New Notre Dame Commit Tony Sanders Jr. "Ready To Get To Work"

On Wednesday, the NCAA extended the dead period it had already instituted in response to COVID-19 concerns through the end of May, which pretty much eliminated the possibility of future visits for Tony Sanders Jr.

That was a substantive complication considering the 2020 Florida forward had picked up an offer from Notre Dame the day before.

The Gulliver Prep standout had been in discussions with Irish assistant coach Ryan Humphrey since Christmastime.

“We’d been going back and forth and building a bond,” Sanders Jr., said of himself and Humphrey.

Tuesday’s offer wasn’t unexpected for Sanders Jr., who already had offers from schools like Dayton, Florida State and Georgia among others, but it was clearly a meaningful one.

“Even though I was expecting it, I was in shock,” said Sanders Jr. “It was like a dream come true.”

With no chance to host any recruits before June, the Irish had to get “creative.”

“We did a Zoom FaceTime and they just showed me everything about the campus,” Sanders Jr., explained. “They showed me a PowerPoint. Even though I wasn’t there, it felt like I was and I learned a lot from what they were showing me.”

He learned enough to feel comfortable announcing his commitment to Notre Dame on Friday afternoon.

“The reason why I chose Notre Dame is because it has pretty much the best of both worlds,” he said. “You have the education part of it and you can’t beat the basketball that it also brings to the table.”

The Irish coaching staff likes the 6-foot-7 wing’s versatility.

“They just see me as a basketball player, a guy who pretty much do it all; defend, rebound and the little things,” Sanders Jr. said.

The staff was excited about the decision and so was Sanders Jr.

“It was really like a breath of fresh air. I’m just happy. I’m very satisfied and I’m ready to get to work.”