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The 2018-19 Notre Dame basketball season will be full of growing pains

By Mason Plummer

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 04: Prentiss Hubb #3 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish dribbles down the court during the first half of the game against Oklahoma Sooners at Madison Square Garden on December 04, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 04: Prentiss Hubb #3 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish dribbles down the court during the first half of the game against Oklahoma Sooners at Madison Square Garden on December 04, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /
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With a team as young as Mike Brey’s Notre Dame basketball squad is this year, growing pains are very real. Let me give you some advice to help you get through them.

Notre Dame basketball fans have become accustomed to head coach Mike Brey’s long-term mantra of always having older, usually senior-led teams. Brey has made a point of recruiting players he believes can mature and grow by sitting the bench for year or two and learning from the guys above them.

But Brey has never had a recruiting class like this one during his tenure at Notre Dame — not even close. This Notre Dame freshman class is outstanding and to write them off this early — as I have seen many fans do — is ridiculous.

Most of these guys are Top-100 recruits that are essentially being thrown into the fire this season. Brey is not accustomed to being forced to play freshman right off the bat.  And while the results may not show it, these guys have been playing very well.

Nate Laszewski is going to be one of the top players in the ACC within the next 2 years. Prentiss Hubb will be a top-10 point guard in the nation. Dane Goodwin and Robby Carmody easily have the potential to be the next Pat Connaughton and Steve Vasturia.

I’m not going to tell you I haven’t been disappointed by the squad thus far this season, because I have. Gibbs and Pflueger have not been up to par this season. Mooney has been average at best. Team captain Elijah Burns up and left the team.

To be honest, with all the turmoil that’s occurred thus far, on top of this squad being VERY young, this start to the season has not been bad at all.

Irish fall one play short vs. UCLA. dark. Next

This team is going to be great — just give it time.