Tag: nba draft prospects

Three Notre Dame players named to All-ACC teams

The ACC gave out some hardware to the Irish.

With Notre Dame all but certain to be an NCAA Tournament team, it was a given that the ACC would reward some of its players. Sure enough, that’s exactly what happened. Three Irish players have been named to a variety of all-conference teams.

Blake Wesley, the freshman phenom from South Bend who is projected to be a first-round NBA draft selection this year, has been named to the All-ACC Second Team and the conference’s All-Rookie Team. The Irish’s last all-rookie selection was Jerian Grant on the Big East team for the 2011-12 season. Wesley definitely earned both honors after leading the team in scoring (14.8 points a game).

Senior Dane Goodwin is on the All-ACC Third Team after averaging 14.0 points a game and putting up a shooting slash line of .498/.448/.855. Only Wesley had a higher scoring average for the Irish.

Paul Atkinson Jr., the graduate transfer from Yale and former Ivy League Player of the Year, is an honorable mention on the All-ACC Team. He rounded out the Irish players with double-digit scoring averages at 12.6.

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Notre Dame misses opportunities in loss to Florida State

Not how the Irish wanted their last true road game of the year to go.

If anyone thought Notre Dame’s remaining opponents would just let it have the second seed in the ACC Tournament, they were wrong. Even with Florida State decimated by injuries to its top players, it had every intention of making a statement when the Irish came to Tallahassee. That’s exactly what happened in a 74-70 Seminoles win. Consequently, Duke has won the outright ACC regular-season championship.

The Irish (21-9, 14-5) bounced back from the Seminoles (16-13, 9-10) making their first five 3-point attempts to take a five-point halftime lead. The second half saw the Irish lose that lead early and never get it back despite plenty of chances to do so. They both missed shots and coughed up loose balls at inopportune times. Perhaps most damning of all, they missed all 10 shots from 3-point range in the second half while the Seminoles equaled the six 3s they made in the first half.

John Butler, who could make the jump to the NBA in the distant future, was the man for the Seminoles. He led them with 16 points, eight rebounds and four blocks. Three of his four 3-pointers came during the Seminoles’ shooting barrage out of the gate. Helping him out were fellow starters Anthony Polite, RayQuan Evans and Tanor Ngom, all of whom scored 12 points.

Blake Wesley scored two of his game-high 21 points on a thunderous first-half dunk, which proved to be the highlight for the Irish in this one. Paul Atkinson Jr. achieved a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds. Prentiss Hubb had a 10-point, seven-board game, but he shot only 4 of 12 from the field, including 1 of 6 from beyond the arc.

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Notre Dame’s 3-point shooting not enough in loss to Wake Forest

The perfect February is over.

Until it played Wake Forest, Notre Dame’s games this season in which it had shot well from 3-point range resulted in a win. Not only did the Irish’s contest against the Demon Deacons feature 14 3-pointers, but they accounted for the majority of their field goals. However, the Deacons badly outhustled the Irish as evidenced by their large advantages in offensive rebounds (16-2) and second-chance points (16-4). The result was a 79-74 Irish loss and an end to their five-game winning streak.

The Irish (19-8, 12-4) scored 12 unanswered points during one stretch of the first half and took a six-point halftime lead. The second half went better for the Deacons (21-7, 11-6), who turned it into a back-and-forth affair for a time. The Deacons took the lead for good with 4:20 left, though the Irish never fell behind by more than two possessions the rest of the way. It was not until Cormac Ryan missed a game-tying corner 3-pointer in the final seconds and two subsequent free throws from Jake LaRavia that this game was iced.

It was appropriate for LaRavia to have the last word as he played the entire game and sank 10 of 11 free throws in a 20-point, four-steal effort. Only Alondes Williams, who is projected by some to be a second-round pick in this year’s NBA draft, had more points (23) for the Deacons. Williams completed a double-double with 10 rebounds, as did Khadim Sy off the bench (15 points, 10 rebounds).

Blake Wesley was the game’s leading scorer with 24 points, and he also had three steals. Ryan scored 12 points, while 11 apiece came from Paul Atkinson Jr. and Nate Laszewski, the latter of whom came off the bench as he continues to recover from a leg contusion. Prentiss Hubb had 10 points to go with his game-high six assists.

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Notre Dame stinks it up in ugly loss to Duke

What can anyone really say about this one?

Notre Dame had a chance at its signature win of the season when it welcomed Duke to Purcell Pavilion. A sellout crowd was on hand hoping to storm the court in Mike Krzyzewski’s final game coaching in South Bend. Instead, the Irish were stymied by a tough Blue Devils and did themselves no favors offensively in a 57-43 loss. It was the lowest scoring output for the Irish since a 59-41 defeat at Georgetown in 2012.

The Irish (14-7, 7-3) shot a paltry 6 of 32 from the field in the first half (18.8 percent), missing from just about everywhere on the court, and never recovered. You especially can’t expect to do that when you go scoreless for the final four-and-a-half minutes of that half. Add in some big defensive plays throughout from the Blue Devils (18-3, 8-2), and this was a game that fell far short of the hype. While the Blue Devils didn’t shoot that great from the field either (39.4 percent), there was no way the Irish were going to win shooting 27.9 percent from the field against anyone, let alone a blue blood.

Paolo Banchero, expected to be one the first picks in this year’s NBA draft, led all scorers with 21 points. AJ Griffin supported Banchero well with 13 points. Both players grabbed nine rebounds, as did Theo Jon.

Paul Atkinson Jr. was the only Irish scorer to reach double figures (14 points). Although Nate Laszewski became the 67th player in program history to reach 1,000 points, his four points while shooting 1 of 5 from the field barely registered a blip on the radar. Blake Wesley shot 3 of 15, and Prentiss Hubb was 2 of 9. Worst of all, Dane Goodwin had an 0-of-7 showing and was held scoreless for the first time since his freshman season.

This was bad. Like, all of it was bad. Now, the Irish have to travel to ACC-leading Miami for a game that won’t be any easier. It’s back to the drawing board for Mike Brey and his staff.

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Notre Dame facing biggest test of season against Duke

This is a huge one.

So many storylines will be coming into play when Notre Dame hosts Duke in a game rescheduled from New Year’s Day. The obvious one is that it will be Mike Krzyzewski’s last visit to South Bend. Similarly, Mike Brey will be coaching against his former boss for the final time barring a meeting between the teams in the ACC Tournament. Most importantly, the Blue Devils are the strongest team the Irish have played so far this season, and this game comes at a time when both teams and Miami are bunched closely together in the top three of the conference.

While Blake Wesley could be a first-round pick in this year’s NBA draft, the Blue Devils might have as many four players with that distinction. Perhaps the Irish can counter that with two of the best 3-point shooters in the country: Dane Goodwin and Nate Laszewski. Also, the Irish hopefully will have a rabid crowd at Purcell Pavilion to back them up, and they deserve to have one with their 9-0 record in that building. So many things can topple that powerhouse from Durham.

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Notre Dame’s Blake Wesley wins ACC Freshman of the Week for third time

This kid is something else.

Christmas may be a month behind us, but Blake Wesley is the gift who keeps on giving for Notre Dame fans. For the third time this season, the guard from South Bend has been honored as the ACC Freshman of the Week. This time, he’s sharing the honor with Duke’s Paolo Banchero. Both players could be picked in the first round of this year’s NBA draft, making this week’s selections all the more appealing.

Wesley was instrumental in the Irish’s two road wins over Howard and Louisville over the past week. He averaged 17.5 points and shot 54 percent from the field. The 22-point game against the Cardinals marked the fifth time he has scored at least 20 points this season. He also has reached double figures in scoring 15 consecutive times, which is an Irish freshman record.

It no longer is a question of whether Wesley will have a big game every night, but whether it will be enough to bring the Irish to victory.

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

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Blake Wesley highlighted in Associated Press story about ACC phenoms

Do you have high hopes for Blake Wesley’s NBA prospects this year?

John Marshall of The Associated Press decided it was time to look at ACC players who could go in this year’s NBA draft. Well, that actually might be a bit of a stretch. There a few players that get a paragraph at the bottom of the story. The vast majority of the words Marshall writes are about Notre Dame freshman phenom and South Bend native Blake Wesley.

Indeed, the chances of Wesley becoming the Irish’s first one-and-done player are very good if he chooses to go that route. What’s less clear is where he would be selected in the first round. NBADraft.net and Sports Illustrated currently project him as a late lottery pick. Cody Taylor of Rookie Wire thinks he’ll go much later in the first round, and that’s also where ESPN has him ranked as far as best players available.

All we know is that if this is Wesley’s only season with the Irish, he sure is determined to make it one that will be remembered. Of course, it would be nice if we didn’t have to wait as long to have more than only Pat Connaughton to watch in the NBA.

Notre Dame to meet Clemson in battle of hot teams

The Irish will try to tame the Tigers.

In a season many are considering a down one for the ACC, two programs trying to stand tall are about to meet in South Bend. Notre Dame (9-5, 3-1), which has won six of its past seven games, will host a Clemson (10-5, 2-2) team that has achieved five victories in its previous six contests. Whoever loses this matchup could have its momentum derailed, and that’s the last thing anyone in this conference needs this season.

As they have several times this season, the Irish will turn to phenom Blake Wesley, who was just named ACC Freshman of the Week for the second time. At an even 200 points, he’s the first true Irish freshman to achieve that feat since Chris Thomas during the 2001-02 season. While the Irish have a projected lottery pick in this year’s NBA draft, the Tigers don’t have anyone ready to make the jump to basketball’s highest level. In this and many other games for the rest of the this season, that could prove to be a crucial advantage.

Notre Dame will try to play spoiler vs. Florida State in home finale

Notre Dame will stumble its way into its regular-season finale Saturday against No. 11 Florida State.

Notre Dame will stumble its way into its regular-season finale Saturday against No. 11 Florida State. Having lost four in a row, the Irish (9-14, 6-11) will have to settle for playing the spoiler role as the Seminoles (15-4, 11-3) try to clinch the outright ACC championship. The Seminoles, which include NBA prospects Scottie Barnes and M.J. Walker, probably are the sole reason this game will be the Irish’s first on an ESPN network that’s not the ACC Network (ESPN2) for the first time in a long while. Then again, it’s not like the Irish have deserved greater exposure.

The big question is whether this will be Mike Brey’s final game at Purcell Pavilion. With the Irish limping to their second finish below .500 in three years, many are wondering if Brey has outlived his usefulness in South Bend. At the very least, let’s hope that the students who will be allowed into this game treat Brey a little better than they did Wednesday. After 446 wins over 21 years in the same role, he deserves the respect he’s earned.

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Duke Freshman Jalen Johnson Out Indefinitely With Injured Foot

When Notre Dame faces No. 22 Duke on Wednesday at Cameron Indoor Stadium, the Blue Devils won’t be at full strength.

When Notre Dame faces No. 22 Duke on Wednesday, the Blue Devils won’t be at full strength. In fact, that will be the reality for Duke for the foreseeable future. Freshman forward Jalen Johnson, who has more talent than any other Blue Devil this season, has a foot injury and will be sidelined indefinitely. Duke, which recently announced that it is forgoing the remainder of its nonconference schedule, next plays Dec. 29 against Pittsburgh.

Johnson is projected to be a first-round selection in the 2021 NBA draft. He made the preseason watch lists for the Naismith Trophy, Wooden Award and Julius Erving Award, which goes to the top small forward in the country. He also was a first-team Preseason All-ACC selection. Through four games, he is averaging 11.5 points and 8.3 rebounds a game on 54.3 percent shooting from the field.

The Irish could get a chance to face Johnson when the teams meet again Feb. 9 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Regardless, a win against Duke is what every team strives for. It doesn’t even matter if you’re a conference rival. That’s the team you definitely want to beat when the opportunity arrives.