This team preview is part of the RTC ACC microsite’s preseason coverage.
Burning Question: How far do the Irish slide? (a.k.a. How good are Bonzie Colson and TJ Gibbs?)
Notre Dame probably won’t be as good as it was last year and the Irish definitely won’t be as good as they were two years ago. So where does that leave us? Mike Brey lost his two best players — Demetrius Jackson and Zach Auguste — and both are going to be nearly impossible to replace, especially defensively. The two most important returnees to watch are junior Bonzie Colson and freshman TJ Gibbs. Colson is an incredibly efficient offensive player already accustomed to high usage (albeit on limited minutes), which makes him a surefire success in many ways. The challenge for Brey will be finding a way for Colson’s increased minutes to not kill the Irish on the glass. Auguste was one of the best defensive rebounders in the country, whereas Colson is merely a good rebounder. Despite Auguste’s proficiency, Notre Dame was still an atrocious defensive rebounding team, so his loss doesn’t help a middling defense unless Colson improves or John Mooney turns out to be ACC-ready faster than expected.
VJ Beachem has the spotlight now, but Bonzie Colson has bigger shoes to fill. (Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
Gibbs is less known. He’s a consensus top-100, four-star recruit, but he’ll be called upon to replace a former McDonald’s All-American. Point guards tend to translate quickly to the college game, but Gibbs may be a season away from the helm. He’ll likely start the season spelling junior Matt Farrell. Farrell has always proven to be a competent college player, but he is probably best suited for an important supporting role. He could make a quantum leap this season, but neither the eye test nor his statistics point in that direction. Colson and Farrell are joined by seniors VJ Beachem and Steve Vasturia. Beachem is most likely the best pure shooter in the ACC. He’s got fringe NBA talent but will need to show he is capable of handling a larger share of the offense this year.
Of all of Notre Dame’s roster, Beachem may be the most undersold. He absolutely may end up excelling as the primary wing and have an all-ACC type of season. But Farrell cannot get the same spacing Jackson could with his drives, which combined with his increased offensive importance, will increase the difficulty of Beachem’s attempts. Vasturia will be the rock of this team. He played 90 percent of available minutes last season, and there’s no reason to think this year will be any different. At the end of the day, this Notre Dame team has the same flaws as last year’s squad, only to a greater extent. Every lineup will be small (Colson is only listed at 6’5″) and fraught with match-up nightmares that will likely benefit the Irish offensively and prove a hindrance on defense. The core of the team is very experienced and won’t scare easily, but in a brutal ACC race, this looks like a good team destined for the wrong side of the bubble.