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V.J. Beachem Announces Return To Notre Dame

A key contributor for head coach Mike Brey's squad will return for the 2016-17 season.

Junior forward V.J. Beachem announced on Sunday night he'd removed his name from the NBA Draft process and will come back to the Irish for a senior campaign.

Beachem announced his decision to test the NBA Draft waters on April 12 (link), but given his draft stock at that stage, it seemed likely the junior was taking advantage of new rules that allow prospects to return to school as long as they don't hire an agent.

He was not listed among the estimated 70 individuals invited to this year's NBA combine.

“I really pushed for V.J. to take advantage of the new rules to get a better understanding of his future in professional basketball,” Brey said via a release on April 12. “He finished the season on an outstanding run, and the ability to go through this process will be another step forward in his confidence as a player and as a leader in our program."

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The 6-8, 200-pound forward averaged 12.0 points and 3.9 rebounds in 31.3 minutes per game for the Irish last season, shooting 47.6 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from behind the arc.

He played particularly well in the postseason for the Irish, averaging 17.5 points per game in four NCAA tournament contests to earn East Regional All-Tournament team honors. Beachem was also named Notre Dame's "Most Improved Player" by the program after upping his scoring average from 6.3 points per contest as a sophomore.

Beachem could be relied on next year to shoulder the scoring load for the Irish. He'll join junior guard Steve Vasturia and sophomore forward Bonzie Colson as returning starters for Brey's squad.

Junior point guard Demetrius Jackson declared early for the NBA and is expected to be a first round selection in the draft, and senior forward Zach Auguste exhausted his eligibility.

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