SOUTH BEND, Ind. — He was technically the first player, transfer or recruit, to dive into the deep end of what Micah Shrewsberry was selling, a seemingly quantum leap of faith, given the uncertainty of the Notre Dame men’s basketball roster at the time.
Roughly three months and five more roster additions later, Northwestern transfer guard Julian Roper II looks back on the decision to join the former Penn State coach in his new job in South Bend as more pragmatic than precarious.
“Just from my two years playing against him, I just love what he did,” the 6-foot-3 junior said of Shrewsberry ahead of an Irish team summer workout earlier this week. “And just being on the court, I could hear his voice and the confidence he gave his guys, and the freedom he let his guys play with.
“That was a big thing for me. So, once I found out he was interested, it was almost like I had to come check it out and see what he was about. And everything matched up.”
It still does. And Roper is helping to coax that vision along on a team that includes just three holdovers from former coach Mike Brey’s 11-23 showing in his 23rd and final season.
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“So far just being here through the summer, I’ve been trying to be more vocal, just being more of a veteran now,” the junior from Detroit said. “Just trying to use the experiences that I have like Chase Audige and Boo Buie from Northwestern, as they were our leaders. And just trying to take some things that I learned from them and try to implement my own type of things here and just trying to take over as one of the lead voices.
“I feel like I’ve found my voice. Pretty much whatever I say is backed by my coaches, and everyone follows. So, I think it’s a good sign. So far, so good.”
Shrewsberry was able to retain senior reserves Matt Zona and Tony Sanders Jr., redshirted junior guard J.R. Konieczny and one of Brey’s three November signees, point guard Markus Burton. Collectively, they contributed 25 games played, zero starts and 1.7 points per game to the Irish in 2022-23.
Following Roper were sophomore transfers Kebba Njie (Penn State) and Tae Davis (Seton Hall), and Penn State signees released from their National Letters of Intent — Carey Booth, Logan Imes and the coach’s son, Braeden Shrewsberry.
Roper announced his decision to transfer to Notre Dame on April 18, the day after now-Vanderbilt rising sophomore Ven-Allen Lubin became the seventh defection from the Irish roster — five transfers and two voided National Letters of Intent. In his sophomore season at NCAA Tournament qualifier Northwestern, Roper labored with a recurring ankle injury that hindered his development. In the 15 games he did play in, Roper was an outstanding defender and 3-point shooter (.453). He averaged 4.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.
“It was a crazy process,” Roper said of his month in the transfer portal. “I was injured a lot and sick throughout the year, so I didn’t really think I had enough footage or film to be able to get contacted really.
“So, when I first entered the portal, I was very shocked. I heard from maybe 32 schools on the first day. So, it was just a blessing. It was exciting, just to see how many people reached out and just how many people were interested in me.
“I feel like my ability to score, I’ll be able to showcase it more here, as we had a great team at Northwestern. So, it was kind of me having to play a certain type of role. But I think my role here can be kind of enhanced. And for us to be successful, I feel like I’ll have to be one of those guys that have to step up.”
Shrewsberry has seen plenty of that, and then some, from Roper in the summer workouts.
“Julian brings a level of toughness that I think every team needs,” he said. “Every program needs a guy like him. His energy, his toughness, his ability to fight is just something that if you have it, it’s great. I think I’d be concerned if we didn’t have that level of toughness [on our roster].
“But he can score the basketball. He can do other things offensively, but I think his calling card is what he can do defensively, how he can be disruptive, how he can get into the passing lanes, how he can guard and be physical but also help us on the glass. … He understands the level that you have to play at on a daily basis, how hard you’re going to have to play to be successful. His experience is going to be much needed for us.”
Roper learned those lessons from Audige and Buie at Northwestern and his family before that.
His mom, Kelli, played basketball at Central State, and his father, Julian, played football for former Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly at Grand Valley State.
“He talks about [Kelly] a little bit,” the younger Roper said. “He actually ran into him not too long ago, so that was pretty interesting. They got a picture and stuff together. It’s a small world. It was at some meeting before he went off to LSU.”
Now it’s all about looking forward and building for a team that finished summer school earlier this week.
“We’re going to be a group that’s going to compete every night,” Roper said of the team’s burgeoning identity. “And that’s something you guys can expect, that we’re never going to back down from anybody.
“Everybody we have right now has been an everyday type of guy, ready to go, ready to work and just competing every day.”
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