Notre Dame has added another piece to its backcourt.
Former Santa Clara guard Trey Wertz is transferring to Notre Dame, he announced on Saturday. He is Notre Dame’s second addition of the spring, joining three-star forward Tony Sanders Jr. For head coach Mike Brey, Wertz’s commitment fulfills a goal he set moments into watching film of Wertz after his name appeared the transfer portal.
“The first time I got on the phone with Coach Brey, he said he watched one of my games for five minutes, cut it off and said, ‘We need to get him. He fits us perfectly,’” Wertz previously told BlueandGold.com.
In two seasons at Santa Clara, the 6-4, 180-pound Wertz averaged 12.0 points in 64 games, starting 58 of them. In 2019-20, he averaged 11.9 points, 3.9 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game while shooting 49 percent from the field and 40 percent from three-point range. He scored at least 20 points three times, with a season-high 31 in a win over Pacific Jan. 18.
“I just loved coach Brey and the staff and the message they were pitching to me about where they envision me fitting in,” Wertz told Rivals.com's Corey Evans. “With Coach Brey being a transfer himself, he told me he wouldn’t bring me in to be a role player. They expect for me to come in and have a major impact. Plus, the Notre Dame education speaks for itself.”
Wertz has two years of eligibility left. As of now, he will sit out the upcoming season, but the NCAA is voting later this offseason on a rule that would lift the redshirt requirement for transfers who leave a school without having graduated. According to a report from Stadium’s Jeff Goodman, the vote is set for May 20. The timeline for that change going into effect is not set, but putting it in place for the 2020-21 season has not been formally ruled out.
Whenever he is eligible, Wertz joins Prentiss Hubb and Stanford transfer Cormac Ryan in Notre Dame’s backcourt as guards who can operate as a lead ball handler or play off the ball. If granted eligibility right away, he will join Hubb, Ryan, Robby Carmody and Dane Goodwin as Notre Dame guards with at least two years left.
The NCAA’s imposed dead period runs through May 31, and Wertz wanted to make a decision well before then. That meant he had to commit without taking any visits. He entered the transfer portal March 24 and told BlueandGold.com he was looking for “space and a free-flowing offense.”
Notre Dame assistant coach Ryan Humphrey made first contact. Wertz later did a virtual campus tour with Brey and the rest of the coaching staff. Along with Notre Dame, Wertz heard from North Carolina, Butler and Arizona, among many others.
Wertz originally committed to Santa Clara in October 2017 over Temple and Clemson. He is a Charlotte, N.C., native and played at Providence Day School, where he was teammates with Kansas point guard and All-American Devon Dotson.
Notre Dame now has 11 scholarship players on the roster for 2020-21. Its newcomers for the 2020 season are Wertz, Sanders, and three-star forwards Matt Zona and Elijah Taylor, both of whom signed in the fall.
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