Jai Lucas

Apparently Florida guard Jai Lucas is interested in playing for Notre Dame. While I would shy away from picking up a guy who wants to be more of a centerpiece of the offense, we do need a true point guard. Lucas was a four star guy out of high school and can play two-and-a-half years starting next January. If he has a good head on his shoulders (many NBA kids do: see Ryan Ayers and Stephen Curry), I would love to see him wearing blue and gold.

The first half season would be tricky, as Tory Jackson will be finishing his senior year. If Lucas is happy with coming off the bench (a Jackson-Hansbrough backcourt pairing is most likely) for just a little bit, he could make an excellent two year starter at the point (provided he stays five years in college). In 2010, a Jackson-Hansbrough-Lucas three guard lineup would also be very deadly, especially with Lucas' shooting ability.

Coach Brey's effort in recruiting transfers is very heartening (Alex Legion, Hansbrough, and Martin in the last year). If he can't land the most talented players out of high school, he keeps working to improve the team quickly through players who can step in right away. That will trickle down to high school recruiting when kids can see that players who have a second chance to make a school decision consistently pick ND and have success here.

Of course, transfers could always be a problem as well. In hindsight, we were lucky to not land Legion (nicknamed Kobe for how he doesn't pass or play defense). No need to add a Chris Thomas-type with such a mature and unselfish team already put together.