Notre Dame men’s basketball coaches break down class of 2024

In his 2024 recruiting class — Charlotte (N.C) Myers Park guard Sir Mohammed, Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy guard Cole Certa and Fairfax (Va.) Paul VI Catholic forward Garrett Sundra — Notre Dame head coach Micah Shrewsberry believes he secured three major pieces for his program.

“This is a very, very bright day for our future, with three really great people, first and foremost,” Shrewsberry said in a signing-day press conference Wednesday. “They’re really good basketball players. All three fit our style of play, but they’re winners, also.”

After Shrewsberry talked big picture, his coaching staff broken down each individual player at length. Here’s what they believe Mohammed, Certa and Sundra will bring to the Irish.

Notre Dame assistant coach Mike Farrelly on G Sir Mohammed

“He’s as high-IQ of a basketball player as there is in the country. I think he has the highest IQ, and we’ve seen them all. You’ll see here in a lot of his AAU highlights, him playing as the point guard for Team Curry and just finding people. He reads off of ball screens, and what he’s able to do, the vision he plays with both in the half court and in transition is pretty much unmatched, I think, in the 2024 class. So, for how we play and what we do, just such a great fit in our system, in our read-and-react and making reads.

“Obviously, he’s got great size for the point guard position. 6-5, 6-6, good athlete. Gets to wherever he wants to, gets to his spots, can finish at the rim, can finish over the rim and do a little bit of everything. He really is a three-level scorer and a threat to do a little bit of everything on the court. So, really excited to get with him every day and continue to unlock his game, moving forward. This was from a big tournament in Vegas over the summer that he was one of the better players at. And you see, head’s always up, seeing his teammates, not concerned about scoring, but really wants to make his teammates better.

“He can score out of the post and operate out of the post at his size as well. I think he’s gonna be a guy that we can create a lot of mismatches for, and be a really hard matchup here in the ACC. Here, you see a little bit of a fadeaway against a smaller guard. So, him being able to play the point guard position at that size and do some different stuff against smaller guards is gonna be huge. 

“Very good shooter. I think that’s another thing that he doesn’t get probably enough credit for, but he can really shoot the basketball, can make mid-range pull-ups, can shoot the ball from three. You’ll see a bunch off the dribble. People are going to have some challenges in guarding him off ball screens, because of his ability to shoot the basketball there off those screens, not gonna be able to go under. You have play different types of coverages because he’s a threat at all those levels.

“Really good, competitive, active defender. Playing at that high level, both in high school and AAU, just that competitive nature. When those games turn up a notch and he’s playing in the big moment, he wants to be the guy guarding the basketball and does a great job in those moments. So, we’re excited to add him to our culture of toughness and competitiveness that we’re trying to lay the groundwork for with this year’s team.”

Irish assistant coach Ryan Owens on G Cole Certa

“We’re really excited about what he’s going to provide to us, and he’s gonna provide instant spacing on the basketball court. He has the ability to space the court, which allows everybody else to have more room to operate. He’s a world-class, elite shooter. We felt like we got the best shooter in the country coming to Notre Dame next year in the ‘24 class.

“He can shoot it off the bounce. He can shoot it off the catch. He can shoot it off the move. He can cut with pace and shoot it. This year, you can see as he has the ball in his hands right there, he’s a rhythm shooter as well. He’s a gym rat. High IQ. Very competitive young man with a deep range. You can see him coming up, using a ball screen, pulling up and shooting with confidence. There’s always a place on the team for world-class shooting.”

Notre Dame associate head coach Kyle Getter

“First off, Garrett is really a unique player. He’s 6-11, but he has a skillset that is kind of the modern-day, stretch forward. … He just knows how to win, and I think playing at a high level of competition in both those environments [high school and AAU] has really benefitted from him. His upside is through the roof.

“His versatility is really what stands out. He runs the floor extremely well. Moves laterally, very fluid mover at 6-11, like I mentioned. Can cut off the ball, he can score off dump-downs, can score in the post. I mentioned his versatility, he does a lot of things very, very well. He’s gonna certainly take advantage of spending time with [strength] coach Greg Miskinis the next few years in getting stronger and getting acclimated to the ACC level of physicality. But he’s played some of the best players in the country, whether it’s been on the AAU circuit or in high school.

“I think he’ll come well-prepared to help us right away. His ability to shoot the floor at 6-11, the way we want to play, with five out — Coach [Shrewsberry] loves shooting — he certainly adds that aspect to our program right away.”