Forward Brady Dunlap pledged his commitment to Mike Brey and the Irish hoops staff on Thursday night just a few days after his official visit to South Bend. Dunlap joins local point guard Markus Burton as the second commit in Notre Dame’s 2023 class.

Dunlap currently plays high school ball in California and spent some time playing for the LeBron James sponsored Strive For Greatness AAU team. Yes, he is Bronny James’s teammate. Dunlap’s father, Jeff, is a longtime college assistant, currently for Cal State Northridge. The elder Dunlap’s longest stop was actually at NC State, so Brady spent much of his youth in ACC country.

Colorado and San Diego State were Notre Dame’s stiffest competition for Dunlap, who also held offers from the likes of Illinois and Arkansas and whose finalists included Nebraska, Providence, and Rice. Dunlap referenced his fit and relationships with the Irish hoops staff and players as well as the opportunity to play in the ACC as his reasons for committing to Notre Dame. He also had this to say in an interview with On3:

“I’m here to win and to go as far as I possibly can in the tournament and win the tournament. Let’s get Coach Brey that Final Four that he’s wanting and let’s win it all. That’s my message and my goal. When I get to campus, I’m going to do everything I can do and work my a** off.”

Rankings

247: 3 star – 130th overall – 27th ranked PF

ESPN: 4 star – 82nd overall – 19th ranked SF

Rivals: 3 star – NR

On3: 4 star – 78th overall – 15th ranked SF

247 Composite: 3 star – 148th overall – 32nd ranked PF

Highlights

 

Confident Shooter: Ready to shoot in every situation. Enough playmaking skills to create space for himself. Seems to have no problem shooting off the dribble, whether with a step back or coming just inside the arc. Stroke looks a bit odd, maybe too high, but also looks pure coming out of his hands.

Tweener Physique: He’s thin, no question about it. Wonder if he can bulk up enough to be a credible stretch 4 (a common theme for Notre Dame wings!). Listed 6’7″ and looks it. Long, lanky arms should help positional flexibility. Also looks skilled enough to develop into Brey’s “3rd guard” role. Has an easy athleticism to him, dunks easily, long strides, controlled in the air. Should help him bridge that 3/4 role.

Defense?: I’ll be honest, there’s not a lick of defense in any of his highlight videos. High school coach mentions him as a work in progress on that end. We’ll see how his senior year goes but certainly makes him more of a long-term guy than instant impact. Obligatory mention of being a coach’s kid, so he’s of course a gym rat, student of the game, etc. etc.

Impact

I am of the opinion that Brey should try to bring in this type of player every year. His offense always needs a shoot-first wing with some length and enough guard skills to keep defenders honest on the floor. We’ve seen too many seasons recently where that type of threat just isn’t out there and defenses can overplay the primary offensive action. The wings who can’t shoot and/or need the ball in their hands just don’t work in this offense.

So Dunlap’s commitment and his clear shooting potential is a welcome sign for the future of this roster. I’d love to see Brey upshift his personnel a little bit, in which case Dunlap would be the ideal 3-type, but I’m not sure that’s in Brey’s DNA at this point. Instead, I’d imagine we will see an easy succession from Laz this year, to two years of JR Konieczny, followed by Brady Dunlap mostly in that stretch 4 role.

No question that the Irish need to continue to fill our their future backcourt with the loss of just about everybody (except hopefully JJ) looming. Hopefully we see Brey add another primary guard to a class that I’m liking so far in Dunlap and Burton, both of whom feel very much like Notre Dame type of players.