Mike Brey discusses Notre Dame’s top-20 2022 signing class
If not for a schedule tweak a few months ago, Notre Dame men’s basketball might have ended up burying the lead on National Signing Day.
Head coach Mike Brey’s initial non-conference schedule had Notre Dame opening the season Nov. 10 vs. Delaware State — the same date he would sign his 2022 recruiting class. It’s not an uncommon overlap — 28 Division I schools will play a game today, after all.
Delaware State head coach Stan Waterman, though, told his longtime friend Brey late in the summer he had to back out. That left an opening on Notre Dame’s schedule. Brey chose to leave it there and slot the replacement game later in the year. If all goes well on signing day, he thought, it’d be bigger news than a game against a low-major team.
“I said, Wednesday is going to be so important, the hell with it,” Brey said. “I don’t want to play a game. It’s going to be really important how we finish out this recruiting class.”
He strolled into the Purcell Pavilion media room on signing day with a grin on his face and a strut in his step. That important finish he envisioned went as well as he could have asked.
“It’s like we just won six in a row in the ACC,” Brey quipped to begin his press conference.
Notre Dame signed Rivals’ No. 18-ranked class Wednesday, a three-man haul with a trio of top-100 players. The Irish capped it Tuesday when four-star forward Ven-Allen Lubin announced his commitment. He joined two other four-stars, guard J.J. Starling and forward Dom Campbell, in the class.
Here is an overview of each player.
J.J. Starling
Position: Guard
Height/Weight: 6-4, 195 pounds
Hometown: Baldwinsville, N.Y.
High school: La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.)
Rivals ranking: No. 40 overall, No. 8 point guard
Chose Notre Dame over: Duke, Northwestern, Syracuse, Stanford
Commitment date: Oct. 12
Brey on Starling: “Just a really explosive guard. The area where I was really impressed this summer was his ability to see the floor and pass it. I didn’t know he could do all that. It continues to impress me. He could always score it and shoot it, and physically he’s built for it.
“There’s a charisma that’s infectious and he’s an energy guy with his teammates. A lot of young players just kind of play, and maybe they’re a little bit of wet blankets. Not that they’re selfish, but they don’t lift other guys up emotionally with good energy. He just has great juice about him. He’s so happy when his teammates do something.”
Ven-Allen Lubin
Position: Forward
Height/Weight: 6-8, 220 pounds
Hometown: Orlando, Fla.
High school: Orlando Christian Prep
Rivals ranking: No. 63 overall, No. 8 power forward
Chose Notre Dame over: Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Clemson
Commitment date: Nov. 9
Brey on Lubin: “He’s a big face-up forward, can run, shoots it a little bit, physically the whole package.”
“The more it started to unfold, the more it was a great fit for us. He’s a great student. Unbeknownst to me, he just took the ACT. There’s no requirement for eligibility. I was talking to him Monday and he goes, ‘Coach, I took the ACT the other day. I just wanted to see how I’d do.’”
Dom Campbell
Position: Forward
Height/Weight: 6-9, 265 pounds
Hometown: Scarborough, Maine
High school: Phillips Exeter Academy (Exeter, N.H.)
Rivals ranking: No. 96 overall, No. 11 power forward
Chose Notre Dame over: Oklahoma, Stanford
Commitment date: July 21
Brey on Campbell: “One of those wide-body, carve space guys you can throw it to in the post. He has a feel for the game, can turn and make plays. He’s working to get himself in better shape. When I saw clips of him in the spring, before we really got on him, I was excited because he reminded me of [former Delaware forward] Mike Pegues.”
“Mike was an undersized front-line guy who was a little heavy as a young player but had footwork and hands. Dom, I think certainly he has that.
“It was more me pounding the table for Dom: ‘I think we need to get him [on campus] in June.’ This is a big guy, a front-line guy, he’s a great student and he’s only going to get better and get in shape.”
----
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, Blue & Gold Illustrated.
• Watch our videos and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
• Sign up for Blue & Gold's news alerts and daily newsletter.
• Subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts.
• Follow us on Twitter: @BGINews, @MikeTSinger, @PatrickEngel_, @tbhorka, @GregLadky, and @ToddBurlage.
• Like us on Facebook.