Tag: Jerian Grant

Notre Dame’s last game against Georgetown

Between 1996 and 2013, Notre Dame and Georgetown played each other at least once ever year as Big East rivals.

Between 1996 and 2013, Notre Dame and Georgetown played each other at least once ever year as Big East rivals. When the programs, who will play a home-and-home series the next two seasons, met Jan. 21, 2013 at Purcell Pavilion, the conference series was tied at 11. With the Irish about to move to the ACC, the game decided who had perpetual conference bragging rights. That turned out to be the Hoyas, who upset the No. 24 Irish, 63-47, en route to winning a share of the Big East title.

Future NBA journeyman Otto Porter Jr. led all scorers with 19 points and came within a rebound of a double-double. D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera scored 14 off the bench for the Hoyas. Moses Abraham, another Hoyas reserved, had 10 boards.

[autotag]Jerian Grant[/autotag] led the Irish with 13 points and had a game-high three steals. [autotag]Pat Connaughton[/autotag] scored 12, and [autotag]Jack Cooley[/autotag] achieved a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds. However, the team shooting an overall 34.7% from the field proved too much to overcome. Not even Red Panda’s halftime performance could inspire the Irish enough.

As we prepare for the upcoming home-and-home, here are the images of this game Irish fans probably would rather forget:

Most recent Notre Dame players to be NBA draft selections

All of these players did the Irish proud before making the jump.

Nobody on Notre Dame’s veteran-laden team from this past season will be selected in Thursday’s NBA draft. In fact, given the inexperience across the board on the upcoming season’s roster and under a new coach no less, it could be quite a while before we see another Notre Dame player drafted. On the bright side, that means no early departures except via the transfer portal. Then again, it sure would be nice to have NBA-ready talent in South Bend.

The only way to deal with a challenging present and short-term future is to look to the past. In this case, the way to go about that is to look at former players who heard their names called on draft night over the past several years. Of the 62 former Notre Dame players who have suited up in the NBA or ABA, 41 have entered professional basketball via the draft. Here are the most recent ones:

Notre Dame’s all-time NBA first round draft picks

It’s been a while since the Irish have had someone called in the NBA draft’s first round…

It hasn’t happened since NBA draft night in 2015 when Jerian Grant was taken in the top-20 by the New York Knicks but it could very well be changing in a matter of months.

Notre Dame freshman guard [autotag]Blake Wesley[/autotag] appears headed to the NBA draft after just one season with the Fighting Irish.  We can debate for hours if the move is the wisest for him but in doing so, he’ll likely become Notre Dame’s 21st former player to have his name called in the first round.

Who are some of the others?  Check out the list of every single Notre Dame basketball player to be selected in the NBA draft’s first round all-time below.

Notre Dame in the Crossroads Classic through the years

The Irish could have fared better during this event.

Notre Dame is set to face Indiana in what will be the final Crossroads Classic at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

The four-team event, which includes Purdue and Butler, has been held every December since 2011 but is coming to an end after this season. It’s a pity an event meant to celebrate all things basketball in a state known for the sport will not exist anymore, especially since it hasn’t been around for very long.

However, all things must come to an end, and the time for this one to wrap up is now.

The Irish are 4-6 in the Crossroads Classic, so they will have a losing record all time for the event. Here is how those games have gone:

Photos from last Notre Dame-Michigan State game at Purcell Pavilion

This was a memorable game in a memorable season.

As Notre Dame prepares to welcome Michigan State to Purcell Pavilion, one can’t help but think of the last time these programs met there. It was the 2014 ACC-Big Ten Challenge, and fans filled the seats to witness the first meeting between the teams since Magic Johnson’s Spartans eliminated the Irish in the 1979 NCAA Tournament en route to the national title. Also helping was the great reputation Tom Izzo had long established by then.

The game lived up to the billing as the Irish won a 79-78 overtime thriller. [autotag]Jerian Grant[/autotag] played the entire game, scoring a career-high 27 points and dishing out six assists. [autotag]Demetrius Jackson[/autotag]’s 22 points also set a career high, though he would pass that mark five times after this game. The Irish also got 11 points apiece from [autotag]Pat Connaughton[/autotag] and [autotag]Steve Vasturia[/autotag].

Before these programs battle in the final ACC-Big Ten Challenge in 2022,  take a look back at this memorable 2014 contest. Don’t miss the rather festive photo of [autotag]Digger Phelps[/autotag] while you do:

Notre Dame will face Georgia in Atlanta on Dec. 18

Make your plans to head to the Peach State in December.

While we still don’t know Notre Dame’s complete 2022-23 schedule, we now know of at least two December games. That’s thanks to this tidbit from Tom Noie of the South Bend Tribune:

As this game is being held the weekend before Christmas, it appears to be this year’s replacement for the Crossroads Classic, the annual Indiana college basketball showcase that was held for the final time last season after the Irish opted out of it. The good news is the Irish still will have the luxury of playing in an NBA arena at the same time of year.

The Irish and Bulldogs previously have met three times. They most recently faced each other during the 2011 CBE Classic in Kansas City, Missouri. After having lost twice to the Irish, the Bulldogs got on the board in the all-time series with a 61-57 win. [autotag]Jerian Grant[/autotag] had a game-high 20 points and led the Irish with four assists.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Blake Wesley taken by San Antonio Spurs in first round of NBA draft

Blake is heading to the Alamo.

It has been a long time since Notre Dame had one of its own enter the NBA with such promise. The term “one-and-done” in relation to the NBA typically isn’t thrown around South Bend, but we officially can give that label to Blake Wesley. When he was selected by the San Antonio Spurs with the 25th overall pick, he became the first Irish draftee since [autotag]Demetrius Jackson[/autotag] in 2016 and the first taken in the first round since [autotag]Jerian Grant[/autotag] in 2015.

Wesley did well for himself in his lone season with his hometown university. He led the Irish with 14.4 points a game and was second with 2.4 assists a game. That made him instrumental in the Irish’s run to the round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament. The ACC agreed, naming him second team all-conference and to the all-freshman team.

Now, Wesley gets a chance to prove himself at the next level. Good luck to him with the Spurs, who will be extremely lucky to have him. Here’s hoping Dejounte Murray and company won’t haze him too much or too harshly.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Watch: Blake Wesley works out at pro day ahead of NBA draft

Want to see how the former Irish player is doing?

This is the time of year when NBA draft hopefuls work out for teams considering their services. One of them is Notre Dame’s [autotag]Blake Wesley[/autotag], the best player to come out of the program in years. The CAA Pro Day was Wesley’s latest opportunity to show what he could do. If you’re curious about how he did, here are some of his highlights:

Of course, anyone who watched the Irish this past season shouldn’t be surprised to see any of this from Wesley. The kid was by far the most explosive and athletic on the team game in and game out. All he had to do was have production to show for it, and he did just that with 14.4 points a game, so he declared his eligibility for the draft after only one season.

Most projections currently have Wesley going in the mid-to-late first round, which would make him the first Irish player taken in that round since [autotag]Jerian Grant[/autotag] in 2015. Here’s to a proud night for [autotag]Mike Brey[/autotag] and everyone else in the program June 23.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

USA TODAY Sports NBA Mock Draft: Where will Blake Wesley get picked?

Where do you want Wesley to be playing next year?

It wasn’t a shock that Notre Dame freshman [autotag]Blake Wesley[/autotag] declared for the NBA draft following just one season with the Fighting Irish but it wasn’t a forgone conclusion it’d be happening, either.  Now was the NBA draft lottery was held and the order of picks has been decided, mock drafts start to take a bit more shape.

So where will the 6-5 Wesley, who averaged 14.4 points per game this past year end up?

USA TODAY Sports released a new mock draft on Wednesday morning and it had Wesley having his name called 21st overall by the Denver Nuggets.

“Wesley creates easy transition points with his defense – he has great hands and a knack for interrupting passing lanes.  He’s another guard with size who attacks the basket and has good footwork in the paint.  He shot just 29.6% on 3s so that will be an area of focus along with playmaking skills as a passer”

If Wesley were to end up being drafted 21st it’d be the highest a Notre Dame player was selected since [autotag]Jerian Grant[/autotag] went 19th overall to the Knicks in 2015.

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Watch: Notre Dame’s appearances in ‘One Shining Moment’

The Irish have made appearances in the annual NCAA Tournament montage.

When I was 14, I had the opportunity to visit the NCAA Hall of Champions during a family trip to Indianapolis. It was there when I was properly introduced to the annual video montage that has wrapped up TV coverage of every NCAA Tournament since 1987.

While I had seen “One Shining Moment” once before, I figured it was just a typical montage like any that played whenever the NBA Finals or World Series wrapped up. My discovery that this happened every year was my main takeaway from the museum that afternoon, and I’ve looked forward to it every year since.

Notre Dame has not appeared in “One Shining Moment” every year it has made the tournament since the montage began, but let’s not pretend it’s done something significant in every appearance. Case in point, the Irish were not featured prominently in any montage until the three straight years it qualified from 2015 to 2017, which included back-to-back Elite Eights. Take a look at all of them below: