The University of Notre Dame men’s basketball team has announced that J.R. Konieczny, a 6-7 guard from St. Joseph High School in South Bend, Indiana, has signed a National Letter of Intent to join the Fighting Irish for the 2021-22 season.
“We are thrilled to add J.R. to our program. It is great to have a ‘local product’ in a Notre Dame uniform,” Glenn and Stacey Murphy Head Men’s Basketball Coach Mike Brey said.
“Our staff has watched him grow up in this town and get better since he was 13 years old. He has worked to become a 6-7 guard who can shoot, handle the ball and has a great feel for the game. He is a perfect fit for how we like to play.”
Rated among the top 150 high school players in the 2020-21 class, Konieczy (Kah-nez-nee) is a four-star recruit according to ESPN.com and earned third-team all-state honors as a junior in 2019-20. He averaged over 24 points a game last season, including a 42-point outburst in the 2020 sectional semifinal – a performance that earned him the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association Player of the Week honors.
HONORS AND AWARDS
- 2020 IndyStar Third Team All-State Selection
- 2020 IndyStar Indiana Junior All-Star Team
- 2020 Indiana Basketball Coaches Association/Subway “Supreme 15” Underclass Team
- 2020 Northern Indiana Conference First-Team Selection
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT KONIECZNY
“I like J.R.’s size, I like his skill, I love the quick release on his jumper, and I really like the idea of him as a skill guy who could stretch the floor as a small ball four man in some situations as he gets stronger and finishes growing.”
– Eric Bossi, Rivals National Basketball Recruiting Analyst
“J.R. is just a very skilled kid. I know some doubt that a guy who is 6-foot-6 or 6-foot-7 would have guard skills, but he really has guard skills. He can shoot it well, and he also is a good ball handler who moves his feet well. Notre Dame is going to have a player that fits in really well with what they like to do.”
– Mike Adams, Indiana Elite Head Coach
“This is an honor, for Notre Dame to say we’ve got somebody in our backyard that we think is just as good as somebody from any high school in America. That’s special. He put an awful lot of time and energy into getting better. What an unbelievable opportunity he has.”
– Mark Johnson, St. Joseph High School Head Coach
KONIECZNY NOTES
ESPN.com – four-star prospect, 82nd national, 28th small forward … 247Sports – three-star prospect, 133rd national, 29th small forward … Rivals – three-star prospect, 136th national, 32nd small forward … verbally committed in August of 2019 … played for Mike Adams and the Indiana Elite on the AAU circuit … played for Mark Johnson at St. Joseph High School … the first Northern Indiana Conference (NIC) player to sign with Notre Dame since Demetrius Jackson (Marian) and Austin Torres (Penn) in 2012 … first St. Joseph South Bend basketball player on the Notre Dame roster since Pete Miller, who joined the Irish in 1993 as a walk-on and eventually earned a scholarship and served as a team captain … son of Debbie and Doug Konieczny, along with sister, Nicole and brother, Chase … Nicole led the St. Joseph’s girls basketball team to the 2017 Class A state championship, began her collegiate career at Valparaiso and is entering her junior season at Stephen F. Austin … full name is Douglas Konieczny Junior.