2022 Notre Dame Target JJ Starling's Jumper "Extremely Pure"

When anyone is talking about JJ Starling‍, it doesn’t take long before the 2022 guard’s jumpshot is mentioned.

The director of Starling’s City Rocks AAU program, Jim Hart, even described it as “NBA-level.”

Is that hyperbole?

We asked Starling’s new coach at La Lumiere, Pat Holmes, and Holmes said that is not an exaggeration.

“JJ has an extremely pure jumpshot,” said Holmes. “When you look at it, you just know he’s a guy who can shoot it at an extremely high level. The thing about JJ too is positionally, he’s about 6-4, so he’s got good size, got a good frame. He’s got great lift on his jumpshot, so he can elevate and shoot it over guys.

“His jumpshot is like his bread and butter. That’s what people know him for. It is one of those NBA-level. He knows he has to keep working on it, keep getting better and keep getting consistent, but there were games this year in high school, where he was like 11-for-13 from three, just insane numbers.”

This offseason, the New York native decided to transfer to La Lumiere for his upcoming junior year.

“When he came and worked out here on his visit, it was the same thing, just doing spot shooting and he’s routinely hitting 9 of 10 or 13 of 15 catch-and-shoot,” says Holmes. “He shoots from deep too, it’s not like he’s just straddling the high school line.”

Holmes stresses the fact that Starling isn’t just a one-dimensional player, though.

“Everyone knows him for his jumpshot, but he’s good off the bounce, he’s good out of a ball screen. He finds ways to impact the game other than just catching and shooting, but he does that at an extremely high level.”

Notre Dame extended Starling a scholarship offer at the end of July.

La Lumiere’s proximity to South Bend, about 30 minutes, should help the Irish’s pursuit of Starling, whenever they’re allowed to host recruits again.

Their connection with Holmes, who was a student manager for Notre Dame as a student from 2009-12 and spent a year interning with the program after that, certainly won’t hurt either.

More with Holmes on Notre Dame’s pursuit of Starling later this week.