A look at who's who this season for Notre Dame men's basketball roster
SOUTH BEND — Who are these guys?
It's not like the Notre Dame men's basketball program is starting completely over this season, but it's close. There's a new head coach, a new coaching staff, nearly an entirely new support staff and a roster that, for the most part, is all new.
Here's a rundown of who's who among the program's 11 scholarship players and how they wound up at Notre Dame under first-year coach Micah Shrewsberry. Players are listed numerically by jersey number. Keep the roster handy this season. You'll need it.
Noie: Notre Dame men's basketball needs Markus Burton to get to the point. Literally.
(0) CAREY BOOTH
DIMENSIONS: 6-foot-10, 215 pounds
POSITION: Forward
CLASS: Freshman
HOMETOWN: Englewood, Colorado
ROAD TO ND: After averaging 10 points and seven rebounds in his only (senior) season at Brewster (N.H.) Academy, Booth was in line to be the second-highest ranked recruit (49th nationally) in Penn State program history to join the Nittany Lions. He followed Micah Shrewsberry to South Bend in the spring.
NOTING: Booth's father, Calvin, played collegiately at Penn State and is the general manager of the NBA's Denver Nuggets.
COACH SHREWSBERRY SAYS: "Carey's really productive, man. For someone who just turned 18 in late July, he should be playing high school basketball, but he shows it in flashes, his productivity. Now it's about being more consistent."
The Road Ahead: Notre Dame men's basketball schedule for 2023-24 season
(1) JULIAN ROPER II
DIMENSIONS: 6-4, 210
POSITION: Guard
CLASS: Junior
HOMETOWN: Detroit
ROAD TO ND: Roper was the first player from the transfer portal to commit to Shrewsberry in the spring after two seasons as a backup guard at Northwestern.
NOTING: Roper averaged 4.0 points and 3.4 rebounds in 20.0 minutes per game over 29 games with 15 starts as a freshman. He averaged 4.4 points and 3.7 rebounds in 21.4 minutes over 15 games with no starts as a sophomore.
COACH SHREWSBERRY SAYS: "Julian brings a level of toughness that I think every team needs. Every program needs a guy like him. His energy, his toughness, his ability to fight is just something that if you have, it's great. His calling card is what he can do defensively. His experience is going to be much needed."
(2) LOGAN IMES
DIMENSIONS: 6-4, 189
POSITION: Guard
CLASS: Freshman
HOMETOWN: Zionsville
ROAD TO ND: After averaging 16.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.2 steals as a high school senior, Imes was ticketed to attend Penn State, but transferred to Notre Dame in early May. Imes announced his transfer while on a family trip to Italy.
NOTING: Imes is from the same hometown and played for the same high school as former Butler coach Brad Stevens.
COACH SHREWSBERRY SAYS: "Logan is an unbelievable program guy. He is a dude that's going to be here. He's going to be steady. Logan's a guy that at the end of games, he's going to guard the best guy. He's got a level of toughness about him. He's got a huge competitive spirit to him."
(3) MARKUS BURTON
DIMENSIONS: 5-11, 166
POSITION: Guard
CLASS: Freshman
HOMETOWN: Mishawaka, Indiana
ROAD TO ND: Burton verbally committed to Notre Dame in July of 2022.
NOTING: The first high school player to commit to Notre Dame in the 2023 recruiting class, Burton was the only one of the original three-man group to sign with the Irish after former head coach Mike Brey announced he would not return in 2023-24. He's the first Indiana Mr. Basketball to sign with Notre Dame since Luke Zeller in 2004.
COACH SHREWSBERRY SAYS: "He's done it, right? He hasn't done it at the college level, but how he's played, the major thing for him is I want him to be himself. He doesn't have to be who I think he should be. We just want him to be himself and play the way he can."
(4) ALEX WADE
DIMENSIONS: 6-0, 173
POSITION: Guard
CLASS: Junior
HOMETOWN: San Diego
ROAD TO ND: Wade joined the program as a walk-on for the 2021-22 season.
NOTING: Wade was awarded a scholarship during the summer, making him the 11th player on scholarship for 2023-24.
(110 BRAEDEN SHREWSBERRY
DIMENSIONS: 6-3, 189
POSITION: Guard
CLASS: Freshman
HOMETOWN: State College, Pennsylvania
ROAD TO ND: Signed to play at Penn State after averaging 17.4 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists as a prep senior, Shrewsberry followed his father to Notre Dame in spring.
NOTING: Born in Huntington, West Virginia, Shrewsberry has called the following towns home − South Bend, Indianapolis, West Lafayette (twice), Boston, State College and now, Granger.
COACH SHREWSBERRY SAYS: "He does not lack for confidence, probably getting that from his mom more than me. He does it shooting the ball on the move. He does it off the dribble. Just having that confidence to be a guy who can put some points up on the board when we need it and be a consistent shooter for us will help."
(12) TONY SANDERS
DIMENSIONS: 6-7, 217
POSITION: Guard
CLASS: Senior
HOMETOWN: Miami, Florida
ROAD TO ND: Sanders never visited campus before committing to Notre Dame in the spring of 2020, only days after the global pandemic started.
NOTING: Sanders has played in 26 games with one start in his first three seasons. He played six minutes over five games while battling injury and illness last year. One of two true seniors, Sanders has an added year of eligibility in 2023-24.
COACH SHREWSBERRY SAYS: "He's an older guy who knows the ropes. He can make open shots. He's going to be a good player. He's made strides."
(13) TAE DAVIS
DIMENSIONS: 6-9, 208
POSITION: Forward
CLASS: Sophomore
HOMETOWN: Indianapolis
ROAD TO ND: After one season at Seton Hall, where he averaged 2.8 points and 2.8 rebounds in 13.4 minutes over 32 games, Davis transferred to Notre Dame in June.
NOTING: Davis has guarded everyone from point guards to power forwards in preseason practice.
COACH SHREWSBERRY SAYS: "I've stayed on him in practice because I want so much from him. He's really, really talented and what he's able to do with the basketball. We're putting a lot on his shoulders; we expect a lot from him."
(14) KEBBA NJIE
DIMENSIONS: 6-10, 254
POSITION: Forward
CLASS: Sophomore
HOMETOWN: Centerville, Ohio
ROAD TO ND: Njie averaged 3.5 points and 3.4 rebounds in 14.3 minutes while appearing in all 37 games (26 starts) as a freshman last season at Penn State. He entered the transfer portal in April and chose Notre Dame over Central Florida in early May.
NOTING: Njie played his final two years of high school at La Lumiere School in LaPorte, where he was a teammates of former Irish guard J.J. Starling.
COACH SHREWSBERRY SAYS: "Kebba's a little bit advanced because he's practiced (in Shrewsberry's system). He's been around me for a year. His voice is really carrying a lot of other people. Kebba knows what to say because he's been through it. He's comfortable. When you have a big guy that can talk, that anchors your defense really well. He's been doing that for us."
(20) JR KONIECZNY
DIMENSIONS: 6-7, 204
POSITION: Guard
CLASS: Junior
HOMETOWN: South Bend
ROAD TO ND: Konieczny was part of a two-player recruiting class (Blake Wesley) that signed with Notre Dame in the fall of 2020.
NOTING: After averaging 28.3 points per game his senior season at South Bend Saint Joseph, Konieczny has scored 11 in his first two years at Notre Dame. He has three seasons of eligibility remaining after sitting out the 2022-23 season.
COACH SHREWSBERRY SAYS: "There are different guys that make moves up the depth chart because they're trying to do what you ask. I think if you ask JR about preseason practice, he'd probably tell you he's having more fun than he's ever had before. You see the joy in his face. He's going to play for us, man. He's going to be on the court. He's going to help us."
(25) MATT ZONA
DIMENSIONS: 6-9, 252
POSITION: Forward
CLASS: Senior
HOMETOWN: Blauvelt, New York
ROAD TO ND: Zona was originally part of a two-man recruiting class (former PF Elijah Taylor) that signed in the fall of 2019, just before a senior season that saw him earn New Jersey state player of the year honors.
NOTING: Zona scored 19 of his 34 total points last season in the last two games − 10 vs. Clemson and nine vs. Virginia Tech. The team's leading returning scorer (1.7 ppg.), has an added year of eligibility in 2023-24.
COACH SHREWSBERRY SAYS: "One of the best things he does, he just talks all the time. He leads. He's the oldest guy we have so his experience being in college, understanding what a practice looks like, just his overall energy that he brings every day has been great."
Follow South Bend Tribune and NDInsider columnist Tom Noie on X (formerly Twitter): @tnoieNDI. Contact: (574) 235-6153.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Notre Dame men's basketball roster breakdown. Meet the team
