A very crucial visitors weekend is ahead for the hoops program. The program is in hot pursuit of multiple frontcourt targets, and two of the best will be in-town - as well as Notre Dame's only current 2016 commitment, who plans to try to get them on-board with him.
Below is what you need to know.
forward Javin DeLaurier - Official Visit.
Scoop: Ranked as the No. 43 overall player nationally, the 6-8, 205-pound DeLaurier might be the biggest "can't miss" prospect for Notre Dame at this point, in terms of combining talent and percentage chance to land him. The Irish are flirting with a couple targets that are slightly more talented, but have a long way to go in their recruitments - and ND is in good position with some other guys down the board, but those targets aren't as talented as DeLaurier. The Charlottesville (Va.) St. Anne's-Belfield forward sits in that perfect sweet spot in the middle.
He also has a visit scheduled to Texas the following weekend, and an additional visit to Stanford is possible in October. It was reported today that a Duke visit has been setup in October.
DeLaurier is a high achiever academically, and both him and his parents approach that very seriously. His on the court skillset is a great fit for ND, as well as the way he carries himself and his priorities off the court. Texas head coach Shaka Smart has been recruiting him for a while though, dating back to his previous position at VCU, which is one of a few reasons why the Longhorns are also strongly in the mix.
Outlook: It would not surprise to see the decision come down to Notre Dame or Texas. DeLaurier told me that if a visit goes well enough, he wouldn't rule out committing on the spot - but given his attachment to both ND's and Texas' staffs, I think he'll take both those visits before announcing anything. Maybe then if he's not convinced of either school after both those trips, he takes the remaining visits.
Still, the Irish are a perfect fit for DeLaurier in so many ways - the question will be if he sees that too? As one source told me - "He has a 32 on his ACT. He can't go to Texas." Heh.
The wild card here is Duke. They're in the mix for some guys that are better than DeLaurier, including a "only one every five years" level player in five-star forward Harry Giles, who some think is a package deal with Jayson Tatum (already committed to Duke). Apparently DeLaurier is looking at a visit there in October, and should Duke decide to start pushing for him, things could get bleaker for the Irish.
forward John Mooney - Official Visit
Scoop: Mooney emerged quickly on the radar for Notre Dame after decommitting from Florida on Aug. 13. The 6-10, 245-pound Altamonte Springs (Fla.) Lake Brantley forward committed to Billy Donovan's staff in Sept. 2013, but Donovan left for the OKC Thunder in April, prompting Mooney's recent decision to reopen his recruitment.
Interestingly, Mooney is flying extremely off the radar for a couple of reasons. 1) He didn't play summer ball this year, when all the coaches can go on the road to evaluate prospects in-person, 2) He'd obviously been committed for a while. He's dropped out of the Rivals150, but I think he'd be in it if he'd been on the circuit this summer - basing that only on the film I see though.
I'm told UF's prev. staff gave ND high accolades for Mooney, which led to this official visit. ND has not seen Mooney play in-person, but apparently combining the recommendations and film, went ahead and extended an offer. Mooney is supposed to play pickup ball with the team this weekend, so it'll be interesting to see how that shakes out. Regardless, ND thinks he's very skilled based on what they know to this point, and think he's a good fit.
Outlook: Too early to really say at this point. ND's got as good a shot as anyone here, and it sounds like the Mooney's checklist matches up with what ND offers. But it's not like ND was previously recruiting Mooney, so there's not much of a relationship established, and it's not like ND doesn't also have other frontcourt targets they like that are in the mix - ones that they have actually seen play.
Based on what I've been told however, he's a take right now. We'll just have to see how it plays out.
guard Temple Gibbs Jr. - Unofficial Visit
The 6-3, 185-pound West Orange (N.J.) Seton Hall Prep guard has been committed to Notre Dame since his official visit over the May 2 weekend. There are zero indications at this time that he's wavering on that pledge.
The No. 66 player nationally said he will try to help the coaching staff net a commitment from DeLaurier this weekend.
"Oh yeah, I'm going to recruit him [DeLaurier]," Gibbs Jr. said. "It's a great place, and he'd definitely fit in. It's right where he belongs. He's a great player, and we could do some amazing things together."
Below is what you need to know.
Scoop: Ranked as the No. 43 overall player nationally, the 6-8, 205-pound DeLaurier might be the biggest "can't miss" prospect for Notre Dame at this point, in terms of combining talent and percentage chance to land him. The Irish are flirting with a couple targets that are slightly more talented, but have a long way to go in their recruitments - and ND is in good position with some other guys down the board, but those targets aren't as talented as DeLaurier. The Charlottesville (Va.) St. Anne's-Belfield forward sits in that perfect sweet spot in the middle.
He also has a visit scheduled to Texas the following weekend, and an additional visit to Stanford is possible in October. It was reported today that a Duke visit has been setup in October.
DeLaurier is a high achiever academically, and both him and his parents approach that very seriously. His on the court skillset is a great fit for ND, as well as the way he carries himself and his priorities off the court. Texas head coach Shaka Smart has been recruiting him for a while though, dating back to his previous position at VCU, which is one of a few reasons why the Longhorns are also strongly in the mix.
Outlook: It would not surprise to see the decision come down to Notre Dame or Texas. DeLaurier told me that if a visit goes well enough, he wouldn't rule out committing on the spot - but given his attachment to both ND's and Texas' staffs, I think he'll take both those visits before announcing anything. Maybe then if he's not convinced of either school after both those trips, he takes the remaining visits.
Still, the Irish are a perfect fit for DeLaurier in so many ways - the question will be if he sees that too? As one source told me - "He has a 32 on his ACT. He can't go to Texas." Heh.
The wild card here is Duke. They're in the mix for some guys that are better than DeLaurier, including a "only one every five years" level player in five-star forward Harry Giles, who some think is a package deal with Jayson Tatum (already committed to Duke). Apparently DeLaurier is looking at a visit there in October, and should Duke decide to start pushing for him, things could get bleaker for the Irish.
Scoop: Mooney emerged quickly on the radar for Notre Dame after decommitting from Florida on Aug. 13. The 6-10, 245-pound Altamonte Springs (Fla.) Lake Brantley forward committed to Billy Donovan's staff in Sept. 2013, but Donovan left for the OKC Thunder in April, prompting Mooney's recent decision to reopen his recruitment.
Interestingly, Mooney is flying extremely off the radar for a couple of reasons. 1) He didn't play summer ball this year, when all the coaches can go on the road to evaluate prospects in-person, 2) He'd obviously been committed for a while. He's dropped out of the Rivals150, but I think he'd be in it if he'd been on the circuit this summer - basing that only on the film I see though.
I'm told UF's prev. staff gave ND high accolades for Mooney, which led to this official visit. ND has not seen Mooney play in-person, but apparently combining the recommendations and film, went ahead and extended an offer. Mooney is supposed to play pickup ball with the team this weekend, so it'll be interesting to see how that shakes out. Regardless, ND thinks he's very skilled based on what they know to this point, and think he's a good fit.
Outlook: Too early to really say at this point. ND's got as good a shot as anyone here, and it sounds like the Mooney's checklist matches up with what ND offers. But it's not like ND was previously recruiting Mooney, so there's not much of a relationship established, and it's not like ND doesn't also have other frontcourt targets they like that are in the mix - ones that they have actually seen play.
Based on what I've been told however, he's a take right now. We'll just have to see how it plays out.
The 6-3, 185-pound West Orange (N.J.) Seton Hall Prep guard has been committed to Notre Dame since his official visit over the May 2 weekend. There are zero indications at this time that he's wavering on that pledge.
The No. 66 player nationally said he will try to help the coaching staff net a commitment from DeLaurier this weekend.
"Oh yeah, I'm going to recruit him [DeLaurier]," Gibbs Jr. said. "It's a great place, and he'd definitely fit in. It's right where he belongs. He's a great player, and we could do some amazing things together."
