2014-15 ACC Preview: Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Dec 21, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Jerian Grant (22) reacts after missing a shot against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the first half of the Gotham Classic at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

2013 Season Results: 15-17 overall, 6-12 conference record. T-11th place in the ACC.
81-69 loss to Wake Forest in First Round of ACC Tournament.

Key Losses: Eric Atkins, Garrick Sherman, Tom Knight

Key Returners: Jerian Grant, Pat Connaughton, Zach Auguste, Demetrius Jackson, Steve Vasturia

2014 Recruiting Class: Bonzie Colson (3 Stars), Matt Farrell (3 Stars), Martin Geben (3 Stars)

Every conference in the history of sports has had their “surprise team,” and without a shadow of a doubt, this season’s surprise team in the ACC WILL be the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Notre Dame’s ACC debut was easily the worst of Mike Brey’s 14 seasons as the head coach of the basketball program, as the Irish posted their only losing record of Brey’s tenure, and missed the NCAA Tournament after appearing in six of the previous seven Big Dances.

I know what you’re thinking, in a conference with No. 4 Duke, No. 6 North Carolina, No. 8 Louisville, No. 9 Virginia, and No. 23 Syracuse – to name a few of the power houses – how can I be so confident that Notre Dame will be able to bounce back and become a team to watch out for in their conference?

It starts with Jerian Grant.

As much as we want to talk about Jahlil Okafor, Marcus Paige, Malcolm Brogdon and Montrezl Harrell – and for good reason – Grant was the conference’s leading scorer at 19 points per game, before being declared academically ineligible 12 games into the season. The Irish went on to lose 13 of their last 18 games, and the rest is history.

For those who aren’t familiar with Grant, he came into last season as the team’s returning leader in points and assists, and was named Second Team All Big-East his Sophomore season. All reports are that Grant’s been working incredibly hard since we last saw him, and as one of the premier combo guards in the nation, he’s my dark-horse candidate for ACC Player of the Year this season.

Grant will be joined by fellow senior Pat Connaughton, last season’s leader in scoring and rebounds, as the duo gives Notre Dame potentially the most proven perimeter players in the entire conference. Connaughton averaged .378-percent from three last season on 6.3 attempts per game, and is one of the best inside/outside players in the conference despite only measuring 6-foot-5. Having Grant back in the lineup should only yield better looks for Connaughton, who was actually drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2014 MLB Draft.

Also returning for Brey are sophomore Demetrius Jackson and Steve Vasturia, and junior big man Zach Auguste. Forced to step up as replacements for Grant, Jackson and Vasturia combined to average 11 points per game last season, and both showed the ability to stretch defenses and knock down the outside shot. Auguste showed noticed improvement last season, averaging 6.7 points and 4.3 rebounds in just 16.3 minutes per game last season, and at 6-foot-10 and 240 pounds, figures to be a part of Notre Dame’s front court plans this season.

With plenty of talent on the perimeter, it’s unfortunate that Notre Dame had to say goodbye to both Garrick Sherman and Tom Knight after last season. However, Brey seems pretty confident that his freshman class will be able to make up for these losses, with two three star recruits in Bonzie Colson and Martin Geben.

Despite only measuring 6-foot-5, Colson has a seven-foot wingspan, and uses his body similar to Lonny Baxter of the 2002 championship Maryland team. If you think that’s an unfair comparison, Brey went on the record and said that Colson reminds him of Notre Dame great Luke Harangody, as he’s comfortable on the offensive end from just about everywhere on the court, is a good passer, and has a great feel for the game. I’d imagine Colson will experience some kind of growing pains – as most freshmen do – but he should be one of the most impactful rookie bigs in the conference.

Then there’s Geben, a member of the Lithuanian National basketball program, who can also has a skills facing up, but will more than likely devote his energy to defending the post and taking care of the teams dirty work in whatever action he sees. At 6-foot-10, Geben’s an imposing force in the paint, but also has traits similar to “European big men” (Brey’s words, not mine), as he’s a good passer and can stretch defenses.

The third member of Brey’s recruiting class is point guard Matt Farrell, who may see the least minutes of all of the first year players, but not because he can’t play, just because there are too many guys in front of him. Again, Brey potentially unfairly compared another one of his freshman, saying Farrell reminds him of both Kyle McAlarney and Ben Hansbrough, as he plays with an edge, has a high basketball IQ, and has unlimited range. I personally wouldn’t be shocked to see Farrell jump over Jackson in the rotation, as I think he can be an impact player from the jump for this team.

A lot of Notre Dame’s success this season will depend on how ready the freshmen bigs are, but with two All ACC candidates in Grant and Connaughton, and lots of players around them who seem fit to fill essential roles, there’s no convincing me that the Irish won’t be this season’s surprise team in the ACC.