NOTRE DAME, Ind. - Irish men’s basketball coach Mike Brey has announced the signing of Zach Auguste (Malborough, Mass./New Hampton School), Cameron Biedscheid (St.Louis, Mo./Cardinal Ritter College Prep) and Austin Burgett (Avon, Ind./Avon) to National Letters of Intent as members of Notre Dame’s class of 2016. The trio will enroll at the University in the fall of 2012.
The class overall is currently ranked 16th by Rivals.com with Biedscheid (30) and Auguste (93) both listed in Rivals’ top 100 list among this year’s senior class.
“I am very pleased with how this class came together,” 12th-year head coach Mike Brey says. “I like the size because all three of the players are big and long. With this class we have three guys who are very good with the basketball. They know how to pass and catch and understand how to handle the ball.
“Zach, Cameron and Austin are all players with high basketball IQs and that has been the hallmarks of the guys who have been in our program. We’re going to need their versatility and forthem to be interchangeable parts for us at both ends of the floor.”
Auguste (pronounced August like the month) averaged 10.0 points and 7.0 rebounds in in 2010-11 at New Hampton School in New Hampton, N.H., where he led his team to a 21-13 record.
Prior to playing at New Hampton, the 6-10, 220-pound forward, attended Marlboro High School where he averaged 22.0 points in his junior season in 2009-10 in addition to registering five triple-doubles. Auguste totaled 631 points during his career at Marlboro while leading his team to the Central Massachusetts league championship in 2008 and two conference championships.
He was named to the Worcester Telegram and MetroWest Daily News all-star teams in 2010 and was awarded the Boston Globe’s ‘High Five’ award three times during that same year. Auguste also was selected as a Mid-Wachusett (Central Massachusets) League All-Star.
“Zach is the flexible number-four man on the floor that we always have had good success with,” Brey says. “He can step out and shoot the basketball but is also comfortable handling it as well. What I love most about his game is his length around the basket. Zach is so good at playing above the rim and is such a versatile player. He’s a strong shot blocker and consistently demonstrates that he can score it around the basket. For a 6-10 guy, he can handle the ball anywhere on the court.”
Biedscheid (pronounced beed • shide) has enjoyed a heralded prep career at Cardinal Ritter and hails from the same hometown area as former Irish great LaPhonso Ellis (1988-92). As a junior in ’10-’11, the 6-7, 174-pound guard led his high school squad in scoring and rebounding as he averaged 29.7 points and 7.9 rebounds in 29 contests while his team finished with a 23-6 mark.
He has scored more than 1,000 career points in three seasons and garnered all-state, all-Archdiocesan Athletic Association and all-region honors twice. Last season, he was named to the St. Louis American ‘Fab 5’ selection and also was selected to play in the ’11 Nike Global Challenge where he earned all-tournament team honors.
Biedscheid led Cardinal Ritter to the ’10 Missouri Class 3 state championship in a sophomore season in which he averaged 18.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.4 steals.
“Cameron can play any position on the perimeter and is great with the ball,” Brey says. “He can score off the dribble and has a keen knack for finding the basket. Cameron has demonstrated the ability to score from a lot of different spots on the floor. He has good speed and length. He could become a very good defensive asset for us because of that speed and wing span.”
Burgett, a 6-9, 220-pound forward, rounds out Notre Dame’s highly regarded recruiting class. As a junior last season, he averaged 14.9 points and 5.0 rebounds in leading his team to a 20-3 mark and 8-1 record in conference play.
An all-state selection as a junior, he has been a three-time selection to the Hoosier Crossroads Conference all-conference team and has garnered all-region and all-county honors on three occasions. Burgett led the Hoosier Crossroads Conference in three-point field goal percentage (.457) in ’10-’11 and was a member of the Indiana Junior All-Star team.
As a sophomore, he averaged 14.9 points and 10.0 rebounds. Burgett is the first student-athlete from Avon High School to attend Notre Dame.
“Austin was the first player to commit to us in this recruiting class and I am thrilled that he is part of this class,” Brey says. “He could be considered a point forward for us. Our fans will be reminded of Tyrone Nash when they see him play because he handles the ball so well for a player with hissize.
Austin’s ability to shoot from different spots on the floor will help stretch defenses out. He is a sneaky athletic player with a tremendous feel for the game. Like all of the three players that we have signed, he just knows how to play the game.”
Basketball Recruiting
Living in nearby Mishawaka, Demetrius Jackson has been to plenty of Notre Dame basketball games, but none like Saturday night’s upset over top-ranked Syracuse.
Demetrius Jackson is nearing a college decision.
Chance Ellis made an important decision when he decided to transfer from Christ The King High School in New York to The Rectory School in Pomfret, Conn. Not only was the 6-foot-4, 205-pound shooting guard changing schools, he was also changing his graduation date.
Zach Auguste surprised many when he brought his recruitment to an abrupt halt and committed to Notre Dame late this summer, but the 6-foot-9, 210-pound forward from New Hampton Prep in New Hampton, N.H., surprised nobody by signing his National Letter of Intent with the Irish on Wednesday morning.
