As the NCAA Tournament comes to a close, GMS likes to review some of the power conference or power program teams that made it to the Big Dance and ask whether or not they’ve got a shot to return to the show next season. We continue on with teams eliminated in the Elite Eight.
Recruit and Reload: Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Key Losses: Zach Auguste, Demetrius Jackson
Key Returners: Steve Vasturia, V.J. Beachem, Bonzie Colson
Key Newcomers: Temple Gibbs, John Mooney
Breakdown: Losing two dynamic players like Auguste and Jackson surely puts a damper on Notre Dame’s offseason, but head coach Mike Brey has shown again and again that he can win will many different lineups, different players, and that he can get this program through a rebuild. Having a shooter like Vasturia return is obviously huge, but so is Beachem coming back for another season. As a guy who made one of the biggest leaps in contribution from the previous season, Beachem has a chance to be Brey’s featured wing after putting up 12 points and 3.9 rebounds last season. Colson gives this team so much heart and toughness despite being undersized, with his work ethic in dropping weight last year showing his dedication to the program.
As for the incoming recruits, the question will be whether or not Brey has found his new point guard and big man in the middle. Both Gibbs and Mooney were Top 150 type of recruits, with Gibbs being rated as a four-star prospect.
