Rex Pflueger Helps Give Notre Dame Winning Edge Again
Notre Dame’s 51-49 win at Syracuse last Saturday served as a sequel to Fighting Irish junior guard Rex Pflueger.
His rebound and put-back in one motion for the game-winning basket off a fast-break and missed driving layup by sophomore guard T.J. Gibbs with 2.6 seconds left mirrored his tip-in with 1.4 seconds remaining his freshman year in the 76-75 victory versus Stephen F. Austin that advanced Notre Dame to the Sweet 16.
“It sounds crazy, but I felt like this is what I do,” Pflueger said prior to Monday’s practice for the Irish, now 3-0 in the ACC, placing them in a first-place tie with Virginia and Clemson. “It was kind of more of a shocking thing than a super excited thing.
“It comes down to hustling and looking for the ball. Once I saw [the fast break] and the two guys trailing T.J., I had the feeling that there was going to be no one to box out. The shot was going to be up high off the glass [because] he was going to avoid the block, so I knew if I got into the right position I’d be able to get the rebound.”
Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey says Pflueger’s game is defined not so much about flourishing in any single area, but having an intrinsic penchant for making “winning plays.” In other words, he is the successor to 2013-17 guard Steve Vasturia.
“His impact on the game is very Steve-like — but Steve wouldn’t have been fast enough to chase that rebound down,” Brey said with a chuckle, while referring to Vasturia’s basketball IQ and intangibles among the best he’s ever seen in coaching.
“… That’s just reps and smart, nose for the ball. … As soon as he got his hands on it I said, ‘We won,’ because the man always makes a play at the end.”
Similar to Vasturia, Pflueger is particularly exceptional at leading and winning. He’s seamlessly taken on the former role with Gibbs after senior All-American Bonzie Colson earlier this month was ruled out for at least eight weeks (foot surgery). Meanwhile, senior point guard Matt Farrell has missed the last game and a half — plus at least this Wednesday at Georgia Tech — due to a sprained ankle.
As for the latter, winning has been inbred in Pflueger since earning 2015 Southern California Player of the Year honors and earning a No. 83 ranking from Rivals as a national prospect. A year earlier, he led the Monarchs to the MaxPreps national title as a captain of a 35-0 outfit.
“The two of them are setting an amazing tone, they love the challenge,” Brey said of Pflueger and Gibbs. “Kids are amazing when they get the opportunity, and it’s been neat to watch.”
“I’m honestly not surprised,” Pflueger said of Notre Dame’s 3-0 start in league play. “I’m just very confident in our group. … A couple of guys were nervous [at Syracuse], but they really shed those nerves in the first half and then came out strong in the second half.
“Just knowing what our team has been going through without Bonzie and Matt, all the eyes on the nation on us saying we’re not going to do anything, for us to come out there and compete and grind out that win was incredible.
“… Coach said a lot of chances are about to be given out right now and it’s your turn to take it.”
The nadir for Pflueger occurred Dec. 16 in an 80-77 overtime loss to Indiana when he was 1 of 8 from the field (0 of 3 from three-point range) for two points and had only two rebounds in 37 minutes. Known foremost as a defensive stopper, Pflueger became perceived through the first month and a half of the season as a liability on offense, which Brey has disputed.
Since then, Brey said Pflueger has better defined his approach to the game. In the ensuing five games, Pflueger has shot 51.2 percent from the floor (22 of 43) and 44.2 percent (9 of 19) from beyond the arc in the last four contests.
“I think he puts way too much pressure on his shot sometimes, because I think people talk to him about his shot,” Brey said. “I never say a word to him about his shot — I just want him to take good shots. I think he’s taking good shots, he’s not forcing anything, and he’s gotten a little more secure with who he is as a player.
“The one thing about his percentages … he’s shooting probably about 70 percent when they are big-time shots. But we’ve got him in a real great frame of mind right now of just letting it come to him.”
While Pflueger and Gibbs spearhead a stronger defensive effort collectively (allowing only 55.3 points per game in ACC play), Pflueger also has averaged 13.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists — and committed only three turnovers in 177 minutes — in the last five games.
“I’ve always thought of myself as a very versatile player,” Pflueger said. “I want to do everything, I want to affect all aspects of the game — not just offensively, [but] defensively still.
“With the lack of scoring out there with Matt and Bonzie out, I knew I had to step up. That doesn’t mean I’m going to shoot the ball 25 times like Bonzie, but I’m going to go out there and make plays for other guys, get other people’s confidence going and get mine going as well.”
For Pflueger, it's just another basketball sequel at Notre Dame.
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