Elite 2022 G JJ Starling Recaps Notre Dame Official

JJ Starling‍ visited Notre Dame a couple times over the summer, but this past weekend’s official was a bit different.

“It was amazing,” the elite 2022 combo guard says. “I had a good time. I loved it.”

The differences started right away when Irish head coach Mike Brey zoomed up to La Porte, Ind., to pick up Starling from La Lumiere School in a Ferrari.

“I got out of a workout and seeing the car, I was like, 'Oh wow!'” says Starling, who hadn’t been given advance notice on Brey’s wheels.

But that was just the beginning.

“I got to spend more time with the coaching staff and players and get a feel for them,” says Starling, a New York native who transferred to La Lumiere a year ago.

“I love them. They're a great group of guys. They're people that you want to be around and potentially play with, same with the coaches. They treat you straight up, they don't lie to you. They don't sugarcoat anything. They just all have great personalities that you want to be around.”

La Lumiere head coach Pat Holmes is very familiar with the Irish program as a Notre Dame grad who served as a student manager and intern for the basketball squad.

“My coach went there and it's close,” Starling says if his interest in the Irish. “Great campus and it kind of represents what I represent; a great academic school and good athletics and stuff like that.

“Just getting up there and just seeing it and getting a feel for it was a good thing.”

Starling has some other trips coming up.

“Syracuse is next weekend. Northwestern is the following weekend and Duke is the one after that.”

He isn’t planning a decision immediately after his trips, but shortly after.