We’re almost there, almost back in the grind of another college basketball season. Before you know it, there will be a foot of snow on the ground, temperatures will be below zero and another Atlantic Coast Conference game going up and down the court inside Purcell Pavilion.
To get you ready for those nights and get you ready for a Notre Dame season that starts Monday, November 3 at home against LIU Brooklyn, we’ll take an alphabetical player-by-player look at the 2025-26 Notre Dame basketball team over the next 13 weekdays (Wednesday October 15 thru Friday, October 31). Who are these guys? What did they do last year? Where do they fit in this one? And what does third-year head coach Micah Shrewsberry think of them?
We have the answers. Here:
∎ (34) Matthew MacLellan
Hometown (High School/previous school): Canton, Michigan (Plymouth/Madonna)
Dimensions: 6-foot-9, 240 pounds
Projected position: Backup power forward
Class: Graduate student
Notable number: A sixth-year graduate student, MacLellan has played in 139 career games ― at least 31 in each of the last four seasons at NAIA Madonna (Mich.) University.
24-25 stats: Averaged 14.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists with a team-high 27 blocks in 28.3 minutes over 31 games with 30 starts. Shot .578 percent from the field, .340 from 3 and .669 from the foul line.
25-26 outlook: Going from the NAIA to the Atlantic Coast Conference (hello, Duke and North Carolina and Louisville) for one season might be too big of a leap to make for MacLellan, but that’s OK. He was quietly added in the spring ― Notre Dame never officially announced his arrival, choosing instead to just slip him onto the 2025-26 roster ― as someone who could provide depth on the front line and sage age in the locker room. Think of MacLellan as this year’s version of Burke Chebuhar, last year’s graduate transfer who rarely saw game minutes but provided much of his value behind the scenes.
Shrews on MacLellan: “When we took him, I wanted him to be like (former NBA veteran big man) Udonis Haslem ― another old guy around our group, around our team, around the locker room. He’s been a whatever you need kind of guy, knows exactly what he’s supposed to do. If there’s a chance for him to get in and help us in games, he’ll do that without question. He’s been awesome.”
Follow South Bend Tribune and NDInsider columnist Tom Noie on X (formerly Twitter): @tnoieNDI. Contact Noie at tnoie@sbtinfo.com