Breaking: Notre Dame’s top player entering transfer portal

Notre Dame’s five-star recruit from a season ago is entering the transfer portal after one year with the Irish.

Yesterday our very own Geoffrey Clark wrote about how dark days are ahead for Notre Dame basketball.  A team with very little experience awaits whoever the next head coach will be and on Monday the task for that new head coach didn’t get any easier.

[autotag]J.J. Starling[/autotag], who just finished his freshman season, is entering the transfer portal. The combo guard was seen as a five-star talent and a top 25 player nationally in his recruiting class.  Starling started 24 games for the Irish this past season, averaging 11.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game.  With the key players being lost to graduation, it was assumed Starling would be the top returner for Notre Dame in 2023-24.

Instead, the rebuild that awaits the next head coach just got a bit more difficult.  Starling had offers from several powerhouse programs including Duke, Alabama, and Syracuse.