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citing an interview on a St. Louis radio station, one report says that Ben Hansbrough is leaning somewhat towards Notre Dame and is visitng there today to meet personally with head coach Mike Brey, but nothing is decided yet.
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This report says Hanbrough HAS COMMITTED to Notre Dame
There is also strong rumor that Purdue's Scott Martin will also commit shortly to Notre Dame,
and some of their fans think they are in the lead for Jordan Prosser.Comment
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Notre Dame has a bright future - they lose only Rob Kurz from last year's team. Kurz was a good all-around player, but I think they can get by just fine without him. Here's their likely rotation for next season:
PG Tory Jackson Jr.
SG Kyle McAlarney Sr.
SF Ryan Ayers Sr.
PF Zach Hillesland Sr.
C Luke Harangody Jr.
PF Luke Zeller Sr.
SG Jonathan Peoples Jr.
Tons of experience in that top seven. The other bench minutes will probably go to one of the sophomores that didn't get much time as freshmen - SF Tyrone Nash, PG Ty Proffitt, or SF Tim Abromaitis. Redshirt freshman PF Carleton Scott will also be in the mix. If one of them can play competently for 10-15 minutes per game, Notre Dame's rotation will be set.
I think Notre Dame will be improved slightly from last season, which puts them solidly into the top 20.
After next season, they'll lose some very solid players in McAlarney, Ayers, Hillesland, and Zeller, but they should be able to replace them adequately with transfers and freshmen (assuming Scott Martin does choose ND). Here's how the replacements would line up:
McAlarney -> Ben Hansbrough (transfer)
Ayers -> Scott Martin (transfer)
Hillesland -> Jack Cooley (3-star freshman)
Zeller -> Joey Brooks (3-star freshman)
I don't see much of a drop-off with those changes, so Notre Dame should be a top 20 team for at least the next two seasons (assuming Harangody doesn't leave early).
Even though I'm an Illinois fan, I've enjoyed watching Notre Dame over the past year and expect them to continue playing good basketball. Mike Brey is doing a great job with that program.Comment
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yup, it may be that IU is now the 3rd or 4th best D-I school in the state, much to the dismay of the Hoosier fans.Comment
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A couple more articles that refer to this transfer as if it makes Notre Dame a cinch for the national championship in a couple years. Personally, I think brother Ben is a little overrated. As a sophomore, he averaged far less than Andrew Warren did this past season, and is only about a 35% shooter from 3-point range. By comparison, every single player on Bradley's roster who made at least 1 3-pointer had a much better shooting percentage than Hansbrough, except TCS.
A Hansbrough headed to ND--
Oh, brother: Irish basketball lands younger Hansbrough
And as I read all the articles about Ben Hansbrough choosing Notre Dame over Missouri, Purdue, Florida, Arkansas, and Butler, I notice that none of the articles mention the couple MVC teams (SIU and MSU) that he was rumored to be choosing between. Was that rumor about SIU and MSU ever true? Or was it wishful thinking?Comment
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I agree that Ben Hansbrough isn't really that special, but he's a solid role player that can help a team. The way I see it, he really just needs to replace Kyle McAlarney in 2009-10, which he's certainly capable of doing. Compare their offensive ratings for last season:
...................ORtg....%Poss
Hansbrough....114.....15.5%
McAlarney......115.....18.4%
So, the only difference is that McAlarney is a little more involved in the offense, but he's also a year ahead of Hansbrough.
Notre Dame will be good over the next couple years - Luke Harangody is the main reason.Comment
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What is more interesting than Hansbrough
What is more interesting than Hansbrough is that Notre Dame is attempting to use their last scholarship opening on Scott Martin. Reports are it is Notre Dame and Butler with Depaul somewhere in there too.Comment
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