Irish Locking Up 2005 Class With PG Pledge

It may be the ‘dead’ period but Notre Dame basketball has been busy reeling in players for the class of 2005. On Wednesday night, they received their third commitment in the rising senior class from point guard Kyle McAlarney.

The 6-foot-2, 170-pound floor general from Staten Island, N.Y., decided to end his recruitment before it really began to heat up after practice with his Jersey Shore Warriors AAU team. He called the staff and made his verbal pledge to play for the Irish. His AAU coach Tony Sagona confirmed his commitment.

“Kyle is a great kid. That is the number one thing with him and that is the type of player that Notre Dame goes for,” Sagona said. “He is such a hard worker and a great passer. People know that he can score but he really is a good passer, too.”

Scorer indeed. McAlarney averaged over 30 points a contest last season. Maybe that is why the likes of Georgetown, NC State and Stanford were just entering the picture. But Notre Dame beat the rush and that paid off in the end.

“Coach (Mike) Brey wanted to get out there early with him and I think that paid off,” Sagona said. “Kyle’s mom went out there (to Notre Dame) a couple of weeks ago and she really liked it out there.”

McAlarney is the third player to commit to the Irish in the last month for the class of 2005. Shooting guard Ryan Ayers and power forward Luke Zeller, both members of the Rivals150 team, gave their verbal pledges to the program recently.

Zach Hillesland was the first player to commit back in April. The Ohio forward adds frontcourt depth to the team but he also has the ability to step out on the perimeter, too.