Over a year ago, Notre Dame was able to make the NCAA Basketball Tournament thanks to the play of freshman guard Blake Wesley. He ended up being a one-and-done to the NBA Draft as a lottery pick. But the team did have a replacement in JJ Starling, a top-30 prospect out of high school and listed as a five-star in the 2022 recruiting class.
Starling, a 6’4 guard out of Baldwinsville, New York, had plenty of pressure to take over for Wesley. And from a stats standpoint, the freshman played well overall. He was 4th on the team in scoring at 11.2 ppg. He started in 24 of 28 games and shot 42% from the field, as well as 30% from three-point range.
Starling had his moments in his first year with the program, including three games of at least 20 points. His season-high was 23 points in an early win against Bowling Green. But whatever pro prospects he had went in the tank in the last month of the season, not scoring in double figures in five games straight.
With head coach Mike Brey leaving and all the seniors set to depart, Notre Dame is going to have a major rebuilding process. And that’s going to be without Starling who has opted to enter the NCAA Basketball transfer portal.
Now a free agent, where will Starling end up? As of now, he’s the top player in the portal and will have a ton of interest among the high majors. Here’s an early look at eight programs that would make sense for both sides.