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Meet Notre Dame Basketball’s 2020 Newcomer Class

Notre Dame signed a four-man class of newcomers for the 2020-21 season, a trio of freshmen and one transfer. Barring a surprise, the class will stay that size.

This is the first class in which signed a high school player since 2018. The Fighting Irish’s lone addition for 2019 was a transfer, ex-Stanford guard Cormac Ryan, who sat out last season. The four 2020 class members join seven returners from Notre Dame’s 2019-20 team.

Accounting for only the high school players, Rivals ranks Notre Dame’s class as No. 67 in the country.

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Philadelphia Imhotep Charter forward and incoming Notre Dame freshman Elijah Taylor
Philadelphia native Elijah Taylor is one of Notre Dame’s four newcomers. (Jon Lopez / Jon Lopez Creative)

Here is a bio with background information, a recap of their recruitments, quotes and more.

Trey Wertz

Previous school: Santa Clara

High School: Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day

Height: 6-4

Weight: 180

Position: Guard

Background: Wertz announced his transfer to Notre Dame April 11 after two seasons at Santa Clara. He will sit out the 2020-21 season and has two years of eligibility left.

Wertz averaged 12.0 points in 62 games (58 starts) at Santa Clara. As a sophomore, he averaged 11.9 points, 3.9 assists, 3.5 rebounds per game while shooting 48.9 percent from the field and 40.0 percent on three-pointers.

Wertz picked Notre Dame without visiting campus, though he conducted a virtual visit with the coaching staff. Butler, Ohio State, Virginia and North Carolina were among the others to express interest in him.

As a high school player, Wertz was a three-star recruit and originally picked Santa Clara over Clemson and Temple. He was high school teammates with Devon Dotson, now Kansas’ All-American point guard.

Honors and notes: Wertz was named to the WCC All-Freshman team in 2018-19. In high school, he was an all-state selection as a senior. He helped take Providence Day to the 2017 Dicks National Tournament and a top-20 ranking as a junior and a state title as a sophomore.

What they said:

• Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey: “Good off-the-dribble skill set. He’s got a 6-foot-11 wingspan and length is always important in this game. He’s 180 but by the time he takes the floor for us I bet he will be 195, maybe 200.

“He really saw an opportunity in the style of play. I knew we were in good shape when he texted me in the process, ‘Coach, I’ve been on Synergy and do you see me playing like Jerian Grant in your system?’ I said, ‘Yes. Bingo.’”

• Wertz: “I could tell by the first couple possessions of offense that I could fit in really well in the spread out, free-flowing system. [Brey] loves guys with freedom, and that’s just my game.”

• Rivals national recruiting analyst Corey Evans: “I love Wertz and what he can do in the backcourt. He is a well-rounded combo guard who is not an explosive athlete, but is a sound guard that can make shots, facilitate and defend. He is as sturdy as they come. Even better, he is a rock-solid kid that is going to buy into the entire dynamic of things that is winning.

“He picked Santa Clara over a handful of high majors in high school, so it is not that he is just a late bloomer but rather someone that has continued to get better and should continue on a similar trend at Notre Dame.”

• Division I head coach who faced Wertz: “He’s big enough where he could see over the top of people and make passes. He’s strong enough that physicality like a hard hedge didn’t bother him.”

Tony Sanders Jr.

High School: Miami Gulliver Prep

Height: 6-7

Weight: 190

Position: Wing

Background: Sanders also committed without visiting campus. He chose Notre Dame April 3 over Dayton, where he took an official visit in February. Florida State, Georgia Tech and South Carolina were among his other offers.

Sanders averaged 20.7 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game as a senior. He shot 42 percent from the floor and 34 percent on three-pointers, with more than five three-point attempts per game. He played AAU basketball on the adidas circuit with Game Elite, where he was teammates with five-star North Carolina signee Walker Kessler.

Honors and notes: Sanders led Gulliver to the Region 4-4A championship game in 2020, where it lost to the eventual state champions. He was the first 2020 player from Miami-Dade County to commit to a Power Five school.

What they said:

• Sanders: “It was weird with how everything’s going in the world, and I did want to get there and see it. But the coaches made it work when they did the virtual Zoom visit, showed me the campus and facilities. I wasn’t there, but it felt like I was.”

• Brey: “He’s a 6-7 guy who just knows how to play and is good with the ball. He’s going to be a great four-year investment for us. He has a feel for the game and athletic ability. He has been well trained as a high school player.”

• Gulliver Prep coach Gary DeCesare: “I coached him for one year, but he had a hell of a career. He averaged the most points of his career, but he finished with 1,966 points and over 500 rebounds … I’ve never had a guy get almost 2,000 points.”

• Rivals national recruiting analyst Eric Bossi: “I think he’s got enough strength and size to play on the wing his jump shot is workable. The biggest question to me is how ready is he to create for himself off the dribble and how well he can deal with the level of athleticism that he'll see on a nightly basis in the ACC. … My gut is that he will need some time to develop.”

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RELATED: Film Room: What Trey Wertz Brings To Notre Dame's Growing Backcourt

Matt Zona

High School: Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic

Height: 6-8

Weight: 220

Position: Forward

Background: Zona picked Notre Dame on Sept. 27, 2019, and signed in November. He’s the No. 34 center in the class. Zona’s other finalists were Vanderbilt, Penn State, St. Joseph’s, Davidson, Harvard and Penn. He took official visits to Penn State and St. Joseph’s and committed after his visit to Notre Dame. Plans for a Vanderbilt visit went away with his commitment.

Zona helped Bergen Catholic reach the New Jersey Non-Public League “A” title game as a senior, but it was canceled due to COVID-19. Bergen went 27-4 and lost in the state finals in 2018-19.

Notre Dame offered Zona in July 2019.

Honors and notes: Zona was a third-team All-North Jersey selection in 2018-19. He averaged 14.2 points and 4.3 rebounds per contest as a senior.

What they said:

• Zona: “Coach Brey preached that he's had a bunch of guys just like me, and how they gradually got better and better each year. He said he wasn't going to pigeon-hole me to a specific position. Everyone is just a basketball player. He really likes how I can play the four and the five.”

• Brey: “Matt is a little bit like a [John] Mooney and [Martinas] Geben. He can shoot it from out there. He is a very skilled with good hands and out of Bergen Catholic, he plays in a great high school league.”

• Evans: “Zona is a very sound and fundamentally skilled post. He is not a great athlete, but he does produce in the half court. He has a decent back to the basket skill set along with great hands, touch and toughness around the basket. Where he is best served is facing the basket. He can really shoot it with his feet set and should be able to play alongside fellow 2020 commit Elijah Taylor. I don’t see him being a double-double threat in college.”

Elijah Taylor

High School: Philadelphia Imhotep Charter

Height: 6-8

Weight: 215

Position: Forward

Background: Notre Dame began its class with Taylor, who committed on Sept. 19, 2019, a few days after taking an official visit. His other finalists were Florida, VCU, Pittsburgh, Providence and Seton Hall.

Taylor picked up the Notre Dame offer in early July. He took official visits to Florida, Seton Hall and VCU before his trip to Notre Dame.

Honors and notes: Taylor helped Imhotep Charter win three straight PIAA state titles from 2017-19. He played AAU on the Nike EYBL circuit with Team Final and averaged 11.9 points and 7.3 rebounds per game at Peach Jam in 2019.

What they said:

• Taylor: “I play hard, am passionate, and my effort is always on 100. I stay in the gym to make sure I’m working hard on my craft. I’m trying to get better at my shooting and being able to create shots for myself.”

• Brey: “You will see his body, how he moves and then you will talk to him and you will say, ‘It’s Ty Nash again.’ I’m really excited about Elijah because this is a City of Philadelphia kid. We have had a lot of guys from the Philadelphia area, but no one from a city public school in Philly.”

• Evans: “Just a hard-nosed and tough big man. He’s a little undersized in the frontcourt but does have long arms and a ready college body. Taking plays off is not something Taylor does well. He’s going to compete and set the tone each time down the floor. He is a quality 15-foot and in weapon that should make for a solid college contributor all four years.”

• Imhotep coach Andre Noble: “What’s really changed for him is how much he has improved his face up game. He is really efficient at putting the ball on the floor and getting to the rim. He shoots the high school three point shot really well now. We’re proud of the growth he’s made with his shooting and doing more things on the floor. Obviously, he’s a good rim runner. His post-game is good, especially on the turn-and-face.”

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