BREAKING: Cornerback Cree Thomas Commits to Notre Dame

Phoenix (Ariz.) Brophy College Prep three-star cornerback Cree Thomas has announced his commitment to Notre Dame. The 6-1, 175-pounder from the class of 2025 committed to the Fighting Irish live on the 247Sports YouTube Channel.

Brophy Prep is starting to become a pipeline to Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish landed one-time four-star cornerback Benjamin Morrison a few years ago before he became a Freshman All-American at Notre Dame. Cornerbacks coach Mike Mickens is hoping the staff landed exactly the same thing is Morrison’s good friend and former teammate.

“It’s clear that he develops guys. He’s a great coach,” said Thomas of Mickens. “My ultimate dream is to go to the NFL, so having a coach that can develop me is going to be huge.”

Ranked as the No. 29 cornerback in America per 247Sports and a Top 5 prospect in the state of Arizona, Thomas chose Notre Dame over Oregon, Wisconsin, Arizona, Arizona State, Boston College, Purdue, Cal and others. In the end, his decision came down to Notre Dame and Wisconsin, with the Irish getting it done due to the blend of athletics and academics.

“That USC game was definitely the craziest gameday experience for me,” said Thomas regarding one of his two game day visits to Notre Dame this fall. “Just the energy was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Just that entire experience alone, I just thought it was really cool. It was awesome to see that.”

On the season, just two games from a State Championship, Thomas has five interceptions. He has been terrific in the secondary all year long for Brophy Prep.

The Irish Illustrated team features a staff of 6 sports media professionals, including 4 Notre Dame graduates – the most of any organization that is comprehensively covering Notre Dame football, basketball, and recruiting.

After outlasting the Oklahoma State Cowboys in overtime last Friday, the Irish returned to Purcell Pavilion to face the Maryland-Eastern Shore Hawks.

The Irish rode hot three-point shooting. Braeden Shrewsberry, who helped spark a 14-7 run in the first half, led with 13 points as the Irish won 75-55.

Logging 15 minutes off the bench, Shrewsberry shot lights-out in the first half, going 4-6 behind the three-point line. Most of his attempts came in a flurry late in the first half as he contributed 10 of the team’s 14 points to close out the first.

Head coach Micah Shrewsberry talked about Braeden’s early and efficient success.

“He’s taking a lot easier shots than the ones he’s taken before, the ones he’s gotten before,” coach Shrewsberry said. “When we don’t move the ball, nobody is getting good shots. When we move it, everybody becomes a really good shooter because of that.”

Next to Shrewsberry’s 13 points, Markus Burton finished with 12.

Also faring well from beyond the arc was Julian Roper II, drilling back-to-back three-point attempts early in the game. This gave Notre Dame a lead it never surrendered.

The Irish were not alone in efficiency from deep as the Hawks went 4-9 in the first half. However, the Hawks struggled to maintain efficient shooting in the second half, finishing 6-of-16. The Irish stayed hot all night long, completing 13-of-27 (48.1%).

Coach Shrewsberry credited the team’s shot selection.

“One of our keys to winning is take great shots,” Shrewsberry said. “And I thought we passed up average and okay shots for great shots. And now you go 13-of-27 from three but they’re practice shots. They’re shots that people work on”.

Early in the first, the Hawks missed ten consecutive shots, failing to make a basket for four minutes on the clock. After Elijah Wilson made a three-point jump shot at 16:28, the Hawks would not score until 11:51 on a Tyler Mack three.

The Hawks strung together a few shots before going cold for another four minutes, failing to score from 5:58 until 1:11 in the first half. The Irish went into the break leading 38-22.

The two teams began the second half trading buckets until an Irish 17-7 run at 13:10 put the Irish up 67-39. During the run, the Irish continued their three-point success with Kebba Njie, Logan Imes, and Carey Booth contributing.