BREAKING: Laszewski Commits To Notre Dame
The argument could be made – and likely won.
2018 Massachusetts power forward Nate Laszewski just announced his verbal commitment to Notre Dame, giving Mike Brey what could be the best recruiting class he’s had as the Irish’s head coach.
The 6-foot-10 Laszewski completes a group that already included three Top 100 players in Washington, D.C. point guard Prentiss Hubb, Pennsylvania shooting guard Robby Carmody and Ohio shooting guard Dane Goodwin.
If you factor in UConn transfer Juwan Durham, who is sitting out the upcoming season per NCAA rules, the Irish’s five newcomers for the 2018-19 season are almost certainly the best group Brey has been able to bring in.
Laszewski was a kid the Irish had been keeping close tabs on for years and when he dominated the AAU circuit for his New England Playaz squad this summer, Notre Dame and a host of other top programs pounced.
Notre Dame was always a school Laszewski had his eye on, he even took a pair of unofficial visits before he was offered a scholarship. He took an official visit to South Bend earlier this month and knew Notre Dame was a school and a program where he’d fit, but he didn’t want to rush a decision.
He took an official to Wake Forest a week later and then one to North Carolina last weekend.
And now, he's seen enough to know Notre Dame is where he needs to be.
Northfield Mount Hermon head coach John Carroll is convinced he’ll be a great fit for the Irish.
“He’s loaded with talent,” Carroll said. “He’s now 6-foot-10. He’s a three-point shooter. He’s now rebounding above the rim, which I think is the addition college coaches are most excited about. He’s winning power plays, rebounding outside of his area and is multi-positional. I think he was second on the adidas circuit in offensive efficiency.
“Offensively, you could move him all over the place. You can definitely play him at 3, 4, 5. He’s not a back-to-the-basket 5, but more of a European 5. He’s clearly going to be a stretch-4 in most offenses in college. Defensively, he’s just got to improve skills to defend the athletic 3s, but the 4 and 5-spots, he’s in pretty shape right now.”
With the three other pledges – and Durham – already in the fold, the Irish went all in for Laszewski. Brey followed up the official visit by showing up at his school a day later. Brey was back the day after Laszewski’s trip to Wake Forest and again one day after his trip to Chapel Hill.