Mike Brey and the Notre Dame staff are now up to 9 offers in the class of 2022. After sending out offers to Isaac Traudt, Kyle Filipowski, Jaden Bradley, and Ben Middlebrooks on Friday, many including myself thought the staff was done for awhile but today they sent out two more to guards Fletcher Loyer and JJ Starling. It seems Brey and the staff are trying to make the class of '22 special as this is the most offers he has sent out this early in recent memory. The two guards offered today seem to be the top two shooters that the staff has offered recently, which make both seem like prototypical Notre Dame guards. Here is a breakdown of each.
JJ Starling
JJ Starling is a guy who many thought should have received an offer from Notre Dame even sooner than he did, and for good reason. Assistant Coach Ryan Ayers reportedly called Starling the best shooter in the class and I can definitely see where he's coming from.
Typically when there is a shooter as elite as Starling, he is more of a spot up or catch and shoot guy like Fletcher Loyer. Starling is different in the sense that he creates his own shot on the majority of the threes he takes, and the crazier part is that a lot of them aren't even open but he still finds a way to hit a really high percentage of them. One of the big knocks on Starling was his level of competition but now that won't be an issue as the Baldwinsville, PA native recently announced he will be transferring to national powerhouse La Lumiere which is coached by Notre Dame alum Pat Holmes. While Brey has never landed a recruit from LaLu, Starling transferring to the Indiana high school certainly can't hurt Notre Dame's chances.
Shooting is the most widely known thing about Starling's game, but that is far from the only thing he can contribute should he come to Notre Dame. First of all Starling has great height and length for his position which is very noticeable while watching his high school tape, but the guard also has the ability to create his own shot along with the ability to create for his teammates without turning the ball over. In the most recent class of 2022 rankings from 247 Sports, Starling was ranked as the 52nd best player in the class. Starling seems like a great fit for Notre Dame and if they can beat out schools like Syracuse, Alabama, Washington, and Wake Forest they will be getting a nice replacement for Prentiss Hubb.
Fletcher Loyer
The second offer Brey and the staff threw out today was to shooting guard Fletcher Loyer. Much like Starling, Loyer is known for his shooting ability. Although their shooting ability is similar, Loyer and Starling are both very different players. Loyer is more of a T.J. Gibbs type where he is a spot up guy who shoots extremely well off of the catch and sometimes mixes in a floater. Whereas Starling takes more of his shots off the dribble. Outside of his shooting ability, Loyer is known for his high basketball IQ and passing ability which are things that can really help him at the next level.
Recently Loyer transferred to Homestead High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana which like Starling transferring to La Lumiere can only help the Irish. Loyer also plays AAU around in Indiana as he plays for the same program that Notre Dame class of 2021 target Blake Wesley plays for (The Indy Heat). Another connection that Loyer has to Notre Dame is that his brother Foster was teammates with Notre Dame guard Dane Goodwin. This probably won't make a huge impact but since Fletcher and Dane know each other it is worth noting.
This past season the 6' 5" guard posted a nice statline of 21.8 Points per game and 3.5 Rebounds per game while shooting 48% from three which is one of the highest three point percentages I've seen in awhile. The guard also holds offers from Michigan and Purdue which may make him a tough get for Brey and the staff, but if he can improve his athleticism and ball handling by the time he gets to college he could be a nice addition in the class of '22.
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