Notre Dame guard Dane Goodwin confirms he’s returning for fifth season
Mike Brey hinted at it in early April. Dane Goodwin confirmed it Friday.
Goodwin, Notre Dame’s second-leading scorer in 2021-22, will return for a fifth season using the COVID-19 waiver, he announced on social media.
“Playing at Notre Dame has always been a dream of mine and the last four years have been nothing short of amazing,” Goodwin wrote in his announcement. “I’m honored to have the opportunity to play one last year with my brothers and excited to see what the group coming back can accomplish.”
PROMOTION: Sign up for just $1 for your first year at Blue & Gold
Goodwin averaged 13.6 points per game this season, shooting 50.4 percent from the field, 45.8 percent from three-point range and 82.3 percent from the free throw line. He ranked 14th nationally in three-point percentage and was named a third-team All-ACC selection.
If Goodwin plays in at least 14 contests next season, he will break Pat Connaughton‘s record for the most career games in program history (139). Goodwin has played in 126 games through his first four seasons.
Brey indicated on his postseason radio show that Goodwin was likely to return when discussing the outlook for the 2022-23 team.
“It’s a group that tasted the NCAA Tournament and can talk about, ‘What about a Final Four? What about playing all the way to the Final Four?’” Brey said. “That’s realistic. If you haven’t tasted it, that’s not realistic locker room talk, and I can’t talk about that.
“Cormac Ryan and Dane Goodwin will talk about that a lot all summer and that’s a good thing.”
RELATED: Notre Dame football:
• Visitor Preview: Monster recruiting weekend for Notre Dame football’s Blue-Gold game
• Friday 5: Possible Notre Dame spring game stars and the impact of Tyler Buchner’s absence
Notre Dame has six seniors with fifth-year decisions to make. Goodwin and Ryan are returning. Guard Prentiss Hubb will not be back. Forward Nate Laszewski is going through the NBA Draft process while keeping his college eligibility. Guard Trey Wertz and Robby Carmody have not made any announcements regarding their plans for 2022-23.
Laszewski has until June 1 to decide whether to pursue a pro career or come back to school. He and Wertz gained fifth-year eligibility when the NCAA passed the COVID-19 exemption in 2020, which granted all players on 2020-21 rosters an extra season. Ryan and Carmody had fifth-year eligibility due to prior redshirts.
Notre Dame is losing leading scorer Blake Wesley, who declared for the NBA Draft and said he has no plans to return to school. Third-leading scorer Paul Atkinson Jr. is out of eligibility. The Irish are targeting transfer portal additions to fill out the roster and will host two transfers for visits beginning Saturday: former Wright State forward Grant Basile and former Niagara guard Marcus Hammond.
