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Options For Notre Dame's Frontcourt, Backcourt In 2016-17

Matt Farrell is one of a handful of players looking to step up for Notre Dame in 2016-17.
Matt Farrell is one of a handful of players looking to step up for Notre Dame in 2016-17.
Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

At least two of Notre Dame's returning starters - rising senior forward V.J. Beachem, and rising senior guard Steve Vasturia - are set with their roles for the Irish next season as expected leaders.

A third returner in rising junior forward Bonzie Colson produced enough as a freshman and sophomore to suggest he'll be another important contributor and veteran presence.

What still remains uncertain, though, are which pieces fit best around those three players.

Here's a look at some of the key questions with the lineup prior to the team returning to campus June 13.


Frontcourt By Committee(?)

Arguably the biggest question entering the summer is who replaces the production of senior forward Zach Auguste (29.6 minutes, 14.0 points, 10.7 rebounds per game,) who's off to the professional leagues after earning third team All-ACC honors last year.

At first, the thought was perhaps Notre Dame would go the route of a graduate transfer big man. Brey pointed out numerous times over the last season how some of the Irish's opponents - including Miami and Georgia Tech - were "old", and built with "men". The exhaustion of Auguste's eligibility leaves behind an appealing role in the middle for a veteran transfer big man looking for minutes and a successful program.

However, at the moment it seems the answer lies somewhere on the current roster. Or, a number of answers.

"From our spring workouts - [rising senior Austin] Torres, [rising sophomore] Elijah Burns," said Brey, when asked who can replace Auguste next year. "Bonzie is going to be Bonzie. [Rising junior] Martin Geben. [Freshman] Johnny Mooney.

"We gotta get something there. Is it three of them? Is it two of them? It's gotta at least be two of them."

Brey has touted Geben as a possibility in the offseason, as the head coach has had numerous juniors suddenly step into the spotlight and succeed following their sophomore seasons in his tenure.

Former standout forward Jack Cooley jumped from 10.3 minutes per game as a sophomore in 2010-11 to 28.7 minutes per contest the following year, and upped his averages to 12.5 points and 8.9 rebounds a game.

Auguste himself jumped from 16.3 minutes, 6.7 points and 4.3 rebounds per game as a sophomore to 24.4 minutes, 12.9 points and 6.5 rebounds a contest his junior year.

"I think Martin Geben's got a great opportunity, " Brey said. "You've heard me say it, at the end of the year or maybe postseason.

"The junior year light bulb going off - Zach Auguste, V.J. Beachem. Why can't it happen for Martin Geben? He's been in our program for two years, and I have a feeling he will really step forward just from watching him in the spring, and we'll get the summer too here soon."

Geben may certainly be the guy, but for comparison's sake, he enters the summer behind the eight ball of even the limited sophomore campaigns of Cooley and Auguste.

The rising junior only averaged 3.0 minutes a game last year, and that's an average boosted by outliers of Notre Dame's blowout victories, including nine minutes against St. Francis (Pa.) and eight minutes versus UMass Lowell.

Even Torres played in 26 games last year, and in a handful of contests with actual meaningful minutes, compared to just 16 total for Geben.


Replacing Demetrius Jackson

The other big position battle on the roster is the point guard spot, with junior Demetrius Jackson (36.0 minutes, 15.8 points and 4.7 assists per game) declaring early for the NBA Draft.

Brey noted rising junior Matt Farrell struck gold at the right time last year. He played double digit minutes in 11 of Notre Dame's 12 non-conference contests, then found a comfortable seat on the bench in ACC play, only reaching that same mark once (11 minutes vs. Syracuse) in the first 17 conference games.

But then came 22 minutes in the NCAA Tournament's opening round against Michigan. That was followed by 31 minutes against Stephen F. Austin in the second round.

In the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight matchups against Wisconsin and North Carolina, Farrell clocked a combined 54 minutes, scoring 13 points, dishing out six assists and incredibly committing zero turnovers.

"Matty Farrell set himself up as a key guy with how he played in March," Brey said. "He was probably wondering about his future, and as a matter of fact, we talked about that.

"But for him - this is how crazy sports are - he's not playing, but we get him back in there, he plays great in March and then Jackson goes pro. He's sitting in a pretty good spot right now."

Four-star true freshman Temple Gibbs should also contend for the primary spot. The 6-3, 185-pound guard from Seton Hall Prep in West Orange, N.J., is ranked as the No. 62 player nationally in the 2016 class by Rivals.com - the highest ranked Irish signee since Jackson in 2013.

Even if Gibbs doesn't win a starting role, it appears he'll be heavily involved in the rotation. Brey said the freshman could both spell Farrell and also play beside him as an off-guard, if he doesn't win the job outright.

Gibbs certainly has the skillset to play off-ball, and him alongside Farrell could create a look similar to the one Notre Dame rode to the Elite Eight with Farrell and Jackson.

An interesting article on CBS Sports (link) points out that a lot of successful teams last season utilized multiple ball-handlers at the same time.

"T.J. is very ready to help us right away," Brey said. "He's a key guy to get ready this summer, of our three young guys, because we're going to need that skillset with what we lost.

"He can shoot the ball. He can play off the ball. He's got very good strength.

"He's got an edge about him. There's a toughness about him, and there's a maturity about him like [rising sophomore] Rex Pflueger and [rising sophomore] Matt Ryan that's not typical of an 18-year-old. He's going to be very ready to do it."

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