Kind of lost in the shuffle of the basketball team’s top 10 ranking and the collapse of the Notre Dame football team was college basketball’s National Letter of Intent day last week.  Mike Brey and the Irish coaching staff signed 4 basketball players.  Last year they signed no prospects, but did get two transfers in Ben Hansbrough and Scott Martin.  Here’ a little summary of the Fab 4:

F Jack Cooley (Glenview, IL) – 6’9", 235 – Probably the best player Notre Dame signed.  He was just named to ESPN’s Top 100 team where he came in at #97 in the class of 2009.  Many compare his style of play to our beloved Luke Harangody and his coiffure sure helps the comparisons.  With a lot of seniors on the team graduating this year and the possibility of Harangody leaving early, the Irish will have a void of big guys the next couple of seasons.  Guys like Abromatis, Martin, Nash, and Scott are not your traditional big men so Cooley will have an opportunity to start or contribute from day one.  A big commitment for Coach Brey and the Irish.

G Joey Brooks (Houston, TX) – 6’5", 200 – Brooks was the first player to commit to Notre Dame earlier last year and is one of the more versatile players ND has signed in awhile.  He can play a number of positions in Brey’s offense, including point guard if the situation arises.  He’s an athletic slasher that the Irish have missed in previous seasons and averaged 23 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists for his talented high school team.  Irish fans should be excited about Brooks as I think he could be a huge player for Notre Dame down the road.  Here is a short video and interview of Joey (he is #32 in the green jerseys):

F Mike Broghammer (Orono, MN) – 6’8", 220 – Broghammer committed earlier this school year after an official visit to Notre Dame’s campus.  I caught a glimpse of Mike on his visit to ND and he is a tall, but lanky kid.  He’ll need some time to work on his frame and his offensive game, but he is a well-rounded basketball player that does a number of good things on the court.  Broghammer chose Notre Dame over Iowa and a number of mid-majors.

F Tom Knight (Dixfield, ME) – 6’9", 260 – Tom was a late addition to the Irish class and is probably the biggest ‘prospect’ in terms of development.  Knight had a number of offers to smaller programs and ultimately selected ND over Rutgers, Davidson, Maine and Northeastern.  Part of his low profile is probably due to where he plays (Maine) but his stock improved in AAU play during the summer, according to Brey.  At 6’9", 260 lbs., Knight will enter the Irish program as probably the biggest player on the team both in height and weight.  He’s a left hander and is more polished than you would think, but he’ll probably need some time to develop into a Big East contributor.

Obviously we are not very knowledgeable in women’s college basketball, but women’s head coach Muffet McGraw signed one prospect in the class of 2009.  She also gained a huge commitment from local 2010 prospect Skylar Diggins who picked Notre Dame over Stanford.  She is the nation’s #3 ranked player in her class.