Notre Dame men's basketball forward Matt Zona enters transfer portal
Notre Dame men’s basketball senior forward Matt Zona will enter the transfer portal, he announced on social media Thursday afternoon. He has one year of eligibility remaining.
“The last four years have been an incredible journey filled with memories I will cherish forever,” Zona said in a social media graphic. I am so incredibly grateful to call this university home.”
Zona played in all 33 games this season, starting 6 and averaging 11.3 minutes per outing. He put up 2.3 points and 2.3 rebounds per game, making 31.7 percent of his shots from behind the 3-point line.
He was also named Notre Dame’s captain shortly before the Irish took on Clemson on March 2. That night — which was senior night — Zona hit two 3-pointers, hauled in 4 rebounds and dished out 2 assists to help the Irish upset the Tigers 69-62.
“I’m a firm believer in you wanna leave a place better than you found it,” Zona said after the game. “With me doing something or not doing something, I think this place is in a really good spot, and we’re gonna get it going real soon.”
The Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic graduate will look to take advantage of the COVID-19 exception that granted all players who participated in the 2020-21 season an extra year of eligibility.
After former Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey stepped down and the Irish hired then-Penn State head coach Micah Shrewsberry to replace him, Zona chose to stay in South Bend. He was one of four players, alongside junior guard J.R. Konieczny, senior guard Tony Sanders Jr. and junior guard Alex Wade, who played for both Brey and Shrewsberry at Notre Dame.
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Shrewsberry credited Zona for being a critical piece of the team’s culture in his first season with the Irish, which is why he named the veteran forward captain late in the season.
“[Zona’s] a guy that when you look back on everything — his career and what it is while he was here — he’s a guy that will always be a foundational piece for me,” Shrewsberry said after the win over Clemson. “I’m using him as an example for other guys about how you handle yourself when things might not be going your way. How you handle yourself as a teammate on a daily basis. How you come in and prepare to play, even though you might not play that much.
“He’s a prime example of that, and that’s how you build. And our culture isn’t what it is without him.”
Zona will now look for a place where he can earn more playing time in his final season of college basketball.
After Zona’s departure, Notre Dame is at 12 scholarships for the 2024-25 season. The limit is 13.
