Notre Dame men’s basketball transfer portal recruiting tracker: April 10
Micah Shrewsberry inherited a Notre Dame men’s basketball program with five players in the fold for 2023-24. The Irish’s new head coach has as many as eight spots to fill on his first roster, giving him a lot of room to shape it in his image. He’s going to make sure he gets it right.
“I don’t want to rush things,” Shrewsberry said. “I want to find the right fits recruiting-wise and find the right fits staff-wise.”
Any high-major coach who has eight spots to fill in the spring won’t do so entirely with freshmen. There just aren’t enough quality ones available. Shrewsberry wants to build Notre Dame through the high school ranks, but his first team will likely have a heavy transfer flavor. The Irish likely have to find some one-year stopgaps and multi-year pieces in it. The need list is every position. That’s life with a five-man roster.
Right now, Notre Dame has yet to land a transfer commitment. Here’s a look at the transfers it has reached out to who are still uncommitted as of April 10. High-major talent has entered the portal most days since the transfer window opened March 13 and likely will continue to do so. This is a fluid list that will be updated frequently as new names emerge and others come off the board.
Known Notre Dame transfer options
G Joe Girard III, Syracuse
2022-23 stats: 16.3 points, 3.0 assists, 2.8 rebounds, 40.3 FG%, 38.1 3FG%
Years left: 1
Graduate: Yes
Joe Girard III hosted Notre Dame for an in-home visit, according to Jon Rothstein. Clemson and BYU are two others who went in-home with him. He’s a familiar name for Notre Dame fans going back to his recruitment. The Irish offered him out of Glens Falls (N.Y.) High School back in the 2019 cycle. They faced him six times in the last four seasons.
The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Girard takes a lot shots – 13.7 per game last year, all told. Not all of them are advisable ones, but he’s a microwave scorer who can keep a team in a game or author a game-swinging run on his own. Notre Dame can offer him shots. It lacks proven shot-makers. He’s best when paired with a good lead guard. Defense will not be a strength, though.
G Austin Nunez, Arizona State
2022-23 stats: 4.5 points, 1.1 rebounds, 41.5 FG%, 37.7 3FG%
Years left: 3
Graduate: No
Austin Nunez is planning visits to Notre Dame and Ole Miss, he told Rothstein. He’s a former top-100 recruit from San Antonio.
Notre Dame didn’t have many strengths last year. The Irish could, though, shoot 3s at a respectable clip. But everyone who attempted more than 11 3-pointers last year is either out of eligibility or in the portal.
Nunez would help replenish the shooting on the roster. Half of his 106 field goal attempts in 2022-23 came from behind the arc. He arrived at Arizona State last summer known for his shooting. He played 16.3 minutes per game before a concussion ended his season in mid-February. He should be a positive on defense too.
G Javon Small, East Carolina
2022-23 stats: 15.8 points, 5.6 assists, 4.8 rebounds, 1.2 steals, 39.7 FG%, 33.3 3FG%
Years left: 2
Graduate: No
South Bend native Javon Small has consistently heard from Notre Dame, per On3’s Jamie Shaw. He played his freshman year at Riley High School in South Bend, moved to Indianapolis as a sophomore and spent his final year at Chandler (Ariz.) Compass Prep. He has set three visits, per Rothstein: Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Ohio State.
The 6-foot-2, 180-pound Small broke out as a sophomore, albeit in only 18 games before suffering a season-ending injury. He’s a lead guard who can score from all three levels and was top-20 nationally in assist rate. Finding a multi-year guard to build around ought to be a top portal priority for Notre Dame.
G Brandon Newman, Purdue
2022-23 stats: 6.0 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 36.2 FG%, 31 3FG%
Years left: 2
Graduate: Yes
Brandon Newman played his first two seasons at Purdue when Shrewsberry was a Boilermakers assistant. He’s a former four-star recruit from Valparaiso, Ind., located about an hour from Notre Dame. He was a three-year role player at Purdue, with his best season coming in 2020-21 (8.0 points, 37.9 percent on 3s). He would be a useful complementary player and defensive presence if he landed with the Irish.
F Kebba Njie, Penn State
2022-23 stats: 3.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, 52 FG%
Years left: 3
Graduate: No
Shrewsberry recruited Kebba Njie to Penn State and gave him the most minutes of the Nittany Lions’ five freshman this year (14.3 per game). He started 26 games. He’s a former top-150 recruit who played his final two high school seasons at La Porte (Ind.) La Lumiere. He wasn’t much of a post-up presence as a freshman, but he’s a rim-runner who looked like a capable defender and strong rebounder. The Irish need frontcourt depth anywhere they can get it. They’re expected to be a stong contender to land Njie.
G Noah Thomasson, Niagara
2022-23 stats: 19.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 48.1 FG%, 38.6 3FG%
Years left: 1
Graduate: Yes
Noah Thomasson has heard from Notre Dame since he entered the portal. He was a starter in both his seasons at Niagara. This year, he led the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference in points per game. He was teammates for a season with Marcus Hammond, who took a grad transfer from Niagara to Notre Dame last year and averaged 9.9 points per game for the Irish. He’s likely to end up at a high major. Notre Dame, with its lack of proven guards, could be his best chance of starting.
Notre Dame would be Thomasson’s fourth stop. He spent his freshman year at Houston Christian, transferred to a junior college as a sophomore and landed at Niagara before the 2021-22 season. He told Shaw he has set two visits: San Francisco (April 14) and Georgia (April 21).
Off the board
• Southern Illinois F Marcus Domask (committed to Illinois)
• Yale F EJ Jarvis (committed to Florida)
• Nova Southeastern F Jaden Pierre (committed to Memphis)
• Virginia F Kadin Shedrick (eliminated Notre Dame)
