Notre Dame Basketball: 2023-24 season preview for the Fighting Irish
By Joey Loose
Projected Starters
Guard – Markus Burton (Freshman)
A 3-star point guard from nearby Mishawaka, Burton slides into an important role right off the bat in Shrewsberry’s system. There’s a lot of excitement surrounding Burton, especially for his speed and athleticism, though he’s the only true point guard on the roster. Can a true freshman exhibit the leadership this program needs from day one?
Guard – Braeden Shrewsberry (Freshman)
Following his father from Pennsylvania, Shrewsberry is a solid young shooting guard. He might be the program’s best long-range shooter right off the bat and he’s more than just the coach’s son. There’s plenty of potential here for Shrewsberry to develop into a great weapon for the Fighting Irish, though he is just a freshman.
Guard – Julian Roper II (Junior)
The lone upperclassman in this starting lineup, Roper spent the last two year at Northwestern before transferring to Notre Dame this offseason. A starter as a freshman, Roper averaged 4.4 points and 3.7 rebounds off the bench last season, though an ankle injury knocked him out in early February. The Fighting Irish will lean on his experience and hope he can take a big step forward as a primary option in South Bend.
Forward – Tae Davis (Sophomore)
A wing from Indianapolis, Davis spent last season as a bench piece at Seton Hall and will play much closer to home in his sophomore season. Davis averaged 2.8 points and 2.8 rebounds per game last season, scoring a career-high 11 points on opening night before serving in a backup role in Big East play. Not known as a great shooter, Davis projects as someone who can do virtually everything else and will need to take a leap forward as a sophomore in this system.
Forward – Kebba Njie (Sophomore)
Following Shrewsberry from Penn State, Njie spent much of last season as the starting center for the Nittany Lions. His figures weren’t too impressive, averaging just 3.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 0.5 blocks per game, but he knows Shrewsberry’s offense and he was just a freshman last year. He was highly regarded coming out of high school and has a chance to be a breakout weapon in the frontcourt.