Blake Wesley Draft Scouting Report: Pro Comparison, Updated Spurs Roster
Jun 24, 2022
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 18: Blake Wesley #0 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrates against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the second half in the first round game of the 2022 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Viejas Arena at San Diego State University on March 18, 2022 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Notre Dame guard Blake Wesley is officially off the board after the San Antonio Spurs selected him with the 25th overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft on Thursday.
Bleacher Report Draft Expert Jonathan Wasserman's Scouting Report
Player: Blake Wesley
Position: SG
Height: 6'3"
Pro Comparison: RJ Hampton
Scouting Report: Wesley immediately stood out this year with his athleticism and length for beating defenders off the dribble and getting into passing lanes. His shooting and finishing skills are lagging, but he's also demonstrated enough three-level shot-making for teams to stay patient.
The 19-year-old had a solid freshman season for the Fighting Irish, averaging 14.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists while shooting 40.4 percent from the floor and 30.3 percent from deep in 35 games.
Given his quickness and ability to penetrate into the lane, Wesley will be a difference-maker for the Spurs during the 2022-23 campaign and beyond.
Notre Dame Fight Song Adding 'Daughters' to Lyrics to Acknowledge Female Students
Jun 3, 2022
SOUTH BEND, IN - OCTOBER 02: The Notre Dame band performs prior to an NCAA football game between the Cincinnati Bearcats and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on October 2, 2021 at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, IN. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The University of Notre Dame is making its fight song more inclusive ahead of the 2022 football season.
Notre Dame president John Jenkins announced Thursday night that the "Notre Dame Victory March" will include a reference to "daughters" in addition to "sons."
The song previously only made mention of "sons" in the line "While her loyal sons are marching/Onward to victory." Now the line reads, "While her loyal sons and daughters/March on to victory."
The change was made in conjunction with Notre Dame celebrating the 50th anniversary of Title IX and the 50th anniversary of admitting female undergraduate students into the university.
The "Notre Dame Victory March" was created in 1909, and the band first began playing it during sporting events in 1919.
It has become one of the most iconic fight songs in the history of college sports thanks largely to the success of Notre Dame's athletic programs, especially in football.
The Fighting Irish have won 11 national championships in football, with the most recent coming in 1988. They have also won double-digit games in each of the past five seasons, making them a perennial contender.
Notre Dame also has two national championships in men's basketball, but the most recent major title for the school came from the women's side.
The women's basketball team won the 2018 national title, posting a 35-3 record.
That was the second national championship won by Notre Dame's women's basketball team, and the women's soccer team has three national titles to its credit in 1995, 2004 and 2010.
Notre Dame's Mike Brey: Coaches Complaining About NIL Should 'Shut Up and Adjust'
May 10, 2022
DAYTON, OHIO - MARCH 16: Head coach Mike Brey of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish reacts in the first half of the game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights during the First Four game of the 2022 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at UD Arena on March 16, 2022 in Dayton, Ohio. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
Notre Dame men's basketball head coach Mike Brey had some choice words at the ACC's annual spring meetings for coaches who have been complaining about name, image and likeness (NIL) deals.
"[Coaches] have got to stop complaining," Brey said Tuesday.
"This is the world we're in, and last time I checked, we make pretty good money. So everybody should shut up and adjust."
The NCAA adopted an interim NIL policy that went into effect on July 1, allowing college athletes to benefit from their name, image and likeness.
Brey's comments come amid a heap of news surrounding NIL of late.
Of note, Johnny McGonigal and Craig Meyer of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that Pitt wide receiver Jordan Addison, who has entered the transfer portal, is set to receive a multi-million dollar NIL deal if he suits up for USC.
On Monday, the NCAA Division I Board of Directors "issued guidance to schools regarding the intersection between recruiting activities and the name, image and likeness environment."
Some coaches have also offered pointed criticism of the NIL rules, specifically in regard to how a player can enter the transfer portal to go to a school that entices them with an NIL deal.
"Different creates uncertainty, and uncertainty creates doubt. I don't see a lot of positives right now with the [transfer] portal and NIL stuff," Kansas men's basketball coach Bill Self told Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports.
Ohio State football coach Ryan Day also shared his thoughts:
Certainly, the idea of NIL was not to recruit guys from other teams, induce them to come to their schools and pay them money or pay recruits on the front end, that's not what this is about. But that's what this has become. I'm all for players making money off their name, image and likeness. But right now, it's created a lot of unrest because we all feel like there's no rules—or the rules that are there are not being enforced. It creates a lot of jealousy. If you do nothing, you're going to fall behind. If you go extreme, you may put yourself out there to be vulnerable to sanctions down the road.
Ultimately, NIL is the new normal in the NCAA, and if coaches can leave in the middle of the night for new schools and better contracts, then it's only fair for players to have that same privilege. Perhaps some more regulation needs to occur, but NIL was a positive and much-needed step in the right direction for college athletics.
No. 3 Texas Tech Avoids No. 11 Notre Dame's Upset Bid, Will Face Duke in Sweet 16
Mar 21, 2022
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 20: Kevin Obanor #0 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders reacts during the first half against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the second round game of the 2022 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Viejas Arena at San Diego State University on March 20, 2022 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Texas Tech is heading to the Sweet 16 in the West Regional, but it sure didn't come easy.
The Red Raiders beat Notre Dame 59-53 on Sunday in what was a scrappy, tight matchup at the NCAA men's basketball tournament.
The largest lead for either side was just seven points, held by third-seeded Texas Tech, as neither team created a comfortable cushion and traded the lead back and forth in the second half. The Red Raider defense, in particular, clamped down, holding No. 11 seed Notre Dame to just 32.7 percent shooting from the field.
But Texas Tech had its own offensive issues, shooting just 4-of-15 from three (26.7 percent).
It wasn't an aesthetically pleasing win, but Texas Tech is heading to the Sweet 16 all the same.
Key Stats
Bryson Williams, Texas Tech: 14 points
Kevin Obanor, Texas Tech: 15 points, 15 rebounds, one block
Kevin McCullar, Texas Tech: 14 points
Dane Goodwin, Notre Dame: 14 points, eight rebounds
Paul Atkinson Jr., Notre Dame: Five points, four rebounds
Blake Wesley, Notre Dame: 11 points, eight boards
Obanor Came Up Big
Obanor was Texas Tech's fourth-leading scorer on the season, but with the Red Raiders struggling to establish much flow offensively, they needed someone to get them buckets.
So he did what was needed, particularly in the first half.
Kevin Obanor has last nine for Texas Tech. Only guy for either team with any sort of offensive mojo right now.
Kevin Obanor came to Tech to do more in March than score an upset. Hes playing like he’s got bigger goals today. About the only Red Raider who can hit a dang shot
Texas Tech's Kevin Obanor has a double-double. He's had a double-double in all five NCAA Tournament games he's played in going back to last year with Oral Roberts.
Add in his work on the boards, and he was huge for Texas Tech. The Red Raiders rotated in 10 players on Sunday night, but Obanor's minutes proved particularly crucial.
With Atkinson Struggling and Notre Dame Running out of Steam, Goodwin Tried to Step Up
Atkinson averaged 16 points per game this season but was barely a factor against Texas Tech, shooting just 1-of-4 from the field. Wesley, the team's second-leading scorer, struggled from the field (3-of-15) as well.
Thus, Goodwin answered the call, contributing 14 points while going a team-best 5-of-8 from the floor. Even so, almost every one of the Fighting Irish's buckets was a battle of attrition.
Notre Dame, playing its third game this week after being in the First Four, appeared to run out of gas down the stretch. But Goodwin did his part.
What's Next?
Texas Tech will face No. 2 seed Duke on Thursday. The time is yet to be determined.
No. 10 Kentucky Upset by Unranked Notre Dame Despite Oscar Tshiebwe's 25 Points
Dec 12, 2021
Kentucky's TyTy Washington Jr. (3) sets up for a shot in front of Notre Dame's Cormac Ryan (5) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021, in South Bend, Ind. (AP Photo/Robert Franklin)
The upsets keep coming in men's college basketball, with the No. 10 Kentucky Wildcats being the latest team to fall.
Notre Dame upset Kentucky 66-62 at Purcell Pavilion on Saturday. Oscar Tshiebwe did his best to carry the Wildcats with 25 points on 11-of-14 shooting from the field.
Blake Wesley hit the go-ahead shot for Notre Dame with 11.7 seconds remaining. Dane Goodwin put the exclamation point on the win with a dunk as time expired.
Keion Brooks Jr. was the only other Wildcats player to reach double figures in scoring (12) points. Kellan Grady made both of the team's three-pointers in the loss. Everyone else combined to go 0-of-12 from behind the arc.
Since losing its season opener to Duke, Kentucky had rattled off seven consecutive wins entering Saturday's game. Those victories came by an average of 26 points.
Notre Dame, on the other hand, was coming off three consecutive losses. Its last game was a 73-57 defeat to Boston College on Dec. 3 in its ACC opener.
The Fighting Irish shot 46.4 percent from the field. Wesley and Goodwin led the way for the offense with 14 points each. Trey Wertz added 12 points off the bench.
This has been a dangerous season to be a ranked team in college basketball. The three teams that have been ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 (Gonzaga, Duke, Purdue) have all lost. Duke and Purdue both lost their first game after reaching the top spot.
Baylor is the only team currently ranked in the Top 10 of the AP poll without a loss. Arizona, USC, Iowa State and LSU are the remaining ranked teams that have yet to lose a game.
Arkansas was in that group before an 88-66 loss to Oklahoma on Saturday.
Kentucky will look to rebound on Dec. 18 against No. 21 Ohio State in the CBS Sports Classic at T-Mobile Arena. Notre Dame will be back in action on the same day when it hosts Indiana.
Former Notre Dame Assistant Ryan Ayers' Remaining Charges Dismissed by Judge
Nov 16, 2021
CHESTNUT HILL, MA - FEBRUARY 14: Notre Dame Fighting Irish assistant coach Ryan Ayers during an ACC match up between the Boston College Eagles and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on February 14, 2017 at Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. The Fighting Irish defeated the Eagles 84-76. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
An Indiana judge granted a motion by state prosecutors to drop the remaining charges against former Notre Dame assistant basketball coach Ryan Ayers, according to Marek Mazurek of the South Bend Tribune.
In January, Ayers was charged with three counts of voyeurism and one count of domestic violence. Two women alleged he had "recorded them naked or while having sex without their consent," and one of the women said he had struck her in the face during an argument.
The prosecution encountered difficulty pursuing the case because one of the women declined to testify because she felt "disrespected, demeaned, and degraded" by St. Joseph Superior Judge Jeffrey Sanford.
Mazurek reported in October the woman wanted a new judge to oversee the case and state attorneys requested Sandford recuse himself after he "allegedly laughed while making a comment about not wanting to look at photographs of a pornographic nature." Sandford denied the motion.
Two voyeurism charges against Ayers had already been dropped prior to this week due to the statute of limitations and one of the women involved in the case declining to testify.
Notre Dame announced last September that Ayers was no longer on the coaching staff and "pursuing other opportunities." He played for the Fighting Irish for four years, graduating in 2009. He returned as an assistant coach in June 2016.
Mike Brey Returning to Notre Dame for 2021-22 After Missing NCAA Tournament
Mar 17, 2021
Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey directs his team during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Wake Forest in the first round of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament in Greensboro, N.C., Tuesday, March 9, 2021. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
Notre Dame missed out on the NCAA tournament after an 11-15 season, but head coach Mike Brey intends to lead the team in an effort to return in 2022.
Jeff Goodman of Stadium reported that Brey said "he will 100 percent be back in South Bend next season."
Brey has coached at Notre Dame since 2000, when he led the team to a regular-season Big East championship and the NCAA tournament in his first year after arriving from Delaware, where he had coached for five seasons.
Through 21 seasons with the Fighting Irish, he hasled the teamto a 448-248 record and 12 tournament appearances, though the group has missed the Big Dance for each of the last four seasons. The team has not been ranked in the AP Top 25 since 2017-18, when they went as high as five, perBasketball Reference.
"I told them, 'A year from this Selection Sunday, our goal should be to see our name flash up.' That's the crossroads we're at, absolutely," Brey said Saturday, viaMike Berardinoof Forbes.
Things are expected to look up for Notre Dame next season, when co-captains Prentiss Hubb and Cormac Ryan will join forces with Paul Atkinson, a graduate transfer from Yale who was named the Ivy League Player of the Year last season.
Notre Dame's Prentiss Hubb Apologizes for Giving Crowd Middle Finger After Loss
Mar 10, 2021
Notre Dame's Prentiss Hubb (3) passes the ball during an NCAA college basketball game against North Carolina State on Wednesday, March 3, 2021, in South Bend, Ind. North Carolina State won 80-69. (AP Photo/Robert Franklin)
Notre Dame guard Prentiss Hubb apologized Wednesday for flipping off Wake Forest fans following the Fighting Irish's win over the Demon Deacons on Tuesday.
Hubb released the following statement on the matter:
Notre Dame closed the game on a 17-2 run and came from behind to beat Wake Forest 80-77 on a buzzer-beating three by Trey Wertz to advance to the second round of the ACC tournament.
Hubb had an up-and-down game for the Irish, going 5-of-15 from the field and 2-of-7 from beyond the arc for 14 points with four assists and three rebounds.
On the season, the junior guard leads the Irish with 14.6 points per game, and he is also their top playmaker with 6.0 assists per contest.
In Notre Dame's surprising upset win over No. 15 Florida State to close out the regular season, Hubb led the way with 22 points and five assists.
The win over FSU gave Notre Dame momentum entering the ACC tournament, which was much-needed considering the team's struggles for much of the season.
Notre Dame is still only 11-14 even after wins over FSU and Wake Forest, and it faces an immense challenge in the second round of the ACC tournament against the sixth-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels.
The Irish need to run the table and win the ACC tournament in order to reach the NCAA tournament, and while the odds of that happening are slim, upsetting UNC isn't out of the question.
Notre Dame lost 66-65 to the Tar Heels earlier this season, and the Irish are arguably playing their best basketball right now.
Provided Hubb is able to move past his actions and inconsistent showing against Wake Forest, Notre Dame could have a realistic shot at pulling off yet another upset.
Video: Notre Dame Beats Wake Forest on Buzzer-Beater in ACC Tournament 1st Round
Mar 9, 2021
Notre Dame guard Trey Wertz (2) who sank the game winning shot is swarmed by teammates after their 80-77 win over Wake Forest in the first round of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament in Greensboro, N.C., Tuesday, March 9, 2021. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are moving on in the ACC tournament thanks to an epic buzzer-beater from junior guard Trey Wertz from near half court to take down Wake Forest, 80-77, on Tuesday.
The Fighting Irish entered as the No. 11 seed looking to advance to a second-round matchup with No. 6 North Carolina on Wednesday. At 11-14 (7-11 ACC) on the year, Notre Dame will need to win five games in five days to clinch an automatic berth in the NCAA tournament.
Tuesday's game-winner over No. 14 seed Wake Forest is certainly a positive start.
There just won't be much time to enjoy the win with a matchup against the Tar Heels at 9 p.m. ET tomorrow.
Wertz finished the night with 16 points—none bigger than his final three.
