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Notre Dame’s men’s basketball program has officially signed the two members of its 2020 recruiting class.

Philadelphia (Pa.) Imhotep Charter forward Elijah Taylor and Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic big man Matt Zona both signed their letter’s of intent yesterday, the first day the 2020 class could sign with schools.

Here’s a quick bio of each signee:

ELIJAH TAYLOR, FORWARD

Height: 6-8
Weight: 215
Offers: Florida, UConn, Pittsburgh, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, Providence, Rutgeres, Seton Hall, St. Joseph’s, VCU

Brey On Taylor (From und.com): “You will see his body, how he moves and then you will talk to him and you will say ‘it’s Ty Nash again.’ (Tyrone Nash played for Notre Dame from 2007-11 and played in 118 career games with 712 points and 525 rebounds. He is still active playing professionally in Germany.) I am really excited about Elijah because this is a ‘City of Philadelphia’ kid. We have had a lot of guys from the Philadelphia area, but no one from a city public school in Philly.”

Analysis: I really like what Taylor brings to the Irish class. He’s a dirty-work big, which Notre Dame needs more of on its roster. Taylor is strong and has a good frame, and he plays big. Offensively he doesn’t have an expansive low-post repertoire, but he’s an aggressive player that can attack the rim, hit mid-range jumpers and if you leave him open he can knock down three’s.

You don't need to run the offense through him, which makes him a good fit with the current roster, which is full of young scorers.

Taylor is a high-motor player that doesn’t seem to have a ton of lift, but I love how quickly he gets off the ground, and his ability to jump, land and quickly get back up should lend to him being a highly effective rebounder on both ends of the court.

Where I feel Taylor could make the biggest impact in a Notre Dame uniform is on the glass and on the defensive end of the court. He's an instinctive player that uses his quick-leaping ability and timing to block shots. Those traits combine with good lateral quickness to help him impact the ball quite a bit on the defensive end by eating up passing lanes.

Taylor’s hustle, strong hands and ability to attack the rim should make him a highly effective transition player for the Irish.

MATT ZONA, FORWARD

Height: 6-9
Weight: 235
Offers: Penn State, Vanderbilt, Rutgers, UMass, St. Joseph’s, Davidson, Penn, Yale, Brown, George Washington

Brey On Zona (From und.com): “Matt is a little bit like a (John) Mooney and (Martinas) Geben. He can shoot it from out there. He is a very skilled with good hands and out of Bergen Catholic, he plays in a great high school league.”

Analysis: Zona is probably not ranked very high because he’s not an explosive athlete, but this is a highly-skilled big man. The first thing that stands out when I watch Zona on film is how much upside he has from a body standpoint. He has a great frame with a thick lower body, and after he gets a year or two in the Notre Dame strength program he’s going to be a powerfully built young man.

The second thing that stands out with Zona is his shooting touch. He has legitimate three-point range, possessing a high, quick release, and he can knock down triples from the baseline, the wings and the top of the key. He’s not a guy that’s going to create open deep looks off the dribble, but he can catch and shoot, he can spot up and if you over-play him he has enough handle to put it on the floor and attack the basket.

The Bergen Catholic standout has a nice step back jumper down in the post, and he shows the ability to play with his back to the basket. Zona is also an adept passer from the post, and he shows good vision for cutters when he’s playing the high-post. He has soft hands and a great feel for the game.

Zona isn’t explosive or fast, but he is light on his feet and shows a fluid spin move around the basket. Like Taylor, he doesn’t get a lot of lift, but he has excellent length and shows an impressive ability to block shots and not get a body on the shooter. 

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