SOUTH BEND — Rarely do college basketball players rotate into reserve roles and then rotate toward the top of the opponent’s scouting report.
Notre Dame basketball sophomore shooting guard Cole Certa did in the season opener Monday, November 3 against LIU Brooklyn.
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Having worked as a starter in each of Notre Dame’s two exhibitions, Certa bounced to the bench to begin 2025-26. He delivered a starter stat line, playing a career-high 24 minutes and scoring a career-high 22 points on a career-best six 3-pointers in an 89-67 victory.
“It’s really just preparation,” Certa said. “I try to stay ready at all times, no matter what my role is. I just want to come in and make an impact and help the team win.”
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Certa’s showing allowed Notre Dame to never trail and helped tally a staggering 52 bench points. His 22 were nearly half of what Certa scored — 45 — last season. He’ll hit that number before the end of the month. He’s also a lock to crush his freshman averages of 2.5 points and 8.0 minutes per game.
“There’s a beauty and an art to being an off-the-bench gunner,” said head coach Micah Shrewsberry. “Sometimes you forget about Cole Certa coming off the bench. When he comes in, an (opposing) assistant coach is standing up yelling, ‘Don’t let 5 shoot! He’s going to do this; he’s going to do that.’
“He’s going to get some looks that happen with different groups.”
Shrewsberry eyed Certa’s line after the DePaul exhibition — he went scoreless on only three shots — and vowed to get him more opportunities. Certa took a career-high 10 shots against LIU. That doubled his previous career best for attempts in a game.
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“Sometimes it’s about finding the right lineups and playing him with the right guys where he can get more shots,” Shrewsberry said.
It reached a point in the second half when the Irish just started finding the 6-foot-5 Certa in the halfcourt. Off set plays. In transition. In sets that fizzled. Just look for Certa on the wing or in the corner, get him the ball and he’d do the rest. Certa credited guards Markus Burton, Logan Imes and Sir Mohammed.
They did all the work to find him. Certa just had to shoot.
“They’re the unseen heroes,” Certa said. “I’m just out there trying to knock down the shot. They’re the reason I’m open.”
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Confidence has never been a problem for Certa. When he was the first high school player to commit specifically to play at Notre Dame for Shrewsberry, Certa was touted as the best shooter in the class. Same for when he signed. Not a moment passed that he wasn’t praised for his concrete-solid confidence. Even when he rarely played.
Certa didn’t log double figures for minutes until early February, but even that rarely rattled his belief that he could ball. Certa stayed confident, stayed ready, and delivered a career-high 12 points, including three 3s in 125 seconds, in late February against Pittsburgh.
“I’ve never not liked a shot,” Certa said last month during Media Day. “For me, a lot of that comes from hard work. That plays a huge part in your confidence.”
If there’s something Certa knows better than shooting, it’s work. Look out on the Rolfs Hall practice court at any hour. Certa’s likely down there getting up shots, working on his game, believing that any shot he takes from any spot is going in.
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He rarely stopped working in the spring, in the summer and now, fall. Taking even one day off is a dilemma.
“I don’t want to leave any regrets,” he said.
None were left in the opener.
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: Notre Dame sophomore Cole Certa enjoyed a career night in the opener
