Notre Dame Men’s Basketball 2024-25 Roster Preview

Shrews’ Crew, Version Two

It’s almost Halloween, which means it’s almost time for the Notre Dame men’s basketball season to start. Play kicks off on Oct. 30 with a charity exhibition at Purdue Fort Wayne, then the real season starts Nov. 6.

Since hoops season is right around the corner, now is as good a time as any to do a rundown of a roster that’s seen some change from head coach Micah Shrewsberry’s first season but also returns some promising pieces. Here is that rundown.

The Departures

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First, what was lost. Forward Matt Zona and preferred-walk-on-guard-turned-scholarship-player Alex Wade elected to enter the transfer portal this offseason after four and three years in the program, respectively. The former landed at Fordham while the latter apparently didn’t find a landing spot. Similar to Wade, four-year swingman Tony Jones Jr. departed the team this offseason but seemingly didn’t make another roster. Aside from those usual suspects, the only other loss for the Irish this offseason was forward Carey Booth, who jumped ship for Illinois.

To be frank, the only real loss in that group is Booth. (As a former dormmate of Zona, I will never say a bad word about him, but it’s probably for the best that he gets a chance to shine at a mid-major program rather than being forced into a supporting role on a team building around its backcourt). Booth played in all 33 games and started 19 last year, although he only averaged 6.4 points and 4.3 rebounds per game while shooting 39.1% from the field as a true freshman. His numbers didn’t pop, but he was a four-star recruit with high upside as an athletic stretch 4, so another year of development could have been a boon for this Irish squad.

The Returnees

Markus Burton

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Last season’s ACC Freshman of the Year, Burton was an iron man, starting every game and playing the most minutes on the team. His efficiency likely suffered from his heightened usage — a byproduct of a lack of any other reliable scorers — although he led the team in scoring (17.5), assists (4.3) and steals (1.9) per game while shooting 42.1% from the field and 30% from three. After briefly evaluating his prospects in the NBA Draft, Burton elected to return for what is likely his last year in South Bend. Despite his stature (a generous 5-foot-11), he figures to once again lead the team in scoring but should have more options to help lighten his load this season.

Braeden Shrewsberry

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Micah’s son, Braeden appeared in every game last season and started 15, finishing with the second most minutes on the team and second best point per game average (10.2). He was also a bit of a one trick pony, attempting 50% more threes (210) than the next closest guy, Burton (140), albeit while shooting a respectable 37.1% from distance. The question is where Braeden focused his development this offseason, because he isn’t enough of a sniper to hold off a certain four-star freshman unless the coach’s son improved significantly as a ball handler and/or defender.

Tae Davis

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The transfer from Seton Hall was inconsistent on offense for most of last season, although he managed to score in double figures in the season’s final seven contests and eight of the last nine. He finished third on the team in points (9.2) and assists (1.0) per game and second in rebounds per contest (5.1) while starting in 31 of 32 appearances. While Davis shot 48.4% overall on the season, his prowess beyond the arc (18.4%) left a lot to be desired. He showed progress from his freshman season at Seton Hall to last year, but he needs to develop even further and prove he’s more than just a raw athlete if he wants a role beyond being a versatile defender and point forward in a pinch.

JR Konieczny

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The other South Bend native on Notre Dame’s roster along with Burton, Konieczny spent much of last hampered by injury but managed to post decent metrics of 7.7 points and 4.5 rebounds per contest while shooting 40.1% from the field, 33% from distance and 83.7% from the free throw line. Listed at 6-foot-7, his length and athleticism can make him an ideal swingman, but after riding the bench and redshirting his first two years, he still needs more experience. Playing time might be harder to come by, however, with the addition a proven swingman in the transfer portal.

Kebba Njie

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The Penn State transfer followed Shrewsberry from State College to South Bend for the 2023-23 season. At 6-foot-10 and 254 pounds, Njie is a tough body to score over on the interior, but he continues to be a work-in-progress offensively after averaging just 4.3 points per game last year (although he shot free throws at a good clip, making 76.1% on the season). Additionally, he led the team in rebounds per game at 5.4, a relatively low figure which might reflect his usage (24.3 minutes per game) more than an inability to move bodies on the glass. The problem is that modern college offenses usually can’t afford an offensive non-factor unless the defensive trade-off is outstanding, and that’s a high bar which Njie hasn’t yet reached.

Julian Roper II

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A transfer to Notre Dame after two prior seasons at Northwestern, Roper’s production in his first season in South Bend was underwhelming. He averaged 5.4 points per game while shooting 38.4% from the floor and 33.7% from three, plus a dreadful 48.3% on free throws. He provides a reliable, veteran backup for the starting backcourt, but his size (6-foot-4 and 210 pounds) isn’t enough to make up for a lack of dynamic athleticism or elite shooting ability. The question is whether he maintains his role or a new addition starts taking his minutes.

Logan Imes

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A late addition to last season’s freshman class after Micah Shrewsberry took over as head coach, Imes struggled to find a niche in 2023-24. A quality three-point shooter in high school, Imes only managed to make long-distance shots at a 22.2% clip. Also, for a lack of alternative options, he was essentially Notre Dame’s backup point guard last season, finishing second on the team in assists behind Burton. Like Roper, Imes risks losing playing time to incoming players unless he finds his shooting stroke again or makes strides in other areas.

The Newbies

Sir Mohammed

A four-star combo guard ranked No. 68 nationally by the 247Sports Composite, and the son of Kentucky basketball alum and 18-year NBA veteran Nazr Mohammed. Sir should figure prominently this season and take some of the ball handling/scoring load off Burton’s shoulders. Whether he starts as a true freshman feels more like a question of when than if.

Cole Certa

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A four-star shooting guard and the No. 125 player nationally per 247Sports Composite, Certa comes from IMG Academy in Florida. He shot 42% on threes in high school, but like Imes and Shrewsberry he’ll likely need to evolve beyond merely being a knockdown shooter to crack the rotation. He’ll be poised to play a bigger role in the program once Burton and possibly Muhammed depart after this season.

Garrett Sundra

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A three-star big-man and top-200 player nationally, Sundra is apparently the men’s basketball program’s first ever scholarship player from the Commonwealth of Virginia. He has good length at 6-foot-10, but it’s tough to see him cracking the rotation as a true freshman unless he rapidly puts on some really good weight.

Matt Allocco

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After spending three years at Princeton, Allocco brings some much needed experience and shooting ability to Notre Dame. He averaged double-digit points per game the previous two seasons and has increased his assists per game year over year. He’s also made 41.2% of his three-pointers for his career and was a 50-40-90 shooter last season. ACC competition is a step up from the Ivy League, but Allocco is a welcome addition on a team that wanted for experience and reliable shot makers last year.

Nikita Konstantynovskyi

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The native of Kyiv, Ukraine has been around the block. After starting his career at JUCO Northeastern Oklahoma A&M for two years, he spent two seasons at Tulsa followed by one at Monmouth before finding his way to Notre Dame this offseason. Last year he shot 52.6% from the field and averaged 9.3 points and 8.1 rebounds per game in 23.4 minutes per game. His defensive production may leave something to be desired, but his frame (6-foot-10 and 245 pounds) at least presents an obstacle on the inside, and his low-post offense compensates to some degree for Njie’s shortcomings on that end. Odds are Konstantynovskyi won’t match his previous production against better competition in the ACC, but at worst he’s a security blanket for a team that needs some respectable offense on the interior.

Burke Chebuhar

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Chebuhar is a 6-foot-8, 230-pounder who spent the previous three seasons at Lehigh. After struggling to find the court his first two years, he carved out a niche last season, starting 22 of his 32 appearances and averaging 7.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game. He also shot 46.2% from the field and 32.1% from three last season. It’s difficult to see Chebuhar contributing this season other than in a frontcourt-by-committee capacity, but his ability to stretch defenses beyond the arc separates him from the rest of the post players on the roster.