They still love to play. They better still love to play.
Professional basketball, either here or points elsewhere abroad, seemingly runs forever. Their seasons start in fall and don’t end for some until nearly summer. For most of these former Notre Dame basketball standouts, it remains a labor or love — and a good way to keep from putting their Notre Dame degrees to use, at least for a few years.
Following is a rundown of how 18 former Irish fared professionally this past season. Players are listed alphabetically with their years at Notre Dame in parenthesis along with their degree of study. All statistics are courtesy of eurobasket.com and nba.com.
∎ Tim Abromaitis (2008-12)
Degree: Finance.
Country: Spain
Team: La Laguna Tenerife
Record: Finished 27-12 overall and third place among the 18-team Liga Endesa. Also went 14-2 in Basketball Champions League (BCL) play.
Stats: Tenerife’s 35-year-old reserve power forward (he was the starting small forward in 2023-24), Abromaitis averaged 6.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 20.1 minutes over 39 Liga Endesa games. He shot 66.7 percent from the field, 43.7 percent from 3 and 73.8 percent from the foul line.
In 14 BCL games, Abromaitis averaged 6.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 0.9 assists in 22.1 minutes. He shot 58.3 percent from the field, 34.8 percent from 3 and 85.7 percent from the foul line.
Best game: In a 102-99 loss May 25 to Valencia, Abromaitis had 18 points, eight rebounds, one block and one steal in 29 minutes.
Note: Tenerife’s season stretched from the end of September until the middle of June.
∎ Zach Auguste (2012-16)
Degree: Film, Television, Theatre.
Country: Japan
Team: Mikawa Sea Horses
Record: The Sea Horses finished the regular season 39-23 and third place in the eight team Central Division of the Japanese B-1 League.
Stats: In 62 regular-season games, Auguste averaged 12.0 points (second on the squad), 8.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.2 steals in 26.4 minutes. He shot 63.8 percent from the field, 15 percent from 3 and 57.6 percent from the foul line.
Best game: In a 99-80 victory over Shiga on February 8, Auguste was 14-for-14 from the field for 31 points with nine rebounds, one assist and one steal in 24 minutes.
Note: Auguste, who turns 32 on July 8, was the starting center on a Mikawa team that featured starting forwards Davante Gardner (Marquette) and Jake Layman (Maryland). Following four teams in four countries the previous four years, this was Auguste’s second season in Mikawa.
∎ Bonzie Colson (2014-18)
Degree: Film, Television, Theatre.
Country: Turkey
Team: Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul
Record: Finished 32-4 and first place in the 16-team BSL. Also went 28-11 and finished second in an 18-team Euroleague.
Stats: In 25 BSL games, the 6-foot-6 reserve power forward averaged 8.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 0.8 steals in 19.9 minutes. He shot 58.5 percent from the field, 42.4 percent from 3 and 71.0 percent from the foul line.
In 39 Euroleague games, Colson averaged 6.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 0.7 steals in 18.9 minutes. He shot 47.8 percent from the floor, 35.7 percent from 3 and 65.8 percent from the foul line.
Best game: In an 86-82 victory over Virtus BO on November 20, 2024, Colson had 18 points, eight rebounds, two assists and three steals in 32 minutes.
Note: Colson played 64 total games this season with no double doubles for points and rebounds. He finished his Notre Dame career with 34 double doubles (tied for 10th in program history) for points and rebounds.
∎ Pat Connaughton (2011-15)
Degree: Management Consulting.
Country: United States
Team: Milwaukee Bucks
Record: The Bucks finished 48-34 and in third place, which snapped a streak of six straight seasons of winning the NBA’s Central Division. A No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference, Milwaukee lost in the first round of the NBA playoffs, 4-1, to No. 4 Indiana.
Stats: Averaged 5.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 14.7 minutes over 41 games, the fewest Connaughton played since his second year in the league (2016-17) with Portland. He shot 46.9 percent from the field, 32.1 percent from 3 and 77.4 percent from the foul line.
Best game: In his first and only start on the last day of the regular season, Connaughton had one of those games. In 44 minutes of a 140-133 overtime win over Detroit in Milwaukee, Connaughton erupted for a career-high 43 points on 16-of-29 field goal attempts with 11 rebounds, five assists and two steals.
Note: A second-round pick (41st overall) of Brooklyn in the 2015 draft, the 32-year-old Connaughton has played in 595 career games over 10 seasons. He’s signed through the 2025-26 season, which is his player option year, for $9.4 million.
∎ Jack Cooley (2009-13)
Degree: Finance.
Country: Japan
Team: Ryukyu Golden Kings
Record: Finished 51-17 overall and first place in the eight-team West Division of the Japanese-B-1 League. Ryukyu also went 5-3 and first place among five teams in Group B of the East Asia Super League.
Stats: The team’s starting power forward at 32, Cooley averaged 12.2 points, 9.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.6 steals and 0.5 blocks in 25.5 minutes. He shot 58.6 percent from the field, 9.1 percent from 3 and 80.5 percent from the foul line.
Cooley also appeared in seven games in the East Asia Super League and averaged 16.1 points, 12.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 31.9 minutes. He shot 55.0 percent from the field and 89.3 percent from the foul line.
Best game: On December 2, 2024, in an EASL game against KCC Ejis, Cooley had 29 points, 18 rebounds, three assists and two steals in 38 minutes of a 91-82 win.
Note: Of the 68 games played in B-1, which is a career high, Cooley finished with 24 double-doubles. He also tallied five double doubles for points and rebounds — all in a row — in seven EASL games.
∎ Nikola Djogo (2017-21)
Degree: Management Consulting.
Country: Belgium
Team: Brussels
Record: Finished 25-11 and fourth place in the 19-team BNXT League.
Stats: In his third professional season that has included stops in Croatia and Hungary, Djogo averaged 11.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 0.8 steals in 24.0 minutes over 16 games with Brussels. He shot 56.8 percent from the field, 31.3 percent from 3 and 79.7 percent from the foul line.
Best game: In an 84-81 loss to Zwolle on September 29, 2024, Djogo had 28 points, nine rebounds and one assist in 27 minutes.
Note: Djogo left Brussels in early February to return home to Canada, where he signed with the Ottawa Blackjacks of the Canadian Elite Basketball League. Djogo did not appear in a game with the Blackjacks.
∎ Martinas Geben (2014-18)
Degree: Management Consulting.
Country: Spain
Team: Basquet Girona
Record: Girona finished 12-22 and 14th place in the 18-team Liga Endesa League
Stats: In 21 games, the team’s starting power forward averaged 9.0 points, 5.1 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 0.5 steals in 17.2 minutes a game. He shot 73.2 percent from the field, 42.4 percent from 3 and 70 percent from the foul line.
Best game: In a 76-64 victory over Murcia on March 15, Geben had 16 points, nine rebounds, one assist and one steal in 20 minutes.
Note: Geben also spent three months with Cedevita OL in Slovenia, where he averaged 5.9 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.3 assists in 11.4 minutes over 13 ABA games and 4.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 0.6 assists in 14.6 minutes over 12 EuroCup games.
∎ T.J. Gibbs (2016-20)
Degree: Film, Television, Theatre.
Country: Luxembourg
Team: T71 Dudelange
Record: Finished 15-7 and third place in the eight-team LBBL.
Stats: In five games with Dudelange, Gibbs averaged 14.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in 28.4 minutes. He shot 45 percent from the field, 37.5 percent from 3 and 69 percent from the foul line.
Best game: Gibbs’ best game was his last game for Dudelange when he scored 22 points with one rebound and four assists in 29 minutes of a 92-86 loss to Etzella on April 23.
Note: Gibbs has played in five countries — Slovenia, Romania, Germany, Portugal and Luxembourg — over four professional seasons.
∎ Dane Goodwin (2018-23)
Degree: Management Consulting.
Country: United States
Team: Salt Lake City Stars (NBA G League)
Record: In a 52-game regular season, Utah’s G-League affiliate finished 21-13 and third place in the 15-team Western Conference.
Stats: An undrafted free agent after leaving Notre Dame the career leader in games played (158), Goodwin averaged 9.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 0.9 steals in 25.3 minutes over 47 games. He shot 53.1 percent from the field, 37.7 percent from 3 and 76.9 percent from the foul line.
Best game: Goodwin scored 28 points on seven-of-seven from 3, with five rebounds and three assists in 35 minutes of a 117-102 loss to OKC Blue on March 5.
Note: Salt Lake City’s roster this season featured 24 players, including Goodwin and fellow former college standouts Kyle Filipowski (Duke) Isaiah Wong (Miami, Fla.), Oscar Tshiebwe (Kentucky), Dereon Seabron (North Carolina State) and Brice Sensebaugh (Ohio State).
∎ Jerian Grant (2010-15)
Degree: Sociology.
Country: Greece
Team: Panathinaikos Aktor Athens
Record: Finished 22-0 and first place in the 12-team Greece Basketball league. Also went 22-12 and finished third in the 18-team Euroleague.
Stats: The 32-year-old Grant averaged 7.9 points, 2.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 23.7 minutes over 26 GBL games. He shot 57.3 percent from the field, 46.8 percent from 3 and 82.1 percent from the foul line.
In 41 Euroleague games, Grant averaged 8.6 points, 2.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 27.4 minutes. He shot 55.0 percent from the field, 43.0 percent from 3 and 84.7 percent from the foul line.
Best game: In a Euroleague game against ALBA, a 91-81 win on March 21, the former first-round NBA draft pick had 19 points (on 10-of-10 from the free throw line), two rebounds and two assists in 33 minutes.
Note: A former first-round NBA draft pick who played for four teams (New York, Chicago, Orlando, Washington) before going overseas, Grant has also played in Italy and Turkey. This was his second season in Greece, where he recently signed to stay through 2027-28.
∎ Marcus Hammond (2022-23)
Degree: Management Consulting.
Country: France
Team: Rouen Metropole Basket
Record: Rouen finished 18-20 and 13th place in the 20-team Pro B League.
Stats: The team’s starting point guard, Hammond averaged 12.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 0.4 steals in 22.9 minutes over 37 games. He shot 51.1 percent from the field, 45.2 percent from 3 and 81.0 percent from the foul line.
Best game: In a February 1 win (97-89) over Saint-Chamond, Hammond had 27 points, one rebound, six assists and one steal in 29 minutes.
Note: Hammond has played in Bulgaria, Switzerland and France during his two professional seasons.
∎ Prentiss Hubb (2018-22)
Degree: Film, Television, Theatre.
Country: Greece
Team: AEK Besson Athens
Record: Finished 14-8 overall and third place in the 12-team Greece Basketball League
Stats: In 28 games as the starting point guard, Hubb averaged 11.0 points, 2.5 rebounds and a team-best 4.8 assists in 26.0 minutes per game. He shot 47.2 percent from the field, 35.3 percent from 3 and 80 percent from the foul line.
Hubb also appeared in 17 BCL games and averaged 12.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 26.5 minutes. He shot 54.2 percent from the field, 41.7 percent from 3 and 77.8 percent from the foul line.
Best game: In a 93-86 victory over Tortona on February 4, Hubb had 30 points, six rebounds, three assists and one steal in 30 minutes.
Note: It’s been three professional seasons and three countries for Hubb, who has also played in Italy and Germany.
∎ Nate Laszewski (2018-23)
Degree: Management Consulting.
Country: Taiwan
Team: Hsinchu Lioneers
Record: Finished 12-24 and seventh place in the seven-team Taiwan Professional Basketball League.
Stats: An undrafted free agent who played last season in Italy, Laszewski averaged 12.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.3 steals in 29.7 minutes over 15 games. He shot 61.1 percent from the field, 30.4 percent from 3 and 62.0 percent from the foul line.
Best game: The starting center on a Hsinchu team that also featured former North Carolina standout Kennedy Meeks at power forward, Laszewski had 18 points, 10 rebounds, an assist and two steals in 25 minutes on April 9 in a 103-92 victory over Taipei TM.
Note: Laszewski played the early part of the season with Ariz Midea in the Greek Basketball League. In 11 GBL games, he averaged 7.2 points, 3.0 rebounds and 0.6 assists in 23.5 minutes. In 14 Euroleague games for Aris Midea, he averaged 4.8 points, 2.9 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 0.3 blocks and 0.3 steals in 16.4 minutes.
∎ John Mooney (2016-20)
Degree: Management Consulting.
Country: Japan
Team: Chiba Jets
Record: Chiba finished 42-18 overall and second place in the eight team East Division of the Japanese B-1 League.
Stats: In 48 B-1 games, Mooney averaged 11.7 points, 10.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 26.4 minutes. He shot 59.1 percent from the field, 22.2 percent from 3 and 79.1 percent from the foul line.
Best game: Mooney had 28 points, 14 rebounds, two assists and two steals in 32 minutes of an 89-82 victory over Akita NH on November 2, 2024.
Note: Finishing his fifth professional season — his fourth in Japan after one in Australia — Mooney was a double double beast for points and rebounds again this season. He had 22 double doubles after 35 last season.
∎ Ty Nash (2007-11)
Degree: Sociology/Computer Applications.
Country: United States
Team: Jersey Shore Breaks
Record: Went 4-14 and fourth place in the seven-team Mid Atlantic Division of The Basketball League
Stats: In 12 games for the Breaks in The Basketball League, whose president is South Bend native and former Indiana Mr. Basketball David Magley, Nash averaged 10.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 26.6 minutes. He shot 65.8 percent from the field and 54.8 percent from the foul line.
Best game: Nash delivered 18 points, 11 rebounds and two assists in a 136-111 loss to the Virginia Valley Vipers on April 6.
Note: A New York native who turns 37 in September, Nash is the oldest former Irish still playing professionally. Have ball, have game, will travel has been Nash’s M.O. He has played in Bahrain, Chile, Germany, Dominican Republic, France, Israel, Lithuania, Turkey and the United States.
∎ Cormac Ryan (2019-23)
Degree: Management Consulting.
Country: United States
Team: Oklahoma City Blue (NBA G League)
Record: In 52 overall games, OKC Blue finished 18-16 and seventh place in the 15-team Western Conference.
Stats: In 37 games, Ryan averaged 12.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 0.9 steals in 27.4 minutes. He shot 48.2 percent from the field, 38.4 percent from 3 and 97.0 percent (65-of-67) from the foul line.
Best game: On November 30, 2024, in a 124-104 win over Rio Grande Valley, Ryan had 25 points, five rebounds, four assists, one block and one steal in 36 minutes.
Note: An undrafted free agent after playing his sixth (COVID-19) season at North Carolina, the former three-time team captain at Notre Dame made 15 starts with the Blue as a rookie.
∎ Trey Wertz (2020-23)
Degree: Economics.
Country: Czech Republic
Team: BK Olomoucko
Record: Finished 17-19 and seventh place in the eight-team NBL. Also finished 6-4 and second place in the six-team Group B of the Alpe Adria Cup.
Stats: In 49 games, Olomoucko’s starting shooting guard averaged 16.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 0.8 steals over 31.8 minutes per game. He shot 48.8 percent from the field, 40.6 percent from 3 and 83.1 percent from the foul line.
Best game: In a 107-103 loss to Srsni Pisek on October 12, 2024, Wertz erupted for 36 points, nine rebounds, six assists and one steal in 41 minutes.
Note: Wertz was the last traditional transfer to attend Notre Dame. Arriving from Santa Clara, Wertz planned to sit out the 2020-21 season before the NCAA ruled all transfers immediately eligible because of the COVID-19 global pandemic. He played professionally in North Macedonia as a rookie in 2023-24.
∎ Blake Wesley (2021-22)
Degree: N/A.
Country: United States
Team: San Antonio Spurs
Record: The Spurs went 34-48 and finished in fourth place out of five teams in the Southwest Division. They did not make the playoffs for a sixth straight year after a run of 22 straight playoff seasons.
Stats: In his third pro season, Wesley averaged 3.7 points, 1.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 12.3 minutes over 55 games. He shot 50 percent from the field, 29.3 percent from 3 and 62.3 percent from the free throw line. Wesley finished with career lows in minutes and points per game.
This was the first season that Wesley did not appear in a G League game with the Austin Spurs. He played double figures for minutes in each of San Antonion’s final 19 games.
Best game: In a 113-106 win over Denver on April 2, Wesley scored 15 points, two rebounds and one assist in 21 minutes.
Note: Having appeared in 156 games his first three professional seasons, the 22-year-old Wesley is scheduled to make $4.7 million in 2025-26. The Spurs hold a qualifying offer for 2026-27.
Follow South Bend Tribune and NDInsider columnist Tom Noie on X (formerly Twitter): @tnoieNDI. Contact Noie at tnoie@sbtinfo.com
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: What former Notre Dame basketball players did what and where in 2025?
Reporting by Tom Noie, South Bend Tribune / South Bend Tribune
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