2014 Hoops Recruiting Big Board

After last year's dynamite class, there has been some consternation at the lack of a commitment thus far for the recruiting class of 2014, even with 3 scholarships potentially available. Though many other programs are compiling their classes already, this year's top basketball recruits appear to be taking it a little slower than their football counterparts, who are committing sooner and sooner every year.

Through all the summer camps and AAU tournaments and all the miles that Mike Brey, Anthony Solomon, and the rest of the Irish staff have traveled since Louisville cut the nets, the Irish look to be closing in on five potential recruits for this class. Here they are, listed in order of their official visit date that, in each case, is reportedly set in stone for a home football game weekend. It's going to be a busy month of September for the hoops program.

Martin Geben - PF

6'9", 230 pounds

Official visit weekend: Temple (8/31)

247: 4 star, #104 nationally

ESPN: 3 star, unranked nationally

Rivals: 4 star, #100 nationally

Scout: 4 star, unranked nationally

Geben is a PF/C who can likely play a stretch 4 role as well. He is originally from Lithuania and was a member of their U-19 roster for this summer's World Championships. He also plays AAU ball in Maryland, and it's there where he really impressed this summer, earning a few ACC, AAC, and Big East offers. He is the Rob Kurz replacement that Brey has yet to really find since Kurz moved on to the NBA. The main competition here appears to be Virginia, although Geben was quick to deny that ND and Virginia were his "final two". Maryland, Villanova, and recent offer Miami lurk as well, but most expect it to be a two-horse race that should play out in September after he visits both schools. His parents will be joining him in South Bend this weekend, and it will be his mother's first trip to the United States.

Devin Robinson - SF

6'8", 170 pounds

Official visit weekend: Michigan State (9/21)

247: 4 star, #29 nationally

ESPN: 4 star, #74 nationally

Rivals: 5 star, #24 nationally

Scout: 4 star, #24 nationally

This is the crown jewel and a very realistic possibility for the Irish, who have been recruiting Robinson for longer than most. He hails from Christchurch, Virginia, and the prospects of playing in the ACC are very appealing to him, as are the similarities between Notre Dame and his private Catholic high school. This could be good news for the Irish, who are the only ACC team in Robinson's final five (or six) and have already lined up an official visit. His final five is a competitive group, including Connecticut, Indiana, Florida, Oklahoma State, and the Irish. Michigan may also be in play, but it's not clear if reports excluding them were a mistake or not. He is a super talented wing player that would give the Irish yet another highly-ranked recruit to play out on the wing to go along with Cameron Biedscheid and VJ Beachem.

Bonzie Colson - PF

6'4.5", 213 pounds

Official visit weekend: Oklahoma (9/28)

247: 3 star, #113 nationally

ESPN: 4 star, unranked nationally

Rivals: Unranked

Scout; 3 star, unranked nationally

Colson is an undersized power forward who has only recently burst onto the recruiting scene, finally getting attention from top programs and recruiting services this summer. He was a dominant scorer and rebounder in the AAU circuit this summer despite his lack of size, and is on the rise as a result, drawing Carl Landry comparisons already. His offers include Florida State, Minnesota, Pittsburgh, and Temple, and he is reportedly down to a top 9 that includes those schools, Connecticut, Georgetown, George Washington, Miami, and of course, Notre Dame. Some consider the Irish a favorite.

Michael Humphrey - PF

6'9", 200 pounds

Official visit weekend: Oklahoma (9/28)

247: 4 star, #84 nationally

ESPN: 3 star, unranked nationally

Rivals: Unranked

Scout: 4 star, #79 nationally

Humphrey was apparently offered by the Irish this summer, a move that went fairly under the radar until recently. As you can see, there is clearly varying opinion or awareness about Humphrey, as two of the four sites have not ranked him, while the other two have him as a top 100 player. He's a prototypical stretch 4 who has earned offers from most of the Pac 12 - including Arizona - as well as national powers like Indiana, Louisville, and to a lesser degree, Oklahoma State. He just recently released a top five of Arizona, Notre Dame, Stanford, UCLA, and Vanderbilt. His finalists make it clear that academics are important to him. An interesting note is that the 6'9" Humphrey also plays quarterback for his high school.

Reid Travis - PF

6'7", 228 pounds

Official visit weekend: Oklahoma (9/28)

247: 4 star, #45 nationally

ESPN: 4 star, #40 nationally

Rivals: 4 star, #40 nationally

Scout: 4 star, #39 nationally

Travis has interest from coast-to-coast, as the Minnesota product has already visited Gonzaga officially. He is a very productive post player, already with the size, strength, and athleticism to compete with anyone. The Irish are a bit of a surprise to earn an official visit from Travis, although I'm not sure how "official" it is at this point. Travis will also definitely take one to UCLA and probably to Stanford as well, who are considered one of the favorites for his commitment. Michigan State will likely also earn one, but home-state Minnesota will not simply because he can and has visited there unofficially very easily. The schools mentioned are likely his top 6, as he has indicated he would like to decide by the end of September, and it's really not clear where Notre Dame fits with the others.

One 2015 name to watch: Matt Ryan - SF

The 6'5" sharp shooter out of New York is also visiting for the Oklahoma weekend (9/28), and he will be on commitment watch. His offers include Arizona State, Clemson, Creighton, Iowa State, Pittsburgh, and West Virginia. but he has said he favors playing in the ACC as well as at a great academic school. These are both great signs for Notre Dame, whose early recruitment could very well pay off with an early commitment.