A global pandemic has halted the entire world economy and all of our lives, but college hoops recruiting trudges on nearly unabated. Mike Brey and his Irish hoops crew were able to make a key addition to the program Friday when 2020 recruit Tony Sanders pledged his commitment to Notre Dame despite being unable to visit campus in these difficult times.
Sanders, a 6’7″ forward prospect from Miami, chose the Irish over offers from Dayton, Florida State, Georgia, and South Carolina. He quickly made his commitment to Notre Dame just days after receiving an offer. But the recruitment had been going on for months back to winter break. Irish assistant Ryan Humphrey, tasked by Brey with a quest to add an athletic wing to the class, led the way in building a relationship with Sanders over these months and ultimately landing his commitment.
Sanders was a 20 point per game scorer this seson for his Gulliver Prep high school team. He cited the combination of academics with high-level basketball as a big reason for committing to Notre Dame. Sanders also called his Irish offer this week a “dream come true”. It seems like his decision was a foregone conclusion for a while so long as that offer came through.
The Irish staff was able to close the deal with the help of a virtual tour of campus and facilities to give Sanders a flavor of his new home. This was a resourceful effort by the staff to gain this much-needed commitment even during such challenging times. The commitment gives Notre Dame a 10th scholarship player for next year’s roster (five-on-five!), and they are seemingly in search of an 11th with a few transfer possibilities.
Rankings
247: 3 star – 198th overall – 40th ranked SF
Rivals: 3 star
ESPN: 3 star – 41st ranked SF
247 Composite: 3 star – 222nd overall – 43rd ranked SF
Highlights
First reaction is just how effortless he makes everything look. Earns praise for ability to score at all three levels and it shows. Excellent finisher around the rim with either hand. Often finishes above-the-rim with ease. Seems like a capable ball-handler but probably not much more. Great first step quickness on drives. Love that he runs the show so much at this level even though that is unlikely to be his role in college.
Somewhat inconsistent and unorthodox outside stroke with long windup above his head. Will need to shorten and smooth that out at the next level, but his 35% 3P%/70% FT% is reasonably encouraging.
Runs the entire floor constantly, which fits the overall narrative from him and those close to him around being an incredibly hard worker. Wish there was more video of his defense, but goodness the size, athleticism, and just natural ability is incredibly tantalizing. Type of guy that could probably defend and switch on pretty much anyone.
Impact
I think this is a really nice late pickup here from Brey and company at a clear position of need. Sanders adds a much-needed dose of athleticism to the Irish roster moving forward. He nicely complements Nate Laszewski and 2021 commit JR Konieczny out on the wing for the foreseeable future. And let’s face it, a 10th scholarship player kinda felt necessary for next year.
I’ll be honest, I am pretty optimistic – perhaps overly so – for the 2020 duo of Sanders and Elijah Taylor. These are two long, athletic, hard-working players that seem ideally suited to “positionless” basketball on either end of the floor. They could form a truly stout defensive backbone, the likes of which we have seldom seen in the Mike Brey era. Perhaps akin to Carleton Scott and Ty Nash, who combined as one of the best Irish defensive frontcourts in recent memory.
Offensively, you wonder where someone like Sanders fits in a Mike Brey offense. He has very clear scoring potential at the next level, but he’s not exactly a 3-and-D wing in the mold of a VJ Beachem. If there’s a part of his game you worry about, it’s definitely that shooting stroke. And let’s be honest, Brey has struggled over the years to incorporate drive/create-first wing players who get by more on their athleticism than skill or shooting but are forced to defer to their guards. DJ Harvey, Cam Biedscheid, Joey Brooks, and Zach Hillesland all come to mind.
But there’s just so much to work with here. Sanders is that type of guy who fits the cliche – give me five players exactly like him and I’ll take my chances. It will be fascinating to see how he develops in Brey’s offense as a secondary or tertiary option out on the wing. But I am truly excited to see him line up with Elijah Taylor and see what havoc the duo’s athleticism can wreak for four years.
