Where Notre Dame men's basketball targets stand in updated 2023 On3 rankings

On3 imageby:Patrick Engel06/13/22

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One of Notre Dame men’s basketball’s top targets in the 2023 cycle is now a top-10 recruit. Indianapolis Cathedral forward Xavier Booker was elevated to a five-star prospect and the No. 8 overall recruit in the class in the updated On3 Top 150 basketball rankings, released Monday.

Booker was previously the No. 50 player. His 44-spot jump elevated his ranking to No. 22 in the On3 Consensus, an algorithm that weighs all four major recruiting services equally.

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“Booker is still a flashes guy, but his flashes are impressive,” On3’s Jamie Shaw wrote. “The long-armed, 6-foot-10 post player simply moves in a smooth yet explosive way most his size cannot. What do we mean by flashes? Take last week’s Pangos All-American Camp, for example; in his first game, Booker had 26 points and made four threes. His very next game, Booker ended 5 of 13 from the field with two rebounds.

“In the 2023 class, the flashes and natural gifts are too hard to ignore. We are betting on the lottery pick type upside he could attain if he continues to progress and become more consistent.”

Booker recently told On3 that Notre Dame, Duke and Ohio State are contenders for his fifth official visit. He has already taken trips to Indiana, Kansas State, Michigan State and Purdue. He unofficially visited Notre Dame last fall.

The 6-10, 205-pound Booker is one of nine uncommitted 2023 recruits with Notre Dame offers. Eight of them are in the updated top 150.

One of the Irish’s spring offers was as big a riser as anyone. Wolfeboro (N.H. Brewster Academy forward JP Estrella went from unranked to a four-star recruit and the No. 21 player in the country. Notre Dame offered him in April after seeing him play with his AAU team.

“The 6-foot-11 center has long arms and moves very well vertically and laterally,” Shaw wrote. “Estrella has a toughness about him, too. The late bloomer is still physically growing into his body; he is not afraid to mix it up at the rim. Estrella is a strong rebounder and a natural shot-blocker. He also has touch that extends beyond the three-point arc as a trail big or pick and pop threat.”

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Two other players with Notre Dame offers earned bumps in Monday’s update. Chandler (Ariz.) Compass Prep wing Zayden High jumped from 99th overall to 37th. Bryn Athyn (Pa.) Academy of New Church point guard Elmarko Jackson rose nine spots, going from No. 70 to 61. The Irish offered both in April. Each also transferred schools this spring. High left Spring Branch (Texas) High School in the San Antonio area. Jackson previously played at Richland (N.J.) St. Augustine Prep.

A few of Notre Dame’s targets took small drops in the top 100. Bloomfield Hills (Mich.) Brother Rice wing Curtis Williams Jr. fell from No. 57 to No. 68, and he remains a four-star prospect. Worcester (Mass.) Academy forward TJ Power went from No. 82 to No. 88. Williams included Notre Dame in his top six in May. Power began an official visit to Notre Dame on Sunday.

There were two larger drops: La Porte (Ind.) La Lumiere point guard Aden Holloway is the No. 93 player in the updated rankings, down from 49th. Chicago Kenwood Academy point guard Darrin Ames is the No. 62 player, a 22-spot fall from his prior spot. Holloway, a North Carolina native, visited Miami June 9 and told On3 it might be his last trip before deciding in July.

Huber Heights (Ohio) Wayne point guard Lawrent Rice, who Notre Dame offered last year, remains unranked.

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