2021-22 Men's Basketball Roster

#20 Paul Atkinson Jr. Men's Basketball Roster

Forward


Height 6-9
Weight 230
Hometown West Palm Beach, FL
High School Westminster Academy
Eligibility Senior
Class Graduate Student
Twitter @paulwall561
Paul Atkinson Jr. - Men's Basketball - Notre Dame Fighting Irish

HONORS AND AWARDS: 

  • 2022 All-ACC Honorable Mention
  • ACC Player of the Week (Feb. 7, 2022)
  • 2020 Ivy League Player of the Year
  • 2020 All-Ivy First Team (unanimous selection)
  • 2020 USBWA and NABC All-District Team
  • 2020 All-ECAC First Team
  • 2020 Yale Team MVP

2021-22:

  • Powered the Irish to the First Four victory over Rutgers (3/16/22) with a game-high 26 points, connecting on 13-of-15 shots with none bigger than his offensive rebound and put back with 1.4 seconds remaining in double overtime to provide the game-winning points in the thrilling victory.
  • Helped the Irish go toe-to-toe with Florida State (3/2/22) with a double-double, posting 17 points and 10 rebounds. His three-point play with :47 remaining cut the Seminoles lead to two points.
  • Took over control of the post against Syracuse (2/23/22) and pulled down a career-best eight offensive rebounds and 17 total while adding 20 points and matching his career-high with 10 free throws.
  • Posted his third consecutive double-double in the victory over Louisville (2/9/22) leading the Irish with 17 points and a career-high 15 rebounds. 
  • Earned his first ACC weekly award on February 5, averaging a double-double (17 pts, 10 reb) in three games vs. Duke, at Miami and at NC State. 
  • Turned in a second consecutive double-double at NC State (2/5/22), playing a Notre Dame career high 37 minutes with a game-high 15 points and 10 rebounds. 
  • Dominated in the post against Miami (2/2/22) with 23 points and 11 rebounds. Connected on the first seven shots he took in the game and ended up posting the first 20/10 game for a Notre Dame player since John Mooney in 2020. 
  • The only double digit scorer against No. 9/6 Duke (1/31/22), leading the Irish with 14 points and nine rebounds. 
  • Carried the Irish offense through the middle portion of the victory over Virginia (1/29/22), scoring 10 of 14 team points during one run to finish the game with 14 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists. 
  • A steady influence at Louisville (1/22/22) with 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting with five rebounds. 
  • Scored an ACC-career high 19 points at Virginia Tech (1/15/22), shooting 8-for-12 from the floor with three assists and nine rebounds. 
  • Came off the bench for the first time in his career at Notre Dame at Georgia Tech (1/8/22) and responded by hitting his first eight shots, finishing the game 8-for-9 from the field with 16 points and seven rebounds while playing a Notre Dame career-high 36 minutes. 
  • Converted all eight attempts at the free throw line, eventually finishing with a team-high 16 points in the victory at Pittsburgh (12/28/21). 
  • Set the tone for the Irish in the victory over Western Michigan (12/20/21) with early activity in the post, eventually finishing with 17 points and five rebounds. 
  • Posted his second double-double with Notre Dame against Indiana (12/18/11) with 11 points, 11 rebounds and a ND-best four steals. 
  • Earned first double-double of his Notre Dame career with a game-high 19 points and 11 rebounds (while adding two blocked shots) against High Point (11/16/21). 
  • Made his Notre Dame debut against CSUN (11/13/21), scoring 10 of his 16 points in the second half while adding six rebounds.

2020-21: 

  • Graduate transfer from Yale who will be immediately eligible for the 2021-22 season.
  • Committed to transfer to Notre Dame on February 3, 2021.
  • Did not participate in college basketball during the 2020-21 season, as the entire athletic season was cancelled by the Ivy League schools due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Owns a .661 career field goal percentage, which would rank as the best in Yale basketball history.
  • Set school records for field goal percentage in each of his first two seasons (.692 as a freshman, .6697 as a sophomore).
  • Has led the Ivy League in field goal percentage in each of the last three seasons.
  • Ranked by ESPN+ as the fourth-best transfer prospect in college basketball in 2020-21.
  • The lone college player selected as part of USA Basketball’s AmeriCup Qualifying Team in February of 2021, but was unable to compete due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
  • Completed his undergraduate degree at Yale in the spring of 2021 and joined the Irish roster in July of 2021.
  • Enrolled in the Mendoza College of Business and working toward at Master’s of Science in Finance.