Hoops: Fall Signing Period Preview
Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey will host a press conference at 2:30 p.m. ET this afternoon to preview the start of the regular season and discuss the Irish's fall signing class.
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Here's a look at the three expected signees, plus the latest on the remaining targets.
Measurements: 6-3, 185 pounds.
Hometown/School: West Orange, N.J./Seton Hall Prep.
Rankings: Four-star rating, ranked as the No. 64 overall player nationally.
Other Schools In The Mix: Oklahoma, Georgetown, Seton Hall, St. John's, Pittsburgh.
Recruitment Summary: Added an offer from Notre Dame on Feb. 12 after contributing 20 points, three rebounds and two assists in a 64-57 win over Irvington High with head coach Mike Brey in-attendance. The Irish continued a strong push through the April evaluation period, sending a heavy presence of both Brey and assistant coach Anthony Solomon to watch Gibbs Jr. in his contests with his summer ball team, the New Jersey Playaz on Nike's Elite Youth Basketball League circuit. Oklahoma and Georgetown also made strong efforts by sending multiple coaches to his games.
Gibbs Jr. shortly after took his official visit to South Bend over the May 2 weekend, and committed to the program at the conclusion of the trip.
In One Sentence…: Strong, crafty scorer at the rim with nice range on his shot.
Noteworthy: Younger brother of Ashton Gibbs - first-team All Big-East guard at Pittsburgh in 2010-11 - and guard Sterling Gibbs, who picked up second-team All-Big East honors in 2014-15 at Seton Hall. Highest ranked Notre Dame commitment per Rivals' rankings since Demetrius Jackson, who was ranked No. 38 overall in the class of 2013.
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Measurements: 6-9, 245 pounds.
Hometown/School: Altamonte Springs, Fla./Lake Brantley.
Rankings: Three-star rating.
Other Schools In The Mix: Florida State, Indiana, Illinois, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest among others.
Recruitment Summary: Committed to Florida under then-head coach Billy Donovan as just a sophomore in Sept. 2013, but eventually reopened his recruitment this August after Donovan left for the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder. Notre Dame received a recommendation from that previous Florida staff and made a quick move, getting Mooney promptly on-campus over the Sept. 5 weekend for an official visit.
Mooney returned home from his visit to South Bend, thought it over, and committed to the Irish shortly after on Sept. 7.
In One Sentence…: Great passer, including tremendous vision and a willingness to share the ball - but can also score in a variety of ways, including deep range on his shot.
Noteworthy: Flew under the radar since he didn't play on the summer ball circuit this season - when college coaches and recruiting services do a lot of their evaluations - due to his then-current commitment to Florida. Was ranked as the No. 34 overall player nationally in ESPN's Top 60 in the summer entering his junior season.
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• Q&A: John Mooney
Measurements: 6-7, 185 pounds.
Hometown/School: Mono, Ontario/Orangeville Prep.
Rankings: Unevaluated.
Other Schools In The Mix: UNLV, Pennsylvania, Winthrop, Northeastern, plus interest from Kansas State, Alabama and Wichita State.
Recruitment Summary: Added an offer from Notre Dame on Sept. 15 after Brey evaluated him at an open gym on Sept. 14. Brey actually was in-attendance to watch Irish five-star big man target Thon Maker, and discovered Djogo in the process. Like Mooney, Djogo did not play summer ball this season, hurting his exposure - as well as his location in Canada hurt coaching evaluation opportunities. The Irish head man made his swift move to extend the scholarship, and quickly got Djogo on-campus less than a month later over the Oct. 10 weekend.
Djogo originally was going to let his recruitment play out - as news about his Notre Dame offer spread, drawing the curiosity of college coaches at other major schools - but the visit went so well he ended his recruiting process shortly after the trip, committing to Brey over the phone on Oct. 14.
In One Sentence…: Versatile player who can lineup at multiple positions, including the one, two and three, and possibly even the four in limited spurts if necessary.
Noteworthy: Brandon Lesovsky, Djogo's coach at Orangeville Prep, said if Djogo had played on the summer ball circuit this season, he likely would have garnered enough interest to accumulate offers and take official visits to several power five programs. The Irish commit will also continue to recruit Maker - a spring signee - to join him in South Bend.
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Remaining Targets
• Five-star center Jarrett Allen - ranked as the No. 20 overall player nationally. Took an official visit to campus over the Oct. 10 weekend, and has the Irish listed among his top schools. Could decide in the fall or spring. Houston, Kansas and Kentucky are also strongly in the mix.
• Five-star center Thon Maker - Has not officially visited campus yet. Attempted to visit for the USC home game, but was unable to take the SAT on time. Likely to visit campus over the winter before signing with a school in the spring. His guardian says Arizona State and Indiana are strongly in the mix alongside the Irish (link).
