With Luke Harangody’s departure, Tyrone Nash and Carleton Scott return as Notre Dame’s most experienced big men. As a result, the recruitment of tall, athletic players has been a focal point this off-season.
With Irish assistants scouting talent across the nation, the Midwest has been a sound starting point for Notre Dame’s coaches to look for prospective recruits.
Another named added to the Irish watch list for big men is Frank Kaminsky (Lisle, Ill./Benet Academy), a center in the class of 2011.
The 6-foot-10, 260-pound athlete’s recruitment with Notre Dame started a couple of weeks ago.
“Coach [Martin] Ingelsby originally contacted my high school coach and talked to him about me,” Kaminsky said. “He called me about a week later and we talked. He wants me to come up for a visit.”
Although he lives two and a half hours away from Notre Dame’s campus, the junior has never been on a visit. However, with the Irish nearby, Kaminsky is familiar with the program, simply because of its national coverage.
“I know a little bit about Notre Dame just by watching them on TV and watching them in the Big East Tournament and stuff like that. I know a little bit about their coaches and players too.”
After Ingelsby reached out to display interest, Kaminsky has been thinking more and more about Notre Dame. Although he has not separated a firm date over the summer, the junior center definitely plans on taking the drive east to South Bend to take in the Irish campus.
“I pretty much decided that I’m going to be going, but I don’t know when yet because I have such a hectic high-school schedule in June,” Kaminsky said. “So if I get up there any day, I’ll go.”
Kaminsky holds offers from Bradley, DePaul, Northern Illinois, Northwestern and Wisconsin.
“I don’t really have a list of favorites,” he said. “I’m not really pressured into making a decision right now. But I do think if something good comes up and I can’t resist, that I’m going to take it.”
Even when Harangody was in the lineup, Notre Dame never had a true center in the lineup over the past couple of seasons. If Kaminsky’s recruitment with the Irish heats up, the junior could eventually fit the position.
“I think that I bring versatility to the game,” Kaminsky said. “Inside or out—if there is somebody bigger that’s guarding me, I can go outside and take him away from the basket. If someone smaller is guarding me, I can go inside. I think I rebound pretty well. I just go after the ball.”
Kaminsky has had plenty of opportunities to showcase his talents over the off-season. Amidst workouts, the center is also part of the Illinois Wolves, his AAU squad.
“The AAU playing has been going pretty well,” Kaminsky said. “We’ve won a lot of tournaments and we’ve gone far in every single tournament so far. It’s gone really well. I think I’ve played pretty well so far. I’m just doing what the coaches tell me to do.”
