Hoops Transfer Target Trey Wertz Talks Notre Dame & More
It didn’t take long after entering his name into the NCAA Transfer Portal before Trey Wertz’s phone began to blow up.
“It was definitely hectic the first 48 hours just getting calling calls non-stop,” said Wertz, a 6-foot-4 guard who is looking for a new home after two years at Santa Clara.
“I was getting calls while I was on the phone with other coaches, so that was wild. Once that settled down, I was able to put a little more thought into everything and think about each school individually. It ended up getting down to this 11 I have now.”
Wertz averaged 12 points, 4 assists and 3.5 rebounds as a sophomore this past season while making 40 percent of his three-point attempts.
He entered his name into the Portal on March 24th and by the end of the week, he had narrowed his list to Notre Dame, Arizona, Butler, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Stanford, Vanderbilt and Virginia.
The Charlotte, N.C., native attended Providence Day High School and is attracted to what Notre Dame can offer on and off the court.
“Academically, obviously everybody knows there’s a big tradition,” he said. “That’s pretty big for me and my family. I was on pace to graduate from Santa Clara next year, so I’ll be starting my Masters wherever I go. Athletically, they like to play through their guards a lot, which certainly intrigues me.”
Wertz has kept in touch with Irish assistant Ryan Humphrey.
“He’s been saying the same kind of things; they like to play through guards a lot, they put four guards around one big a lot and let their guys play,” Wertz said of Humphrey. “That really intrigues me.
“He seems like a really cool guy. Him and my mom actually hit off pretty well (Saturday). We’re definitely getting along.”
Wertz now has further decisions to make.
“I’m just going to keep developing my relationship with them over the next couple weeks,” he said of the Irish. “Ultimately, I’m going to have to cut my list down again, so I’m going to keep developing relationships and see where it goes.”
He’s hoping his process will ultimately include campus visits, but that possibility has been unclear from the start and looks even less likely after the NCAA extended the dead period through at least May because of COVID-19 concerns.
“I’m hopeful for it, but there’s a lot going on,” he said. “I know I can’t stretch it too far. I might have to make a decision without visits.”
Schools are doing their best to get Wertz the information he needs.
“Coaches are showing me a lot of virtual tours and videos and a lot of FaceTime calls so I can put a face to the name,” he said.
Wertz is excited about the process and his future.
“I just wanted to find a perfect situation for me. It’s not many times you get a second chance at things. This is one where I was able to get a chance, so it’s just about making the right decision.”