Tag: Cole Certa

Notre Dame can’t overcome loss of Burton, falls to Rutgers in overtime

This will sting in more ways than one.

The Notre Dame men’s basketball team will remember its first game of the Players Era Festival for a lot of reasons. Unfortunately, it won’t be for a victory it lost an 85-84 overtime thriller to Rutgers in Las Vegas.

[autotag]Markus Burton[/autotag] was lost to a knee injury early in the game, and it’s unknown how serious it is right now. If he’s lost for a long period, it could derail the Irish’s season.

But even without him, the Irish (4-2) engaged in what became a back-and-forth affair with the Scarlet Knights (5-1), featuring 10 ties and 16 lead changes. It only was appropriate that [autotag]Matt Allocco[/autotag] hit a game-tying 3-pointer in the final seconds of regulation to force overtime.

The Knights appeared to have the game won when they went up six with 57.3 seconds left. Instead, Allocco made 3-pointers on three consecutive possessions to tie score at 84. The Irish suddenly had a shot at double overtime.

However, [autotag]Cole Certa[/autotag] lost track of the situation and immediately fouled future NBA first-round pick Dylan Harper, who split two free throws to put the Knights back up one. After a pair of Irish timeouts with 3.8 seconds on the clock, Allocco fired up a prayer from 3-point range for a last-second heroic, but he missed, and the Irish had suffered a tough defeat.

Harper set the freshman scoring high for college basketball so far this season with 36 points and also dished out a game-high six assists. Jordan Derkack scored 16 points off the bench. Jerem Williams scored 10, as did future NBA first-round pick Ace Bailey.

Allocco played the entire game and achieved a double-double of 24 points, which included six 3-pointers, and 10 rebounds. He also led the Irish with five assists.

[autotag]Braeden Shrewsberry[/autotag] scored 16 points but shot 6 of 20 from the field, including 3 of 13 from 3-point range. [autotag]Tae Davis[/autotag] had 15 points but committed a game-high seven turnovers.

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Notre Dame freshmen weigh in on Derrick Rose-Russell Westbrook debate

Which side do you take in this debate?

We now are in the era of college basketball players who grew up idolizing NBA superstars from the 2010s. It makes the rest of us feel old, but it simply is an effect of time marching on.

To that end, Notre Dame freshmen [autotag]Sir Mohammed[/autotag] and [autotag]Cole Certa[/autotag] appeared on the podcast “Wake Up the Echoes” together, and a debate about two 2010s NBA stars emerged. More specifically, it was about two point guards.

Mohammed expressed appreciation for Russell Westbrook and his triple-doubles. Certa stayed true to his Illinois roots and sided with Derrick Rose. Strangely, the teammates both are taller than their respective heroes even though all of them are guards.

Both NBA stars have MVP awards, but their careers went on different trajectories. Westbrook currently is in the twilight of his career but had a terrific prime. Injuries cost Rose more accomplishments than he otherwise would have had, but he once was the most electric player in the league:

Do you prefer Rose or Westbrook? Like both? Hate both? It’s a question worth asking.

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Notre Dame basketball officially signs it’s 2024 recruiting class

Thoughts on the Irish 2024 basketball recruiting class?

It is officially signing day for the 2024 recruiting cycle and today [autotag]Notre Dame basketball[/autotag] signed three players to its class.

This is the first recruiting class for new Irish head coach [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag], setting a standard as to what to expect on the recruiting trail going forward. Today was the first time that Notre Dame could officially speak about the players, as they are now members of the Irish hoops team.

Find out below each of the signees, where the team ranked nationally, and what Shrewsberry had to say following the players joining the Notre Dame family.

(Note: All recruiting rankings are according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings.)

Four-star combo guard recruit Sir Mohammed commits to Notre Dame

Another addition to the 2024 recruiting class.

[autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag]’s team of the future is picking up steam. Two days before 2024 four-star combo guard recruit [autotag]Sir Mohammed[/autotag] was set to announce his college pick, 2024 four-star forward [autotag]Garrett Sundra[/autotag] committed to Notre Dame. Now, you can add Mohammed to the Irish’s 2024 recruiting class. Mohammed announced his commitment during the Elite 24 showcase in Atlanta:

Needless to say, Shrewsberry had to celebrate everything that had transpired of late:

Mohammed, the son of former NBA player Nazr Mohammed, ranks fourth among 2024 recruits from North Carolina on 247Sports. He visited Notre Dame on June 18 and also took official visits to Virginia Tech, Marquette and Stanford. With this announcement, three of North Carolina’s top four 2024 recruits have committed to ACC programs. Drake Powell has picked North Carolina, Isaiah Evans is headed for Duke, and Jayden Quaintance has not yet made his decision.

Mohammed, who joins Sundra and [autotag]Cole Certa[/autotag] in the Irish’s 2024 recruiting class, has put up solid numbers for Myers Park in Charlotte. In three seasons on the varsity squad, he has averaged 14.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.7 steals a game. That’s the type of production the Irish will take, and here’s hoping that translates at the college level.

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Notre Dame lands commitment from 2024 forward recruit Garrett Sundra

Nice get.

Notre Dame has been lacking impact players down low for some time now. Sure, there’s been some talent there, but none of it has been good enough to build the lineup around. Might that change with 6-foot-10 power forward [autotag]Garrett Sundra[/autotag]? We soon will get an answer to that question after Sundra committed to the Irish:

Per 247Sports, Sundra is a four-star recruit and the fourth-best player out of Virginia in the 2024 class. Sundra made his official visit to Notre Dame on Aug. 1. In fact, it was the only official visit he made to any school. That was bad news for the others interested in him, including Butler, Providence, Seton Hall, Virginia Tech, Miami, Maryland and Iowa.

[autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag] still has a long way to go in building the team he wants. [autotag]Cole Certa[/autotag] is the only other 2024 commit he currently has, and that’s not counting all the inexperience on this coming season’s roster. The Irish eventually will get to where they want to be, but it’s going to require time and patience. Hopefully, everybody understands that.

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Notre Dame makes top four for 2024 four-star power forward recruit

Hope the Irish get him.

So far, only shooting guard [autotag]Cole Certa[/autotag] has committed to Notre Dame’s 2024 recruiting class. That might soon change with four-star power forward and Minneapolis native Jackson McAndrew. Joe Tipton of On3 has learned from McAndrew that he has picked the Irish as one of four finalists for his services along with Wisconsin, Xavier and Creighton. He also had an offer from Illinois, but that option now appears to be off the table.

Previously, when asked to comment about the Irish, McAndrew, widely considered the top 2024 recruit in Minnesota, had this to say:

“I really like what Coach (Micah) Shrewsberry and the rest of the coaching staff are doing with the program. I think they are taking it in a really good direction. The school is also very good and cool. I think that I can be utilized very well with my versatility in the system they play offensively and defensively.”

Scouts mainly like McAndrew’s shooting, and the Irish will need plenty of that once the tide begins to turn for them. Whether or not McAndrew picks the Irish, Shrewsberry will have to find two, preferably three, pure shooters over the next couple of recruiting classes. You simply need those in today’s college basketball, and Shrewsberry surely recognizes that. Why else would the Irish trust him with a new direction?

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Notre Dame commit Cole Certa heading to IMG Academy

Nice opportunity for him.

A month ago, Notre Dame received its first 2024 recruiting class commit in shooting guard [autotag]Cole Certa[/autotag]. He was recruited out of Bloomington Central Catholic in Illinois. But he has decided that that school is no longer sufficient to continue his athletic growth. He has announced that his final year before joining the Irish will be sent at IMG Academy, the famous sports prep school in Bradenton, Florida:

Certa, a three-star recruit weighing in at 6-foot-4 and 165 pounds, is heading to a school that has produced some quality talent. Among them are Purdue star and reigning national player of the year Zach Edey and North Carolina’s Armando Bacot. Several alumni also have gone onto the NBA, including Anfernee Simons, Dwight Powell, Josh Green and Jonathan Isaac. What’s more, Kyle Brey, son of former Irish coach [autotag]Mike Brey[/autotag], is the coach of the varsity football team.

While Certa’s decision is a loss for the state of Illinois, it’s necessary for him to take the next step in his game. Here’s hoping it works out for him and eventually, the Irish.

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2024 shooting guard recruit Cole Certa commits to Notre Dame

This latest commitment is for the future, not this coming season.

Lately, the focus for Notre Dame has been on filling out the upcoming season’s roster. This week has seen just that with three players who were set to play at Penn State joining [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag] instead. That doesn’t mean the Irish aren’t looking at the 2024-25 season though. They now can do that after shooting guard recruit [autotag]Cole Certa[/autotag] announced his commitment to the program:

Certa, currently at Bloomington Central Catholic in Illinois, had nearly every prominent program in his home state after him. Illinois, Northwestern, Loyola Chicago, Bradley and Illinois State all made offers. He also received offers from Butler, Nebraska, Toledo and Penn State while Shrewsberry was there. The Irish were the last program to offer him, and that came after Shrewsberry went to the Irish. As it turned out, the best had been saved for last.

247Sports had Certa as the highest-rated uncommitted 2024 recruit in Illinois. That no longer is the case as Certa has made his decision. It also will be interesting to see if during his collegiate career, there will be a prominent game against North Carolina involving him and Tar Heels commit James Brown, the highest-rated Illinois recruit in that class. It sure is fun to think about.

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