Zach Auguste to ND?

[brewcity77]

I think people need to remember that if we get excited about a recruit on these boards, Buzz likely has a quite different perspective on our chances of getting him.  How many players has he signed that we never talked or knew about?  He may have effectively moved on from a player long before his commitment to a different school.  We just don't know.

In this case, I highly doubt it, considering that Auguste was on campus a week ago.

[Boone]

I don't think that's true in this case -- there were only 3-4 days between his visits to us and ND. A pretty small window, given how most official visits are spaced at least a week apart.

[Blackhat]

Can't exactly blame the kid.  If we're honest ND has its academic perks and being on that campus in the fall can be captivating.  Plus their b-ball team has been on the rise.  Still stings a bit though, just cause he's a big.



Not long ago Zach Auguste had to let the Notre Dame coaching staff know he was moving in another direction with his recruitment.

   
It didn't necessarily come easy to the four-star power forward from New Hampton, N.H., but he had chosen to move on with a group of Florida, Georgia Tech, Marquette and West Virginia. Turns out Irish head coach Mike Brey and his staff were having none of it.

"The next day coach (Anthony) Solomon called me," Auguste said, "and he was like 'Zach, listen, I'm can't let you drop Notre Dame. We need you, we want you and this is the place you've gotta be.' He said, 'I'm gonna prove it to you.' I was like, 'OK, coach.' At first I was shocked. I was like, 'OK, a school I told no to is still coming at me.' It just meant a lot."

It meant enough to get Auguste on campus.

Last weekend Marquette hosted Auguste and not long after word started to trickle out that his next stop would be to Notre Dame, a school many thought was dead in the water. Auguste arrive on campus Wednesday night to begin his official visit.

Not long after dinnertime Thursday the Irish had received a commitment from the No. 93 rated prospect in the most recent Rivals150.

"I was looking for a program like New Hampton where I was going to develop as a player as well as a person," Auguste said. "On and off the court. Coach Brey and the other coaches, they look to get their players better on and off the court. I just felt like it was a perfect fit for me."

Auguste joins four-star small forward Cameron Biedscheid and in-state forward Austin Burgett in the current Notre Dame recruiting haul.

Biedscheid, who is the No. 30 prospect in the Rivals150, and Auguste give Notre Dame two top 100 commitments for the first time since the Class of 2005. That group featured Ryan Ayers, Kyle McAlarney and Luke Zeller.

After a strong summer Auguste shot up the rankings.

"I think Zach has tremendous upside and is a player who is still on the rise," Rivals.com analyst Eric Bossi said. "He's a fluid big man who can shoot to about 15 feet and take other bigs off the dribble while also being a high rate rebounder."

Notre Dame was one of the first high major schools to noticed that kind of potential in the 6-foot-9, 220-pound prospect.

Brey offered Auguste a scholarship last fall and continued his pursuit into the season, at one point flying to the East Coast between games to watch New Hampton play against Northfield Mount Hermon and one-time target Evan Cummins.

That the coaching staff stuck with him for so long left an impression on Auguste, as did their refusal to let him slip through their grasp.

"It was really important," Auguste said. "The best part about it is when I told them I cut them off the list they wouldn't give up. They didn't want to stop. They kept coming at me and that really meant something to me."

[NersEllenson]

"It was really important," Auguste said. "The best part about it is when I told them I cut them off the list they wouldn't give up. They didn't want to stop. They kept coming at me and that really meant something to me."

If only women rewarded such persistence in a similar fashion.

[DomJamesToTheBasket]

It would have been nice to get him,  but the odds are he will just be the next Wesley Green, Femi Ibikunle, Dashonte Riley...big guys bust more than they boom!

I am higher on Nolan anyways. Plenty of length to play center,  probably the best athleticism of the 3 we were on,  and the best all-around skills with a long range J in his arsenal.  He sounds like a Joe Smith type and that kind of player could be deadly at MU,  a team composed of dangerous slashers. A versatile guy like that opens up lanes with their threat outside of the paint.

[TedBaxter]

It would have been nice to get him,  but the odds are he will just be the next Wesley Green, Femi Ibikunle, Dashonte Riley...big guys bust more than they boom!

I am higher on Nolan anyways. Plenty of length to play center,  probably the best athleticism of the 3 we were on,  and the best all-around skills with a long range J in his arsenal.  He sounds like a Joe Smith type and that kind of player could be deadly at MU,  a team composed of dangerous slashers. A versatile guy like that opens up lanes with their threat outside of the paint.

Zach Auguste picked Notre Dame and that fit him from what he thinks and I really hope he does well.  Auguste is better than Nolan skill wise right now and I think Auguste would give minutes right away at Marquette.  There's a reason Buzz targeted Auguste.  Buzz was at the game where Auguste outplayed Nolan this summer.

http://www.newenglandrecruitingreport.com/news/article/2084/What-We-Learned-in-Las-Vegas.php

That said, if Buzz thinks Phillip Nolan is the next best option, I hope he lands him.