Jalen Haralson injury update: Notre Dame freshman back in lineup vs. Eastern Illinois

Notre Dame will get a key piece back for Tuesday night’s game against Eastern Illinois, a team spokesperson told Blue & Gold. Highly touted freshman guard Jalen Haralson (concussion) will return to the lineup after missing Friday night’s win over Detroit Mercy, provided he doesn’t re-aggravate his injury during pregame warmups.

Haralson took a hit to the head early in the second half of Notre Dame’s 89-67 win over Long Island on Nov. 3, leaving the game immediately and heading to the locker room shortly after. He briefly returned as the Irish closed the game out, but he only played 12 minutes in his much-anticipated college debut.

Haralson started his first game in South Bend, scoring 4 points on 2-of-7 from the field. He also added 1 assist, 3 rebounds and 4 turnovers.

Sophomore guard Sir Mohammed started in Haralson’s place Friday night against Detroit Mercy and played well, finishing with 10 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists in Notre Dame’s 102-70 win.

Notre Dame signed Haralson in December out of La Porte (Ind.) La Lumiere, and he’s expected to be a significant contributor in Year 1. Haralson is 6-foot-7 with a 6-foot-10 wingspan but profiles best as a lead guard, playing that role alongside junior point guard Markus Burton.

Haralson impressed in his preseason debut, with 7 points and 6 rebounds in the first half at Butler. To open the second half, Notre Dame head coach Micah Shrewsberry moved him to point guard and he immediately dished out 4 assists.

“He’s a stat-sheet stuffer,” Shrewsberry said. “He can score the ball when he needs to. He can rebound the ball. He can make passes. And we use him in a lot of different ways, and we will keep using him in a lot of different ways.”

Haralson is embracing his role as a do-everything player in the lead-up to his first — and potentially but not definitely only — season of college basketball.

“I’m a versatile guy,” Haralson said. “I can do a lot of things on the court. Coming in, I don’t want to hold myself to just one position or doing one thing. I can rebound, push the pace. I can score the ball. I can pass. I can do a lot of things. So it’s really just making an impact on the game.”

Notre Dame (2-0) vs. Eastern Illinois (1-1) tips off at 7:30 p.m. ET on Monday night at Purcell Pavilion in South Bend. The Irish are 24.5-point favorites, according to BetMGM.