Watched quite of bit of these guys now. He's how I rank them and project their contributions. From a ranking standpoint this is probably the worst three man class of the Brey era. It's the first three man class without a top 200 player. The history of players ranked outside of the top 200 having success at ND is not long. Matt Farrell, and Tim Abroamitis are kind of it. Ty Profitt, Tom Knight, and Joe Harden is the more common fate of outside 200 kids. The catch is that I think all of these kids are underrated. I think this will go down as the best "terrible recruiting class" that Brey has ever had. For whatever ND's recruiters lack in closing skills, I think they did a good job of finding underated players this year. All of these kids are great fits for ND. Two have Ivy League offers (Sanders and Zona), and Elijah Taylor is incredibly impressive as a speaker and is his class president. Here's my ranking. All of them are very close in their ranking and potential, but my ranking of them is opposite of what most rating agencies are ranking them. Sanders is a 220 composite. Taylor is 228, and Nova is 290. I'd rank them the opposite of that.
#1 Matt Nova - Nova is the lowest ranked, but I would not be surprised if he has the most impact in this class. What I like about his is I think he's bigger than advertised. Listed in most places at 6'8, standing next to Ryan Ayers and Humphreys in various pictures he's a good inch and half taller than them. So he's north of 6'9. Probably close to Martin Geben's size. He's a big kid and he's probably already 245. Needs to be re-shaped. Has no vertical leaping ability or ability to get up the court. He's purely a half court player ala Jack Cooley. But he's very physical down low and a good rebounder. Has a good outside shot, and good touch underneath. He's going to get jumped over in the ACC, but he's very tough, competitive, crafty and has a great feel for the game. Just think he's the kind of kid that Brey turns into a good player. Comparables: Rob Kurz's skill set, in a body that's more similar to Jack Cooley. Projection: Sophomore or Junior Starter. I keep see him playing limited minutes next year in foul trouble situations.
#2 Elijah Taylor - If he were really 6'8 he would not be ranked 225 and we'd probably not have landed him. He's closer to 6'6. But he's a beast of an athlete. One of the best athletes of the Brey era. Athletically he's similar to Ryan Humphrey, but an inch and a half shorter. Will be surprised if he's not 240 before he's done. Looks to be at least 225 now. Very raw but improving quickly. Has the look of a player who started playing basketball late. He's a bit awkward and does not have a great feel for the game, but compensates with athleticism and energy. He's going to be a good rebounder and a good position defender. He's not a shot blocker. He's not tall enough for that, and does not have a feel for it. He's like Laz where his timing is off on his jumps. His offensive game is developing. He's pretty hard to handle driving at players, and is developing some post moves. Has a developing jumper that looks like it could be solid from 18 feet. Brey compared him to Ty Nash. He certainly is not as polished at Nash was as a high school player, but this kid is a superior athlete with a higher ceiling. This kids a wild card. He could ended being Elijah Burns or he could end being a 13 point ten rebound kid. Projection: Ceiling Junior starter. Floor junior sixth or seventh man. Don't see him playing next year.
#3 Tony Sanders - Fluid wing man with great ball handling skills for his size. Respectable high school shooter who could be a three point threat in college. Good athlete by ND's standards. Has nice length and good jumping ability. He's a bit raw and mechanical, but he can score. He does not have the competitiveness that Nova and Taylor have but he's no slouch either. He's a mid motor guy. Does everything pretty well but nothing great. An average defender who could become a good defender. Like Taylor he's raw with a high ceiling, although he's much more polished (and less athletic) than Taylor. Comparable: VJ Beachem without the pure jump shot. Projection: Best case a junior starter, but more likely a junior rotational player. Don't see him playing next year.
#1 Matt Nova - Nova is the lowest ranked, but I would not be surprised if he has the most impact in this class. What I like about his is I think he's bigger than advertised. Listed in most places at 6'8, standing next to Ryan Ayers and Humphreys in various pictures he's a good inch and half taller than them. So he's north of 6'9. Probably close to Martin Geben's size. He's a big kid and he's probably already 245. Needs to be re-shaped. Has no vertical leaping ability or ability to get up the court. He's purely a half court player ala Jack Cooley. But he's very physical down low and a good rebounder. Has a good outside shot, and good touch underneath. He's going to get jumped over in the ACC, but he's very tough, competitive, crafty and has a great feel for the game. Just think he's the kind of kid that Brey turns into a good player. Comparables: Rob Kurz's skill set, in a body that's more similar to Jack Cooley. Projection: Sophomore or Junior Starter. I keep see him playing limited minutes next year in foul trouble situations.
#2 Elijah Taylor - If he were really 6'8 he would not be ranked 225 and we'd probably not have landed him. He's closer to 6'6. But he's a beast of an athlete. One of the best athletes of the Brey era. Athletically he's similar to Ryan Humphrey, but an inch and a half shorter. Will be surprised if he's not 240 before he's done. Looks to be at least 225 now. Very raw but improving quickly. Has the look of a player who started playing basketball late. He's a bit awkward and does not have a great feel for the game, but compensates with athleticism and energy. He's going to be a good rebounder and a good position defender. He's not a shot blocker. He's not tall enough for that, and does not have a feel for it. He's like Laz where his timing is off on his jumps. His offensive game is developing. He's pretty hard to handle driving at players, and is developing some post moves. Has a developing jumper that looks like it could be solid from 18 feet. Brey compared him to Ty Nash. He certainly is not as polished at Nash was as a high school player, but this kid is a superior athlete with a higher ceiling. This kids a wild card. He could ended being Elijah Burns or he could end being a 13 point ten rebound kid. Projection: Ceiling Junior starter. Floor junior sixth or seventh man. Don't see him playing next year.
#3 Tony Sanders - Fluid wing man with great ball handling skills for his size. Respectable high school shooter who could be a three point threat in college. Good athlete by ND's standards. Has nice length and good jumping ability. He's a bit raw and mechanical, but he can score. He does not have the competitiveness that Nova and Taylor have but he's no slouch either. He's a mid motor guy. Does everything pretty well but nothing great. An average defender who could become a good defender. Like Taylor he's raw with a high ceiling, although he's much more polished (and less athletic) than Taylor. Comparable: VJ Beachem without the pure jump shot. Projection: Best case a junior starter, but more likely a junior rotational player. Don't see him playing next year.
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