In part 1 of our first 18Stripes basketball roundtable, we looked at the rising seniors and juniors. In this part, we try to break out our crystal ball and project performance for the younger end of Mike Brey’s roster.

The sophomore class of Rex Pflueger, Matt Ryan, and Elijah Burns had very different freshmen experiences. What do you see among those three?

Eric B: Rex and Ryan need to work on the other player’s specialty. Rex was obviously limited on offense, but was a great lock-down defender. Ryan had a great stroke, but often struggled guarding athletic ACC wings. If Rex can step up on offense, and Ryan can do so on D, both will play a big part in ND’s plan this season. Burns is an interesting case coming off a redshirt season. There’s obviously a large hole in the front court, and depending how he looks against Torres and Gebben in practice, he may have a chance to crack the rotation behind Bonzie.

Patrick: Rex Pflueger was a very pleasant surprise after cracking the rotation last year, providing huge hustle and defense. Frankly, I think he’s a huge plus any time he is on the floor simply because of his hard work and athleticism, but if he can develop a 3, he will be tough to keep off the court. He passed up a lot of open looks last year, and if he develops confidence shooting corner 3’s, look out. Matt Ryan simply needs to develop consistency. He is one of the most exciting players on the Irish roster just because his beautiful stroke makes it seem like he could rain 5-6 deep balls on any given night. If he can avoid the slumps he hit at times last year, a small ball lineup with him at 4 and Bonzie at 5 could be unbelievably fun. I’m very excited to see what Elijah Burns can do in the non-conference season, but I still feel like his role will be determined by how well his elder teammates (Geben, Torres) perform. There are a lot of guys competing for time at the 4 spot, and he might end up being on the outs this year.

Joe: I liked what I saw in the absolutely minuscule sample from Elijah Burns. We’re going to need a wide body with energy to step up, and it could certainly be him. If Brey embraces the position-less nature of modern basketball this season, Rex Pfluger could be poised to dominate. He’s comfortable with the ball in his hands and as the game slowed down for him later in the year, he demonstrated flashes of being able to contribute on the offensive end. In bigger line-up’s he could pair with Vasturia as a very long/strong back-court duo. If he starts to put the ball on the floor and harness those prodigious hops to finish at the rim, the #dunksdulac meme might get some new highlight videos. Ryan came on like gangbusters and faded. This can’t be surprising to anyone. This is a tough leap for anyone to make. I’ll take the optimist’s view with Ryan and I predict very good things in his sophomore year. I think he takes and makes significantly more 3’s while giving excellent defensive bulk and rebounding. Now, if we could only talk about his dorm options.

alstein: I think, of anyone, Ryan is the most likely to make a real leap in his sophomore year. He needs to do one thing really well and already seems to have a penchant for doing everything else at a respectable level, even defending opposing 4s. Pairing him with Beachem would give Brey some real Golden State-esque lineup options, and having them both averaging around 42-44% would look really, really dangerous.

Rex looked the part in very small doses last season, but 1) foul trouble is always going to be a problem for him, especially given the new, very-inconsistently-applied rules. And 2) I think if he were just handed the keys to the offense, he could be very, very effective, but I don’t think that’s going to happen with Gibbs, Vasturia, and even Farrell likely in front of him as lead guard options.

And Burns, I love what he brings to the table. I think he can be a 10 minute guy to bring some skill and athleticism (even if a tad undersized) in the post this year, even despite the lack of experience. He’s the only guy that looks like a complete player in the post, so it’s hard to imagine him not making an impact at all off the bench. The big men minutes remains one of the biggest mysteries entering this season.

What are your expectations for the incoming freshmen? Do John Mooney and Temple Gibbs step on campus ready to contribute?

Eric B: I’m not as familiar with recruiting as others here, but everything I’ve heard about Temple Gibbs has been outstanding. While I don’t think he’ll start from day one, Brey has given big minutes to freshman PGs in the past, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s playing major minutes and potentially starting by the mid-point of the season.

Patrick: My enthusiasm for Temple Gibbs is unbridled. Irish fans have been spoiled with Jerian Grant and Demetrius Jackson running the offense the past couple years, and while Matt Farrell is a decent player, he doesn’t quite excite like his predecessors. Gibbs should certainly get minutes right away, and if all goes according to plan, I think he is our starting point guard for ACC play. Mooney was a nice get for Brey. I expect him to get a shot early on in what might be a more-or-less open competition for front-court minutes. Nicola Djogo, on the other hand, looks to be completely blocked at the wing, and he seems like a decent bet to redshirt.

Joe: I have an irrational hope that Temple Gibbs comes in like the second coming of Tory Jackson from day one and runs this team to perfection. I don’t expect it, but I’d be lying if I said I haven’t imagined it lying in my bed at night. With the balance of this roster having great shooting/slashing guys, a floor general PG willing to play defense and move the ball is just what the doctor ordered. Whether that’s Gibbs or Farrell might be different in the beginning, middle, and end of the season ahead. I don’t follow recruiting well enough to know if this fantasy has a chance in hell, but I like it. Same with Mooney. I could see him contributing, and at a listed 240 lbs, he comes in ready to bang up front. He seems like a guy that will benefit from spending time with both new Irish assistants. Humph showing him how to dominate inside, and Ayers refining an already lovely shooting stroke. I love the idea of this guy, but history says he’s probably a year away.

alstein: I love TJ Gibbs. He is a complete guard without the top-end length and athleticism, suppressing his recruiting rankings more than they should. He is, perhaps, the greatest player in his great high school’s history and just has a tremendous feel for the game, around the rim, getting to the FT line, getting his teammates involved. I’d like to think he is instant impact and even finds his way into the starting lineup by conference season, but that’s easy to say from high school and AAU videos. So let’s slow our roll a little bit with him, I guess. But the first signs of his potential on the court, and I’ll be picketing outside of Purcell until he’s named a starter.

Mooney, I expect nothing from this season. A guy who sat out AAU ball the better part of the last two seasons and already plays in an underwhelming high school league/area should probably not be counted on to impact the ACC. He’s got a nice future but probably stagnated in his development and will probably be in for a rude awakening this summer.

 

Look for more coverage from your favorite authors in the near future. We’ll be discussing former Irish players in the NBA and former Irish players on the Notre Dame coaching staff. Stay tuned for more.