Rex Pflueger Not Just Defensive About His Game
For long-time Notre Dame men’s basketball followers, one name of a former Fighting Irish star often came to mind when watching 6-6, 202-pound Rex Pflueger as a freshman last season: Bill Hanzlik.
The rangy 6-7, 185-pound Hanzlik (1976-80) was an oddity in that he averaged only 7.5 points per game as a senior and 5.9 during his Notre Dame career — yet he was a first-round NBA Draft pick and made the 1980 United States Summer Olympics Basketball Team (which would boycott The Summer Games held in the Soviet Union that year).
Hanzlik was the consummate defensive stopper during the Digger Phelps era, although he didn’t really come into the forefront in that role until late in his sophomore year when the Final Four-bound Irish toppled No. 1 Marquette, with Hanzlik’s defensive work on All-America Butch Lee a top story from the game.
In his freshman year at Notre Dame, Pflueger found his niche off the bench as the player designated to cover the opponent’s best player, whether it was a smaller, quicker guard or a larger, stronger frontcourt figure. In his role, Pflueger appeared in 30 of the 36 games, averaging 13.3 minutes per contest, which was more than Hanzlik’s 9.8 and 10.2 minutes his first two seasons.
“I know I have an offensive game, but I knew my role as a freshman,” said Pflueger after last week’s final formal practice with his teammates in summer school. “I took pride in that and I know I helped our team win some games just because of me playing defense and not really scoring buckets. This year I’m looking to expand all aspects.”
It was in the Jan. 16 upset win at Duke that Pflueger first began to make an impact, playing 23 minutes and scoring seven points to go with his two blocked shots and two assists. Three games later with Demetrius Jackson injured, he made his first career start, at Syracuse, recording six assists. Then in the regular season finale victory against North Carolina State he displayed his prowess on both ends with three three-point field goals and four steals.
While helping Notre Dame advance to the Elite Eight a second straight year, Pflueger’s “one shining moment” arrived when he tipped in the game-winning rebound with 1.5 seconds remaining in the second-round victory versus Stephen F. Austin. He finished the year taking only 55 shots in about 400 minutes of action, although he did show a fine shooting touch at the foul line, where he made 20 of his 21 attempts (.952 percentage).
“I felt I just didn’t really have confidence in my offensive game last year,” Pflueger said. “I knew I could score … it just wasn’t there for me, especially when it came down to me being just a defensive player and going against their best player. I knew it was my job to do that.”
He maintains that being a stopper on defense didn’t sap his energy on offense.
“I don’t think so for me because I’m working constantly on my conditioning, trying to get into the best shape possible so I can exert as much energy defensively as I do on offense without it affecting me,” he said.
The Orange County Registrar Player of the Year at California’s powerful Mater Dei, Pflueger led the Monarchs to the MaxPreps national title as a junior when they were 35-0 while knocking off five eventual state champions and finishing 9-0 against teams that played for state titles. In a nationally televised game by ESPN, Pflueger scored 30 points in a 79-67 win over Pennsylvania AAA state champ Neumann-Goretti. As a senior he averaged 17.0 points per game for the 29-5 Monarchs.
Pflueger and classmate Matt Ryan will likely apprentice one more year behind current senior starters Steve Vasturia and V.J. Beachem along the wing before the proven Mike Brey system puts them more fully in the spotlight as juniors in 2017-18. Pflueger was a two-time captain at Mater Dei, and Brey could see that happening at Notre Dame too.
“He’s become such a better basketball player,” said Brey of Pflueger’s progress this summer. “He played so fast a year ago last summer. By the end he became a guard, a basketball player. He’s a great energy guy for us and does so much. … I like it that when you put him up there that he talks more. He’s a guy that’s going to be a leader for us. He’s got a great voice.”
And although the Irish will be led at point guard by junior Matt Farrell and freshman T.J. Gibbs, Pflueger has been seeing a little action at that position as well since last winter as a potential contingency option.
“I’ve been working on that a lot because I know that especially for the next level — if I can get there anyways — that will be a position I would like to play,” Pflueger said. “Being a taller guy and being able to handle the ball, it would show I have more versatility than as just a shooter.”
Or a stopper.