G -- DAVID GRAVES (6-6, 209 lbs., 14.4 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.9 apg, 1.7 spg, 33.1 minutes, .430 FG, .859 FT, .399 3PT). He was a solid shooter whom the Fighting Irish will miss. Graves started almost his entire career and the past two years teamed with Matt Carroll to give opponents fits. Each wing was a deep threat that could bust up zones and also benefited from attention in the low post to Murphy and Humphrey.

He averaged double figures in scoring each of his four seasons and finished with 259 3-pointers. For his career, he was a .411 shooter from beyond the arc. Graves improved a great deal as a defender and also finished as the school’s career leader in steals (202). He had 1,746 career points, good for sixth on the all-time list.

Graves and Murphy each reached the 1,000-point plateau, the first time that a Notre Dame class has produced at least two 1,000-point scorers since the trio of LaPhonso Ellis, Elmer Bennett and Daimon Sweet did it in the late 1980s and early '90s.

F -- RYAN HUMPHREY (6-8, 235 lbs., 18.9 ppg, 10.9 rpg, 2.6 bpg, 2.6 apg, 35.6 minutes, .489 FG, .598 FT). When the Irish lost Big East Player of the Year Troy Murphy to the NBA after his junior season, Humphrey took the torch as the main man in the middle. And he ran with it.

"This time last year I was very concerned with our leadership and I knew Ryan was our strongest voice and personality, but I didn’t know if he could lead and run our locker room," Brey said. "He did that and then some. Once he was the main threat inside, I wasn’t surprised basketball-wise at what he could do. I knew he could handle that. He was salivating over that all summer [after Murphy left]."

A transfer from Oklahoma who played his final two seasons at Notre Dame, Humphrey always had the physique of an NBA player. He was selected 19th overall in the draft and then traded to Orlando.

F/C -- HAROLD SWANGAN (6-7, 247 lbs., 8.1 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 26.1 minutes, .587 FG, .657 FT). The unsung hero of the Irish will be one of those players whose worth probably will be better realized now than when he was playing there. Swanagan was a big body in the post on offense, and particularly defense, and did all of the little things well.

"He screens, plays hard, gets rebounds and does all the things nobody wants to do. As soon as I played with him, I knew he was one of those guys you look forward to playing with," Graves said of his classmate.

G -- CHARLES THOMAS (6-0, 164 lbs., 1.0 ppg, 1.9 minutes). A fourth-year walk-on, he was a tremendous practice player who pushed others. He played in 10 games as a junior and averaged 1.8 points.

G -- DANNY WHITE (6-3, 190 lbs., 1.5 ppg, 1.0 minutes). Saw action in only three games after joining the team in January. White, a native of Granger, Ind., had transferred to Notre Dame after playing for three seasons at Towson.

G -- MATT CARROLL (6-6, 212 lbs., SR., #13, 14.1 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.1 apg, 32.3 minutes, .469 FG, .399 3PT, .826 FT, Horsham, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham). Carroll has had a security blanket his first three seasons. First, there was the inside game the Irish possessed with Murphy and Humphrey. Then he also had the comfort of knowing he would get open looks because he had a strong point man to set him up and there was another Irish shooter (Graves) that defenses had to worry about. Carroll may get more shots this season, but it’s a good bet they’ll be tougher ones.

Then again, he is an uncanny shooter. His .469 clip in Big East action ranked seventh in the league and his 3-point percentage was third.

"I’m thinking Matt may blossom a little more with David not there," Brey said. "They got along great and played well together, but I think he is really the shooter for us on the wing even though Miller is solid and is a scoring threat. Maybe we can have a little more ‘Matt Carroll’ emphasis."

Memo to defenders: Expect more screens for Carroll, who has made 91 starts in 99 career games he has played. He heads into his final season with 1,186 career points for a 12.0 career average and is third all-time with 202 3-pointers. He is just 57 3-pointers from tying Graves’ school record.

F -- TORIN FRANCIS (6-10, 220 lbs., FR., #34, 28.5 ppg, 11 rpg, 3 bpg, Tabor Academy/Roslindale, Mass.). This McDonald’s All-American arrives in South Bend as the Irish’s second top prep player in as many years but some are hailing him as the best.

"This is Notre Dame’s highest-ranked player in a long time, even more than (McDonald’s All-America and 2002 Big East Rookie of the Year) Chris Thomas," Mike Sullivan of Rivals.com said.

Francis chose the Irish over Florida, Virginia, Boston College and North Carolina.

Also a second-team Parade Magazine All-American and excellent student, Francis received the Morgan Wootten Award as the McDonald’s National Boys Player of the Year. He had seven points and six rebounds in the annual McDonald’s All-American game after leading Tabor to three straight prep school championships.

"Torin is going to have a huge impact on this program," Brey beams. "We’re going to count on him right away. He has terrific skills around the basket, excellent footwork and good hands. He’s not as explosive as Ryan [Humphrey], but he is very skilled."

Like Thomas last year, Francis will benefit by playing with more of a veteran cast. He won’t have to carry the load many nights, but will be needed to contribute. He was criticized for being soft until last year. A few whacks from Big East big men will let him know he’ll need to fight for all he gets. From all indications, though, Francis the real deal on and off the court.

"Thing about Torin is," his prep coach, David First, told The Boston Globe, "there’s no better kid. If, God forbid, something happened to him and he couldn’t play basketball, you’d still be writing about him anyway. He’ll make a difference in the world either way."

G/F -- DAN MILLER (6-8, 223 lbs., SR., DNP in 2001-02, #21, Rancocas Valley/Mt. Holley, N.J.). With the departure of three senior leaders, Brey is ecstatic that he can fill this position with a fifth-year senior, an older player of Miller’s stature. Miller sat out last year after transferring from Maryland. He is the third McDonald’s All-American in the Irish’s lineup.

He started all 34 games in his sophomore year, but lost his spot five games into his junior season. He still, however, was a key reserve for the Terps’ Final Four team in 2001. He averaged 18.8 minutes, 4.8 points and 2.6 rebounds. He averaged 5.0 points and 2.4 rebounds in five NCAA tournament games while making 9 of 16 shots from the field. He averaged 8.5 points and 2.9 rebounds as a sophomore.

Miller will take Graves spot, but he’s not nearly the shooter (.331 3PT at Maryland). He is, however, more athletic and should play bigger than Graves did on the boards.

"He can guard better than any wing player we have and if we have Dan and Jones on the perimeter they can really play defense," Brey said. "Dan has a tremendous feel for the game and a certain toughness. He fits our style of play well and has gained a tremendous amount of respect from all of his teammates after practicing with them last year."

PG -- CHRIS THOMAS (6-1, 175 lbs., SO., #1, 15.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 7.6 apg, 2.2 spg, 3.1 tpg, 38 minutes, .387 FG, .369 3PT, .889 FT, Pike High/Indianapolis, Ind.). So do you think Thomas lived up to his hype of high school?

The first Mr. Basketball in the state of Indiana to attend ND was named the national Freshman of the Year by Basketball Times and Basketball News and the Big East Rookie of the Year and third-team all-league pick. Along with good quickness, ball-handling and shooting ability, Thomas plays with great poise and showed remarkable decision-making as a freshman, rarely coming out of the game.

"When you’re out there with three seniors and a junior it takes a little heat off you," Brey said. "It’s not like you’re directing traffic with a couple of young guys who don’t know where they should be."

That will be Thomas’ challenge this year: Help develop the youngsters while still maintaining his proficiency. Improving his shooting percentage will be a plus, too.

A six-time Big East Rookie of the Week, Thomas finished as Notre Dame’s second leading scorer and established as school single-season record for assists (252) and steals (72). His 516 points were the second-most by a freshman. Then again, his debut last year suggested greatness. Check out this line is his first collegiate game: 24 points, 11 assist and 11 steals. That was against New Hampshire, of course, but it was still the first triple-double in the history of the program.

In the longest game in Big East history, a 116-114 four-overtime win at Georgetown, Thomas played all 60 minutes and posted 22 points, 12 assists and a career-high eight rebounds while turning the ball over just five times (once in the final 40 minutes). He trailed only Georgetown’s Kevin Braswell in assist-to-turnover ratio (plus 3.36).

"We’re looking for him to get a little stronger and to become more active as a rebounder," Brey said.

C -- TOM TIMMERMANS (6-11, 263 lbs., JR., #50, 2.2 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 8.3 minutes, .429 FG, .579 FT, Blue Ridge [Va.] School/Driehuis, Netherlands). The Flying Dutchman? Not quite. Timmermans’ game is about as old-school as it gets, but Brey thinks he can fill the same role Swanagan matured into.

"A Swanagan screen, a Swanagan loose ball, a Swanagan hustle play," Brey says of Timmermans, who averaged 15 points and 9 rebounds as a high school senior. "Tom even started to play like that late last year when Harold was not healthy and we were struggling without him."

He was slowed by a knee injury much of the year but came on late. Timmermans is the lone true center on the roster, though, so he will have to stay out of foul trouble. He has a decent shooting touch and range for his size, but his value will be defensively and particularly on the boards, where Humphrey and Swanagan combined to grab about 18 per game.

F -- JORDAN CORNETTE (6-9, 221 lbs., SO., #12, 2.7 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 14.3 minutes, .476 FG, .250 3PT, .476 FT, St. Xavier/Cincinnati, Ohio). Cornette was used mostly as a defensive specialist last year and had some productive stints. He even started six games and showed flashes of some offensive ability in the post and as a strong jump shooter.

While the Irish certainly need to work on their muscle down low, Brey seems like he wants to see what Cornette can give him on the perimeter first. He is quick enough to do it and is also a good passer. His size will provide better angles for entry passes.

"Jordan’s style of play will allow us to move him away from the basket," he said. "He is naturally more of a perimeter player and I like the option he gives us by playing him either inside or outside."

F -- RICK CORNETT (6-8, 230 lbs., FR., #11, 21 ppg, 14 rpg, 4 bpg, Homewood Christian Academy/Country Club Hills, Ill.). He chose Notre Dame over Kansas State and Illinois. Former Irish coach Matt Doherty had a bead on Cornett before leaving for North Carolina, but Cornett said he likes the Brey regime even better.

He has the skills to become a big-time college rebounder and that’s great news for Notre Dame because it needs help on the boards right way. He has a raw offensive game but with polish could be an effective scorer. Cornett, who scored 2,488 points and grabbed 1,778 rebounds in his prep career, was on the Illinois Warriors national AAU title championship team.

"He has a great nose for the ball," Brey said. "We need him to be aggressive on the glass at both ends of the court and that’s what he needs to focus his energies on."

G -- TORRIAN JONES (6-4, 197 lbs. JR., #20, 3.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 1.3 apg, 15.5 minutes, .462 FG, .172 3PT, Pennsbury/Fairless Hills, Pa.). Should be the first guard off the bench and gives ND great pressure defensively. Also a solid ball-handler and is good in transition. A suspect jumper is an area he could stand to work on. He scored a career-high 17 points in a 90-77 win over Miami.

F -- JERE MACURA (6-9, 230 lbs., SR., #15, 4.1 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 11.7 minutes, .605 FG, ,564 FT, Split, Croatia). He has been an inside and outside threat, but hasn’t been able to establish himself at either. Macura has a great first step and a sweet shooting stroke, qualities that will help him. But he will need to be more active and physical on the boards for this team.

"He is an amazingly skilled player and a heck of an offensive threat," Brey said.

G -- CHRIS QUINN (6-1, 175 lbs., FR., #2, 22.4 ppg, 7 apg, Dublin Coffman High/Dublin, Ohio). The runner-up for Mr. Basketball in Ohio will back up Thomas at the point but won’t be relegated to just that. Brey said he could see time on the floor with Thomas.

Quinn is a true point guard who finished with 1,670 career points and 468 assists in the highly competitive Ohio Capital Conference in Columbus. A two-time all-state selection, he scored 43 points in a game last year to tie a school mark that had stood since 1955. But a month later, teammate Zack Burris scored 44 points. Burris was averaging 11.9 points. It’s safe to assume he has Quinn to thank for a bunch of assists that night.

"I’m not sure any player on our team, not even Chris Thomas, passes the ball as well as [Quinn] does," Brey said.

G -- CHRIS MARKWOOD (6-4, 198 lbs., JR., #51, 0.4 ppg, 0.3 rpg, 5.3 minutes, South Portland/South Portland, Maine). He played 18 games after sitting out his freshman season after knee surgery. The arrival of Quinn probably will mean fewer minutes, but he could be a factor defensively against taller guards in the league.

"We need Chris to be a tough defender for us on the wing," Brey said

F/C -- OMARI PETERKIN (6-8, 225 pounds, FR., #4, 25 ppg, 15 rpg, Antilles School/St. Thomas, Virgin Islands). Brey expects to bring him along slowly, but is high on Peterkin’s offensive skills, hands and footwork. He didn’t sign with the Irish until May.

Brey feels pretty confident about his team and his program. He should. In Thomas and Francis, he has snatched recruiting gems in consecutive seasons. One being a point guard and the other a 6-10 big man doesn’t hurt either. Thomas is just a sophomore but already one of the country’s best table-setters and decision-makers.

Brey likened Francis to former Maryland star forward Joe Smith, a lanky, long-armed wonder.

"If Torin gave us 60 percent of Joe Smith this year I’d be happy," Brey said.

The addition of Miller is the perfect fit. With the departure of Humphrey, Notre Dame needed a swingman who will mix it up in the paint if he needs to help out.

If Notre Dame finds enough pieces off the bench to fit into the right spots -- Macura is a key -- the Irish have enough talent and depth to challenge for the Big East West division title again and make a third straight NCAA tournament trip.