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Notre Dame basketball: J.J. Starling is a program-changing recruit

By Brad Weiss

Feb 17, 2020; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Mike Brey signals to an official in the second half against the North Carolina Tar Heels at the Purcell Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 17, 2020; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Mike Brey signals to an official in the second half against the North Carolina Tar Heels at the Purcell Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Notre Dame basketball program got a huge verbal commitment this week from J.J. Starling, one of the best players in the country, and a program-changer.

It has been quite some time since the Notre Dame basketball team made it to the Men’s NCAA Tournament. Head coach Mike Brey and his team have struggled the past few seasons, and it seems like forever ago that they were consistently making appearances in March Madness.

However, things could be changing for the better in South Bend, as Brey and company have a veteran lineup for the 2021-22 season, one that could make a run towards the Big Dance. Going forward, the future looks even brighter, and that is thanks to J.J. Starling, one of the best players in the country, and one who verbally committed to the Irish this week.

In Starling, the Irish have not only a player who can come in and start from Day 1, but someone that you can build the program around. He is a 6-foot-4 guard who can play defense, fill it up, and take over a game at any time, earning his place as the No. 33 player in the country per 247Sports.

Notre Dame basketball now has two for the 2022 class

Starling is the second recruit landed by Brey and his staff, as they also brought along Dom Campbell, a 6-foot-8 center that is ranked in the top-100 by 247Sports. Campbell and Starling are an excellent start to this recruiting class, one that will be looking to change the fortunes of this program.

In 2021-22, the Irish have a lot of veterans coming back, including star point guard Prentiss Hubb, and forward Nate Laszewski, who had a breakout season last year. The hope is that they can start building it up towards the future, possibly making a run at the tournament, and playing much more consistent basketball.

Overall, this is going to be an exciting year for Mike Brey and his players, as they look to make it back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017. Starling is a year away from putting on the Notre Dame basketball uniform, but fans should already be excited to see how he can impact this program.