2015 Irish Hoops Recruiting Big Board - June Edition

Notre Dame Scholarship Chart & Eligibility
Player	Position	Ht/Wt.	1	2	3	4
Pat Connaughton	SF	6-5/214
Jerian Grant	CG	6-5/203
Zach Auguste	PF/C	6-10/242
Austin Burgett	PF	6-9/227
Eric Katenda	PF	6-9/230
V.J. Beachem	SF	6-8/187
Demetrius Jackson	PG	6-1/195
Steve Vasturia	SG	6-6/207
Bonzie Colson	F	6-6/200
Matt Farrell	PG	6-2/170
Martin Geben	PF/C	6-9/230
Austin Torres	PF/C	6-7/218

Combo Guards
Score	Player	State	Ht/Wt.	Temperature	1*	2*	3*	4*	5*
.900	Levan Alston	PA	6-4/165	Mild
.991	Antonio Blakeney	FL	6-4/170	Cold
.985	Jalen Coleman	IN	6-3/160	Mild

Antonio Blakeney looks like a Louisville lean, and the Irish are still not expected to be in play.

There are some very different types of players in this category, but I will continue to classify them all here in a general "Forwards" category.

Elijah Burns, a very athletic hybrid SF/PF, has himself reported that he will officially visit Notre Dame in the fall, his only such official set up at this point in time. He has a lot of interest from some high major programs, and Notre Dame may have positioned itself very well here with a relatively early offer.

Notre Dame still looks like very much the favorite to land Matt Ryan, for whom Mike Brey is taking personal responsibility. A Marquette offer does not look as though it has shaken things up too much, but it might be interesting to see some former (Brey and Marquette head coach Steve Wojciechowski) and current (Jon Scheyer) Duke assistants battle it out for Ryan. His official visit is on the books for the September 6th football weekend along with Elijah Burns.

New offer Luke Maye fits the stretch 4 role that Mike Brey has talked about in the past as crucial in the ACC. Maye has been hugely productive thus far this EYBL season as a threat both inside and out and stood along with some much higher profile recruits as one of the best big men in Dallas. Not much word yet on where Notre Dame may stand in his recruitment, which may be on the verge of blowing up.

Rex Pflueger has had a very quiet recruitment, so I am putting him at "cold" until he sets up a visit for South Bend. He has had good things to say about Notre Dame, even recently, but it would be nice to see that turn into some action if we are going to consider the Irish major players.

Speaking of a quiet recruitment, there is not much to add with Texas forward DJ Hogg. The staff isn't known to waste too much time with lost causes, and they have spent time watching Hogg on the AAU circuit thus far this summer, but it is hard to see the Irish as too much of a player here without a visit lined up.

10 to watch
Score	Player	State	Ht/Wt.	Temperature	1*	2*	3*	4*	5*
.970	PF Esa Ahmad	OH	6-7/210	Cold
.897	PF Evan Boudreaux	IL	6-7/225	Cold
NR	PG Devin Cannady	IN	5-11/165	Mild
NR	SG Connor Cashaw	IL	6-5/185	Cold
.981	PF Henry Ellenson	WI	6-9/250	Cold
NR	SF Matt Holba	IN	6-6/185	Cold
.972	CG Soso Jamabo	TX	6-3/210	Cold
.984	C Georgios Pappagiannis	NC	7-1/235	Cold
NR	C Derrik Smits	IN	6-11/215	Mild
.894	SF Tres Tinkle	MT	6-6/180	Cold

Andrew Fleming is off the board, having committed to Iowa last month, as the Irish apparently chose not to throw their hat into that ring. Given their position with both Alston and Coleman, I am not entirely surprised with that decision. Ohio product Esa Ahmad looks to be trending in other directions and might be off the board this summer, as Ohio State looks to have all the momentum given their recent offer on a campus visit. Same goes for Wisconsin forward Henry Ellenson, who has Wisconsin written all over him.

I am still betting against Devin Cannady ever getting his offer, but he will likely be visiting plenty in the next year and will always remain an option for the staff.

It looks more and more as though the football team has a legitimate shot with Texas running back Soso Jamabo, and I am sure the hoops staff will be monitoring that situation and lobbying for a crossover into basketball after football season. He would be a free player for Mike Brey, as per NCAA rules, he would need to take a football scholarship.

Illinois forward Evan Boudreaux seems to be cut from a similar cloth to that of recent offer Luke Maye, so the staff may want to see that one through before moving onto Boudreaux. He may be Iowa-bound before they get there, though.

Greek 7-footer Georgios Papagiannis has only recently burst onto the scene as a big-named recruit, but Mike Brey has reportedly been monitoring this AAU season. Expect a ton of offers to pour in for Papagiannis this summer.

Indiana's Matt Holba is a pretty athletic small forward prospect who has mostly local mid-major interest at this point. He may be a prospect Notre Dame turns to if things go south with players like Burns and Ryan, although they are in great shape for those two.

Tres Tinkle is another small forward prospect the staff has checked out, but with the Irish in great shape at the position and Tinkle's father's recent hire at Oregon State, this does not look like a match that will materialize into much.

Same goes for Illinois guard Connor Cashaw, who may be a bit more likely as an option. The Irish are in good but not great shape for Alston and Coleman as of now, so they may turn the heat up on Cashaw as the summer progresses if they feel themselves slipping with those names higher on their board. Cashaw is being overshadowed by prep teammate Jalen Brunson but is a good player in his own right and would be a fit as a combo guard. I actually like his game quite a bit, especially as a player who is used to the big stage already playing for one of the top programs in Illinois.

A potential big man came off the board when Nate Fowler committed to Butler last week, but that likely takes away the biggest competition for Indiana center Derrik Smits, if the Irish choose to offer down the road. That looks less and less likely with each passing day, however, especially as the board is taking shape for the Irish and numbers are likely to be tight.