Notebook: Julian Roper II takes lessons from NU’s turnaround to Notre Dame

For junior guard Julian Roper II, Notre Dame in 2023 feels like Northwestern in 2021.

The Wildcats were coming off a dreadful season, having gone 9-15. The year before that, they went 8-22, and the run to the NCAA Tournament in 2017 was a distant memory. Chris Collins, then in his ninth year as the Wildcats’ coach, needed to change something in order to turn Northwestern around and get back to the big dance.

“That’s kind of what it feels like here,” Roper said Tuesday. “Obviously, there are way more new people [at Notre Dame], so we’re all trying to build that culture together.”

It worked in Evanston, Ill. Northwestern made slight improvements in the 2021-22 season, when Roper was a freshman, but it exploded this past year. The Wildcats went 22-12, pulling off an upset over No. 1 Purdue and making the Round of 32.

Defense, Roper said, was the key to Northwestern’s success, and that’s what first-year Notre Dame coach Micah Shrewsberry prides himself on. Roper, although he missed much of 2022-23 with an injury, will be a key part of that this season.

“Julian brings a level of toughness that I think every team needs,” Shrewsberry said. “I’d be concerned about it if we didn’t have that level of toughness. He can score the basketball, he can do other things offensively but I think his calling card is what he can do defensively. How he can be disruptive, how he can get into passing lanes, how he can guard and be physical but also help us on the glass as well.”

Roper believes he’ll be one of the best defenders on the court in every game. He sharpened his skills for two years in practice — Roper often went against NU stars Boo Buie and Chase Audige, who were both named to the All-Big Ten second team last season.

“I just hate when people score on me,” Roper said. “I really just think it’s a mentality, and I think I learned it young.” 

Njie explains why he followed Shrewsberry to Notre Dame

Sophomore forward Kebba Njie appreciated his coaching staff at Penn State for sticking with him down the stretch this past season. His freshman-year journey culminated in an eight-point performance on March 16 against Texas A&M, helping the Nittany Lions advance past the first round of the tournament.

“When I was at Penn State, I had struggles,” Njie said. “But they just believe in me, and they kept going back to me when we really needed it.”

When said coaching staff, led by Shrewsberry, left for Notre Dame, Njie made it clear to his coach that he was interested in following him. He remembers telling Shrewsberry that he would love to keep playing for him, and the feeling was mutual.

Several of Shrewsberry’s traits convinced Njie that moving from Happy Valley to South Bend was worth it.

“He’s just a positive person,” Njie said. “Outside the court, he’s just a really good person, and on the court, he’s really smart and he can see the game very well. And his basketball IQ is really high. And I’m just always learning from him and trying to improve my IQ as I keep on playing.”

Njie is looking forward to showing off his improvement from freshman to sophomore year. Since the 6-foot-10 big man entered the building at Penn State, Shrewsberry said, he’s gained at least 20 pounds in muscle.

Zona: ‘I’m still happy to be here.’

As one of the three holdovers from last season’s Notre Dame roster, March was a difficult month for senior forward Matt Zona. 

After an already difficult season, Zona stayed with the Irish while most of his teammates left.

“I tried to just keep my head down and focus on my academics,” Zona said. “It was definitely hard. But at that point, I was just trying to focus on myself, how I could better myself at that point. I just waited out this process and I couldn’t be happier with how everything played out.

Patience is something Zona has had to practice for three years. He had two career games with more than 10 minutes played before February of 2023, but he showed something in Notre Dame’s last two games this past season. Averaging 18 minutes, Zona scored 10 and 9 points, respectively.

Most notably, at 6-foot-9, Zona shot 6 for 7 from 3-point range. And as Notre Dame’s oldest player, Shrewsberry has noticed Zona stepping up as a vocal leader.

“His ability to make shots stands out,” Shrewsberry said. “His ability to rebound and be physical. But his overall energy that he brings every day has been great.”

Zona spoke highly of the team’s ability to gel together off the court so far this summer. They’ve hung out at each other’s apartment, playing video games. They went to a South Bend Cubs game together as a team. 

Doing so could help the Irish stick together through the long path back to relevance.

“It can’t all just be sunshine and rainbows,” Zona said. “We’re gonna have a lot of tough times and we’re gonna have a lot of great times. We gotta figure out how to balance all that.”

Which video games have the team been playing?

“Fortnite,” Zona said with a smile.