Basketball
What former Notre Dame men’s basketball players did what, where this past season?
Where are they now?
How about all over the world.
Just because someone’s time with the Notre Dame men’s basketball program ends doesn’t mean their playing career ends. Many Irish have found hoops homes near and far from their own.
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Following is a rundown of how 18 former Irish fared professionally this past season, some of which run from August to May, in their respective leagues. Players are listed alphabetically with their years at Notre Dame in parenthesis. All statistics are courtesy of eurobasket.com and nba.com.
☘ Tim Abromaitis (2008-12)
Country: Spain
Team: Tenerife
Record: Finished 21-15 overall and sixth place among the 18-team Liga Endesa.
Stats: Tenerife’s 34-year-old starting small forward, Abromaitis averaged 7.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, 0.6 assists and 0.8 blocks in 22.6 minutes over 36 games. He shot 59.3 percent from the field, 39.2 percent from 3 and 82.2 percent from the foul line.
Abromaitis also appeared in 17 Basketball Champions League games, where he averaged 5.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 0.7 assists and 0.5 steals in 23.8 minutes over 17 games. He shot 57.6 percent from the field, 34.3 percent from 3 and 85.7 percent from the foul line.
Best game: In an 88-81 victory over Rio Breogan on Oct. 7, 2023, Abromaitis had 14 points, five rebounds and two assists in 28 minutes.
Note: Abromaitis finished a second stint this season with Tenerife, his sixth overall season with the club. The starting point guard was former Virginia standout and Indiana native Kyle Guy.
☘ Paul Atkinson (2021-22)
Country: Belgium
Team: Kortrijk Spurs
Record: Finished 16-17 overall, 8-12 and eighth place in the 11-team Belgium Pro Basketball League. Kortrijk opened 1-11 with losing streaks of five and six straight before closing with 10 straight wins.
Stats: In 32 games as the backup power forward to former Virginia standout Jayden Gardner, the 6-foot-9 Atkinson averaged 18.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 21.2 minutes over 32 games. He shot 58 percent from the field, 20 percent from 3 and 68.2 percent from the foul line.
Best game: In an 87-84 victory over Belfius Mons-Hainaut on Nov. 15, 2023, Atkinson had 31 points on 12-of-14 from the field with nine rebounds, two assists and two steals in 30 minutes.
Note: Make it two countries and two professional teams in two seasons for Atkinson, who earned Atlantic Coast Conference honorable mention honors in his only season at Notre Dame. The former Yale big man averaged 15.2 points. 7.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 28.7 minutes as a rookie in Hungary in 2022-23.
☘ Zach Auguste (2012-16)
Country: Japan
Team: Mikawa Sea Horses
Record: The Sea Horses finished the regular season 36-24 and second place among eight teams in the Japanese B League B1 Central Division.
Stats: In 61 regular-season games, Mikawa’s starting center averaged 13.7 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.0 steals in 25.5 minutes. He shot 66.9 percent from the field, 26.2 percent from 3 and 55.5 percent from the foul line.
Best game: Auguste scored 26 points with 11 rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal in 30 minutes in a 97-82 victory over Nagasaki on Oct. 28, 2023.
Note: Mikawa is the fourth team/country in as many years for Auguste, who holds dual citizenship (Greece/United States). He played professionally the previous year in Turkey after one season each in Greece and Slovenia. Auguste is represented by the same agency (Pensack Sports) as fellow former Irish guard Dane Goodwin and power forwards Jack Cooley and John Mooney.
Auguste played four games (two each) against Cooley and Mooney in Japan. He averaged 18 points and 10 rebounds in two games against Cooley (1-1) and 18 points and 14 rebounds in two games against Mooney (1-1).
☘ Bonzie Colson (2014-18)
Country: Israel
Team: Maccabi Tel-Aviv
Record: Maccabi finished 25-4 and first place in the 13-team Israel-Winner League. It went 23-17 and finished seventh in the 18-team Euro League.
Stats: In 40 Euro League games, the 6-foot-6 Colson averaged 12.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 0.2 assists and 1.3 steals in 28.9 minutes. He shot 55.1 percent from the field, 38.7 percent from 3 and 79.4 percent from the foul line.
Colson also played 16 games in the Israel-Winner League where he averaged 11.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 0.4 assists and 1.2 steals in 24.4 minutes. He shot 52.3 percent from the field, 30.8 percent from 3 and 88.9 percent from the foul line.
Best game: In a 106-101 loss to Real Madrid on Jan. 30, Colson scored 25 points with six rebounds and one steal in 34 minutes.
Note: Colson has one year remaining on the two-year deal he signed with Maccabi last spring. The 28-year-old native of New Bedford, Massachusetts also has played professionally in the NBA (Milwaukee, Cleveland), the G League, France and Turkey.
☘ Pat Connaughton (2011-15)
Country: United States
Team: Milwaukee Bucks
Record: The Bucks finished 49-33 and won the Central Division for a sixth straight season. A No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference, Milwaukee lost in the first round of the NBA playoffs, 4-2, to No. 6 Indiana.
Stats: Averaged 5.6 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 22.1 minutes over 76 games, the most games that Connaughton played since his third year in the league (2017-18) with Portland. He shot 43.5 percent from the field, 34.5 percent from 3 and 75.9 percent from the foul line.
Best game: In a March 8 loss (123-122) to the Lakers in Los Angeles, Connaughton had 17 points (four-of-five from 3) and six rebounds in 31 minutes.
Note: A second-round pick (41st overall) of Brooklyn in the 2015 draft, the 31-year-old Connaughton has played in 554 career games over nine seasons with three teams. He’s signed through the 2025-26 season, which is his player option year.
☘ Jack Cooley (2009-13)
Country: Japan
Team: Ryukyu GK
Record: Finished 46-23 overall, 41-19 and first place in the eight-team West Division of the Japan-B1 League. Ryukyu also went 3-3 and third place among four teams in the East Asia Super League Group B.
Cooley had nine points and seven rebounds in 25 minutes as Ryukyu lost the B1 League championship game May 28 to Hiroshima, 65-50.
Stats: The team’s starting center, Cooley led Ryukyu in scoring (13.0) and rebounding (10.3) while averaging 1.2 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.8 blocks in 26.2 minutes per game. He shot 59.2 percent from the field, 16.7 percent (2-of-12) from 3 and 74 percent from the foul line.
Cooley also appeared in three games in the East Asia Super League and averaged 10.7 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 0.3 blocks in 31.3 minutes. He shot 58.3 percent from the field, was 0-for-1 from 3 and 4-of-4 from the foul line.
Best game: On New Year’s Eve – Dec. 31, 2023 – Cooley had a rebounding game of the ages. In an 84-69 win over the Sendai 49ers, Cooley scored 25 points with a season-high 27 rebounds, including 21 defensively, in 34 minutes.
Note: Of the 60 games Cooley played this season, he finished with double-figure rebounds in 31.
☘ Nikola Djogo (2017-21)
Country: Hungary
Team: Kormend
Record: Finished 16-22 and sixth place in the eight-team Hungary A Division.
Stats: After playing only one game professionally last year – his rookie year – in Croatia, Djogo averaged 12.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 0.9 steals in 26.7 minutes this season. He shot 53.3 percent from the field, 30.4 percent from 3 and 79.8 percent from the foul line.
Best game: In a 101-90 loss to OSE Lions on April 27, Djogo scored 23 points (nine-of-nine free throws) with seven rebounds and four assists in 27 minutes.
Note: Djogo played 748 minutes this season, his second as a pro. In his four years at Notre Dame, Djogo played 1,375 minutes.
☘ Martinas Geben (2014-18)
Country: Spain
Team: Baxi Manresa
Record: Manresa finished 19-17 overall and eighth place in the 18-team LIGA ACD Division.
Stats: In 35 Liga games, the team’s backup center averaged 8.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.4 steals and 0.5 blocks over 16.5 minutes a game. He shot 56.7 percent from the field, 39.1 percent from 3 and 84.4 percent from the foul line.
Geben also appeared in one game for his native Lithuania in the European Championships. In an 83-64 victory over Poland on Feb. 22, Geben had one point, two rebounds, one assist and one steal in 17 minutes.
Best game: In Manresa’s season opener on Sept. 24, 2023, the 29-year-old Geben had 17 points, eight rebounds and an assist in 22 minutes in a 97-92 loss to Gran Canaria.
Note: Manresa is coached by Pedro Martinez (not THAT Pedro Martinez).
☘ T.J. Gibbs (2016-20)
Country: Portugal
Team: AD Galomar
Record: Finished 6-16 and in 10th place of the 12-team Liga Betclic league.
Stats: The team’s starting shooting guard, Gibbs averaged 10.6 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.5 steals in 28.9 minutes over 10 games. He shot 38 percent from the field, 25.4 percent from 3 and 79.3 percent from the foul line.
Gibbs opened the year with Artland in Germany’s Pro A League, where he averaged 15.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.0 steals in 26.3 minutes over four games. He shot 33.3 percent from the field. 33.3 percent from 3 and 80 percent from the foul line.
Best game: Gibbs scored 21 points with three rebounds and seven assists on Jan. 18 in a 103-86 loss to Oradea.
Note: Gibbs has played in four countries – Slovenia, Romania, Germany and Portugal – in his first three professional seasons.
☘ Dane Goodwin (2018-23)
Country: United States
Team: Stockton (California) Kings
Record: Sacramento’s G-League affiliate finished 24-10 and first place in the 15-team West Division. The Western Conference’s No. 1 seed, Stockton was eliminated by Oklahoma City in the one-game conference finals.
Stats: An undrafted free agent after leaving Notre Dame the career leader in games played (158), Goodwin averaged 7.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.4 steals and 0.3 blocks in 22.4 minutes over 26 games. He shot 44.9 percent from the field, 43.8 percent from 3 and 25 percent (2-for-8) from the foul line.
Best game: Goodwin scored 30 points on 12-of-17 from the field with six rebounds, three assists and two blocks in 44 minutes in a 121-107 victory over Oklahoma City on Feb. 10.
Note: Working mainly as a reserve shooting guard/wing on a team that also included Brian Bowen, Stanley Johnson and Shabazz Muhammad, Goodwin scored double figures seven times his rookie year. Over the last six games, he averaged 10.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.
☘ Jerian Grant (2010-15)
Country: Greece
Team: Panathinaikos OPAP
Record: Finished 28-1 and first place in the six-team Winners League of the 12-team Greek Basketball League (GBL). Also went 28-13 and second place among 18 teams in the Euro League.
Stats: The 31-year-old Grant averaged 8.6 points, 2.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.5 steals in 28.1 minutes over 41 Euro League games. He shot 49.7 percent from the field, 41.6 percent from 3 and 86.1 percent from the foul line.
In 25 GBL games, Grant averaged 8.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 23.7 minutes. He shot 56.1 percent from the field, 45.8 percent from 3 and 88.9 percent from the foul line.
Best game: In a GBL game on Jan. 7, a 90-75 win over Peristeri Athens, Grant finished with 26 points, five rebounds and seven assists in 38 minutes. Last week in the Euro League championship game against top seed Real Madrid, Grant had 11 points, six rebounds and five assists in 33 minutes in a 95-80 Panathinaikos win.
Note: A former first-round NBA draft pick who played for four teams (New York, Chicago, Orlando, Washington) before going overseas, Grant has also played in Italy and Turkey. This was his first season in Greece.
☘ Marcus Hammond (2022-23)
Country: Switzerland
Team: Lugano Tigers
Record: Lugano finished 13-14 overall. It lost its last six and seven of eight to go 9-18 for ninth place in the 10-team Swiss Basketball League (SBL).
Stats: The team’s starting point guard, Hammond averaged a team-high 22.4 points with 3.2 rebounds and 4.8 assists in a team-high 37.3 minutes per game over 13 games. He shot 52.2 percent from the field, 41.2 percent from 3 and 82.8 percent from the foul line.
Hammond started his rookie season in Bulgaria, where he played six games in the NBL and averaged 9.3 points, 1.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.0 steals in 21.2 minutes. He shot 64 percent from the field, 14.8 percent (4-for-27) from 3 and 80 percent from the foul line.
Best game: In a March 30 loss (93-87) to Geneve, Hammond played 40 minutes and scored 31 points with five rebounds, four assists and one steal.
Note: Hammond scored 291 total points in his first professional season. In his only season at Notre Dame, sidetracked by an early-season knee injury, the graduate transfer from Niagara scored 238 points.
☘ Prentiss Hubb (2018-22)
Country: Italy
Team: Dolomiti Energia Trentino
Record: Finished 17-17 overall, 15-15 and seventh place in the 16-team Italy-Serie A League.
Stats: In 30 games as the starting shooting guard (he was a point guard in college), Hubb averaged 11.4 points, 1.9 rebounds and a team-best 5.0 assists in 24.6 minutes per game. He shot 43.5 percent from the field, 36.1 percent from 3 and 72.9 percent from the foul line.
Hubb also appeared in 16 EuroCup games, where he averaged 8.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 24.8 minutes. He shot 32.7 percent from the field, 23.1 percent from 3 and 78.8 percent from the foul line.
Best game: In a 106-79 victory over Venezia on Dec. 3, 2023, Hubb had 22 points, one rebound and a season-high nine assists.
Note: It’s been two professional seasons, two countries for Hubb, who played last year in Germany.
☘ Nate Laszewski (2018-23)
Country: Italy
Team: Happy Casa Brindisi
Record: Brindisi finished 10-20 and 15th place out of 16 teams in the Serie A league regular season.
Stats: An undrafted free agent, Laszewski averaged 8.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in 27.3 minutes over 30 games. He shot 45.2 percent from the field, 46.4 percent from 3 and 79.1 percent from the foul line.
Best game: In an 86-81 victory over Varese on Dec. 10, 2023, the team’s starting power forward had 22 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals in 35 minutes.
Note: Laszewski also appeared in four EuroCup games for Brindisi, where he averaged 10.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.0 blocks and 1.3 steals in 30.5 minutes. He shot 36.4 percent from the field, 42.9 percent from 3 and 80 percent from the foul line.
☘ John Mooney (2016-20)
Country: Japan
Team: Chiba Jets
Record: Chiba finished 38-28 overall, 35-25 and third place in the East Division B1 standings.
Stats: In 57 B1 games, Mooney averaged 17.4 points (second on team), 11.6 rebounds (first), 2.2 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.9 blocks in 31.8 minutes. He shot 60.1 percent from the field, 31.2 percent from 3 and 78.3 percent from the foul line.
In six East Asia Super League games, Mooney averaged team-highs for points (21.7) and rebounds (15.3) while averaging 4.0 assists and 1.5 steals in 32.8 minutes. He shot 64.5 percent from the field, 26.7 percent from 3 and 80 percent from the foul line.
Best game: Mooney had 24 points, 23 rebounds and one assist in 43 minutes in a March 2 victory (85-79) over Hiroshima. He also had regular-season games of 22 and 24 rebounds.
Note: Finishing his fourth professional season – his third in Japan after one in Australia – Mooney was a double-double beast for points and rebounds this season. He had 35 double-doubles and had double-figure rebounds in 38 B1 games. In the East Asia Super League, Mooney had six double-doubles in all six games.
☘ Ty Nash (2007-11)
Country: Qatar
Team: Al Ahli Sports Club
Record: Went 13-3 and first place in the nine-team Qatar Basketball League.
Stats: Joining Al Ahli for the final three games of the season, Nash averaged 13.3 points, 10.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 0.7 blocks in 32.7 minutes. He shot 51.6 percent from the field and 53.3 percent from the foul line.
Best game: With only three to choose from, Nash erupted for 24 points, 10 rebounds and one block in 41 minutes in his second game with Al Alhi, a 94-90 victory on March 13 over Qatar Club.
Note: A New York native who turns 36 in September, Nash just continues to find various places to play basketball professionally – and play it well. He’s also played in Bahrain, Chile, Germany, the Dominican Republic, France, Israel, Lithuania, Turkey and the United States.
☘ Trey Wertz (2020-23)
Country: North Macedonia
Team: KK TFT Skopje
Record: Skopje lost its last three to finish 19-23 overall and 14-8, fifth place in the eight-team Stage Two PlayOff.
Stats: In 27 games, Wertz averaged 10.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 0.9 steals over 28.9 minutes per game. He shot 49.6 percent from the field, 34.6 percent from 3 and 80.9 percent from the foul line.
Best game: In an 83-72 victory over Cair 2030 on April 11, Wertz scored 26 points (5-of-7 from 3) with three rebounds and one assist.
Note: Wertz was the last traditional transfer to attend Notre Dame. Arriving from Santa Clara, Wertz planned to sit out the 2020-21 season before the NCAA ruled all transfers immediately eligible because of the COVID-19 global pandemic. He scored a career-high 27 points in his first Notre Dame game (against Purdue in the Crossroads Classic).
☘ Blake Wesley (2021-22)
Country: United States
Team: San Antonio Spurs
Record: For a second straight season, the Spurs went 22-60 and finished in fifth place (last) in the Southwest Division. Only four teams had fewer wins.
Stats: Notre Dame’s first first-round NBA draft pick (25th overall) since Grant in 2015, Wesley averaged 4.4 points, 1.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 14.4 minutes over 61 games. He shot 47.4 percent from the field (up from 32.9 percent as a rookie), 21.8 percent from 3 and 66.7 percent from the foul line.
Over the season’s final five games, Wesley averaged 9.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 23.0 minutes. He shot 51.5 percent from the field, 44.4 percent from 3 and 87.5 percent from the foul line.
Wesley also played 12 games for the G League’s Austin Spurs. He averaged 17.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 31.3 minutes. His best game was Dec. 20, 2023, in a 114-100 victory over Long Island with 28 points, three rebounds and two assists in 29 minutes. It was his last G League game after scoring at least 21 points in his final three games with Austin and four of five.
Best game: In the season finale, a 123-95 victory over Detroit on April 14, Wesley tied his season high with 17 points (7-of-9 from the field), with seven rebounds, five assists and three steals in 30 minutes. He finished with a plus/minus rating of (+24) after a (-28) the previous game.
Note: The 21-year-old Wesley is officially listed at 6-foot-3. In 2021-22, his only season at Notre Dame, Wesley measured 6-5 on the official team roster.
Follow South Bend Tribune and NDInsider columnist Tom Noie on Twitter: @tnoieNDI. Contact: (574) 235-6153.
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