play inside-out and utilize his talented big men in sort of an “old school” way. Stewart could be the focal point of the Irish from the day he steps onto the court to the day he declares for the NBA.

The League

The ACC has experienced a ton of turnover in 2018, particularly in the department of talented big men. The departure of Wendell Carter, Jr., Marvin Bagley III, Ben Lammers, Omer Yurtseven and Donte Grantham has left a sizable void in the paint around the league.

If Stewart were to commit to Brey and the Irish, Notre Dame would immediately become one of the most feared front courts in the ACC.

The ACC is also the premier league in the country. Regardless of what metrics such as the RPI or KenPom may indicate, the Atlantic Coast Conference is the cornerstone of college basketball year in and year out. Isaiah Stewart would be on full display each and every game during favorable time slots with dedicated media coverage.

Next: The 10 Best Players of the Mike Brey Era

How many games did anyone actually see DeAndre Ayton play? During Pac-12 play, I can honestly say I never saw Arizona play a game that wasn’t on Saturday. The east coast games get the most viewership and therefor provide the biggest opportunity to put yourself on display.

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