Notre Dame guard JJ Starling named to ACC All-Freshman Team
The youngest player on a Notre Dame men’s basketball roster full of old guys is the team’s lone recipient of an ACC postseason honor.
Guard JJ Starling was named to the ACC All-Freshman Team, the league announced Monday night. He’s joined by Syracuse guard Judah Mintz, Duke guard Tyrese Proctor, Duke forward Kyle Filipowski and Duke center Dereck Lively II on the team.
Starling is Notre Dame’s fourth-leading scorer this season, averaging 11.2 points per game. That ranks third among ACC freshmen, behind Mintz and Filipowski. He also averages 2.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 0.7 steals in 29.7 minutes per game. He is shooting 42.1 percent overall, 29.9 percent on 3-pointers and 63.8 percent from the foul line. He has played in 28 games and started 24. He scored a season-high 23 points in a Nov. 22 game against Bowling Green.
The 6-foot-4, 200-pound Starling received 39 votes for the All-Freshman Team, tied with Lively and behind Proctor (51), Mintz (72) and Filipowski (75). Filipowski was a unanimous selection. Starling is Notre Dame’s second straight All-Freshman Team selection, following guard Blake Wesley a year ago. Wesley was also a second-team All-ACC pick.
Starling’s freshman year might be finished, though. He missed the final three regular season games with knee soreness, which head coach Mike Brey said arose Feb. 22 against North Carolina. Starling logged 19 minutes in that game has not played since then. His status for the Irish’s ACC tournament opener Tuesday night is unclear. If No. 14 Notre Dame (11-20, 3-17 ACC) loses to No. 11 Virginia Tech (18-13, 8-12), its season will be over.
Notre Dame’s 2021 signing of Starling was one of the Brey Era’s biggest recruiting wins. He was the Irish’s first McDonald’s All-American signee since guard Demetrius Jackson in 2013. All four major recruiting services rated him as a five-star prospect. He was the No. 18 overall recruit in the 2022 On3 Industry Ranking.
Starling chose Notre Dame in October 2021 over Duke, Northwestern, Stanford and Syracuse. He’s a native of Baldwinsville (N.Y), but played his last two high school seasons at La Porte (Ind.) La Lumiere, a perennial national prep school power about half an hour from South Bend.
