Notre Dame roster for 2021-22 season

It feels like college basketball remains far away, but Midnight Madness just happened, so it’s closer than you think. To that end, we should look at who makes up Notre Dame’s roster for the upcoming season. Many believe this is the team that can get the program out of the doldrums and back on track towards respectability. A major step in getting people to believe that would be the Irish’s first NCAA Tournament selection since 2017, which also was the last year they finished above .500 against ACC opponents.

This will be the 22nd iteration of the Irish with Mike Brey as coach. Despite having more wins than anyone in program history, he has two losing seasons in the past three and three losing conference records over the past four years. If he isn’t able to get this group to reach its full potential, questions about his future in South Bend certainly will arise. Here are the players who could determine where both Brey and the program headed going forward:

No. 0 - Blake Wesley, freshman guard

Indiana’s Blake Wesley (S.B. Riley) makes a pass around Kentucky’s Sam Vinson (Ft. Thomas Highlands) during the second half of the Indiana Kentucky All-Star boys game at the Owensboro Sportscenter in Owensboro, Ky., Friday, June 11, 2021. The Indiana All-Stars defeated the Kentucky All-Stars 93-70.

The South Bend native is the first male alumnus of the city’s public school system to sign with the Irish since Michael Smith in 1985. He was one of Indiana’s top prep players over the past two years, earning numerous honors and being nominated as a McDonald’s All-American. As a senior at Riley, he had averages of 27.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 2.1 assists a game.

No. 1 - J.R. Konieczny, freshman guard

Like Wesley, he is a South Bend native who racked up numerous Indiana honors for the past two years. He also earned a McDonald’s All-American nomination. He graduated St. Joseph as both the school’s and county’s all-time leading scorer with 1,996 points.

No. 2 - Trey Wertz, senior guard

Dec 19, 2020; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Trey Wertz (2) shoots the ball over Purdue Boilermakers guard Sasha Stefanovic (55) in the second half at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

After two years of standout play at Santa Clara, he struggled in his first year with the Irish. Faced with ACC competition that was stiff compared to what he had been used to in the West Coast Conference, his numbers took a dip. Still, he was good enough to start 14 of his 21 games.

No. 3 - Prentiss Hubb, senior guard

Feb 9, 2020; Clemson, South Carolina, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Prentiss Hubb (3) calls a play during the second half of the game against the Clemson Tigers at Littlejohn Coliseum. Fighting Irish won 61-57. Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports

Perhaps the Irish’s best player, he led the team in scoring (14.6) and the ACC in assists (5.8) last season while establishing career highs in both categories. That undoubtedly played a role in becoming the Irish’s only all-conference player last season, making the third team. He did a lot of his scoring with the 3-pointer, making 65 of them to place second in the conference.

No. 4 - Alex Wade, freshman guard

The San Diego native joins the Irish as a walk-on this season. The four-year varsity captain at Cathedral Catholic graduated as the school’s all-time assists leader and among the top five in San Diego County. As a senior, he was the Western League Player of the Year, albeit during a pandemic-shortened season.

No. 5 - Cormac Ryan, senior guard

Feb 2, 2021; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Cormac Ryan (5) shoots over Wake Forest Demon Deacons guard Jahcobi Neath (0) in the second half at the Purcell Pavilion. Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

After sitting out a year, the Stanford transfer lost no time in his first season in South Bend, improving his numbers almost across the board. He provided a balanced line of 9.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists a game. He made 16 starts and missed only one game.

No. 12 - Tony Sanders, sophomore guard

Tony Sanders, Jr. looks for someone to pass to in Notre Dame’s win over Detroit Mercy. (Photo Credit – Notre Dame Athletics)

He played 15 games as a freshman, starting the Irish’s win at Miami. He reached double figures in minutes only twice during those games. His scoring high was six points in the Irish’s ACC Tournament loss to North Carolina.

No. 14 - Nate Laszewski, senior forward

Jan 24, 2021; Coral Gables, Florida, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish forward Nate Laszewski (14) dunks the ball against the Miami Hurricanes during the second half at Watsco Center. Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

In addition to leading the Irish with a career-high 7.3 rebounds a game, he led the ACC with a true shooting percentage of .691. That percentage was good for third in the country. Shooting at that clip led to a career-high 13.3 points a game.

No. 20 - Paul Atkinson, graduate forward

Dec 30, 2019; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Yale Bulldogs forward Paul Atkinson (20) drives into North Carolina Tar Heels forward Armando Bacot (5) in the first half at Dean E. Smith Center. Nell Redmond-USA TODAY Sports

The Yale transfer comes to the Irish after sitting out last season. In 2019-20, he was named the Ivy League Player of the Year after shooting a conference-leading 63.0 percent from the field over 30 games. He also averaged 17.6 points and 7.3 rebounds a game, although it came against a weak strength of schedule.

No. 22 - Elijah Taylor, sophomore forward

The Philadelphia native missed his freshman season after undergoing ankle surgery early in the year. A high-ranked Pennsylvania recruit in high school, Taylor will add depth to a forward position that was lacking for the Irish in 2020-21.

No. 23 - Dane Goodwin, senior guard

Feb 15, 2020; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Dane Goodwin (23) shoots the ball during the first half against the Duke Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports

He has steadily improved throughout his collegiate career. In 2020-21, he started a career-high 19 games while averaging career highs in points (11.8), rebounds (5.2), assists (1.7) and minutes (33.3). All eyes will be watching to see if he can increase his production yet again.

No. 24 - Robby Carmody, senior guard

Dec 4, 2019; College Park, MD, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Robby Carmody (24) shoots as Maryland Terrapins forward Ricky Lindo Jr. (4) defends during the first half at XFINITY Center. Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

He has been bitten by the injury bug hard since coming to the Irish. After recovering from shoulder surgery he had as a freshman, he tore his ACL early in his sophomore year, then broke his kneecap in his surgically repaired knee. Having missed all of last season, he hopes this is the year he can stay fully healthy.

No. 25 - Matt Zona, sophomore forward

Notre Dame’s Matt Zona shoots free throws during an NCAA college basketball game against North Carolina State on Wednesday, March 3, 2021, in South Bend, Ind. North Carolina State won 80-69. (AP Photo/Robert Franklin)

His lone start in 15 games came in the Irish’s win at Miami. However, he never made more than one field goal in a game. He reached his season high of three points twice and had a season-high six rebounds in a regular-season loss at North Carolina.

No. 31 - Elijah Morgan, junior guard

Jan 24, 2021; Coral Gables, Florida, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Elijah Morgan (31) shoots over Miami Hurricanes forward Matt Cross (33) during the first half at Watsco Center. Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

His nine games in 2020-21 were three fewer than the previous season. He scored three points in the season opener at Michigan State but never got higher than that. Because of this, a five-point performance from the year before remains his career high.

1

1