Tag: Blake Wesley

Notre Dame in 2022 NCAA Tournament per Joe Lunardi’s Bracketology

Think the Irish can make the next NCAA Tournament?

Yes, it’s way too early to be thinking about the 2022 NCAA Tournament, but that hasn’t stopped college basketball fans from doing so. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi is one of them, and he’s released his latest Bracketology. Notre Dame fans undoubtedly want to forget about the 11-15 season they just experienced, but they’ll be pleased to know that Lunardi has the next iteration of the Irish as one of the last teams to make the tournament without having to play in the First Four. Specifically, he lists the Irish as a No. 10 seed against Indiana, so maybe the Crossroads Classic will serve as a preview for March?

Lunardi has good reason to be bullish about Notre Dame, which will receive a boost from Yale transfer Paul Atkinson and South Bend natives J.R. Konieczny and Blake Wesley. The Irish also will return their top three scorers from the past season as seniors: Prentiss Hubb, Nate Laszewski and Dane Goodwin. This is a program desperate for good things as it hasn’t made the Big Dance since 2017. Fortunately, there’s reason to think that those good things are close ahead.

Notre Dame commit Blake Wesley earns hardware at high school contest

The future of Notre Dame got some exposure during Final Four week.

Both Notre Dame and South Bend were represented in this year’s American Family Insurance High School Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships. Specifically, Riley product and Irish commit Blake Wesley was on hand for the competition ahead of the Final Four in Indianapolis. The contest was held Tuesday, but the broadcast was delayed until Sunday on CBS.

Wesley’s first appearance in the competition came in the IHOP Team Shootout, which teamed him with Auburn commit Jabari Smith and UConn commit Azzi Fudd. His team went first, and it took 48 seconds for the group to complete the sequence, which bore a resemblance to the Shooting Stars competition that once took place at NBA All-Star Weekend. The second team failed to make the final half-court shot in 48 seconds, so Wesley’s team was declared the winner. His prize was a trophy shaped like a stack of pancakes, one of the coolest things you’ll ever see:

Wesley also took part in the dunk contest, but he did not fare nearly as well. Scoring a 22 out of a possible 30 on his first dunk of the first round already put him in a hole. He sealed his fate when he failed to complete his second dunk of the round in the allotted 30 seconds, giving him a 15 on the attempt and a 37 overall. Kansas commit KJ Adams ultimately won the title.

Mike Brey hosting Selection Sunday watch party for Notre Dame players

No, Notre Dame is not going to the NCAA Tournament.

No, Notre Dame is not going to the NCAA Tournament. An at-large bid for a team that went 11-15 goes against all decency, even for power conference  programs. But the Irish still are going to gather to watch the Selection Sunday show on CBS. In fact, Mike Brey will be hosting the players at his home.

Unless there’s a dramatic development in the near future, this undoubtedly is a sign that Jack Swarbrick is going to allow Brey to come back next year. It would harder to convince someone of that if Brey and his players were keeping their distance from each other and not because of COVID-19. Brey has confidence in the team he’ll have next year, so he might as well be afforded the opportunity to see it through.

In addition to the large group of returnees, the Irish will welcome former Ivy League Player of the Year Paul Atkinson from Yale and South Bend products Blake Wesley and J.R. Konieczny. There’s talent already in place and new blood coming in to supplant it. Like the world we live in, better days hopefully are ahead soon. In this case, we’ll have to wait eight months to find out if this program has gotten much better.

Get ready for March Madness by registering in advance for USA TODAY Sports’ bracket sweepstakes. In the meantime, mobile users can play USA TODAY Sports’ Couchketball virtual hoops challenge – the interactive basketball game where your skills determine the outcome.

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Notre Dame Signees Konieczny, Wesley Nominated for McDonald’s Game

Although the McDonald’s All-American Game won’t be held for a second straight year, rosters still will be announced.

Although the McDonald’s All-American Game won’t be held for a second straight year, rosters still will be announced. The first step towards that was taken Thursday when a list of over 700 nominated girls and boys basketball players was released. Among them are Notre Dame signees JR Konieczny of St. Joseph and Blake Wesley of Riley. Both high schools are located in South Bend.

The final rosters will have 48 names, 24 for each gender. Because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s event will be virtual. What exactly that consists of will be announced later. Regardless of what it is, it won’t lessen the honor of being selected for this prestigious game.

Having either Konieczny or Wesley selected would be a great sense of pride for South Bend. No one from a city school ever has made the final cut for this game. It also would provide a grand conclusion to high school careers that will make the jump to the next level in their hometown.

Blake Wesley Will Stay in South Bend, Signs Letter With Notre Dame

Blake Wesley won’t have to go far for his next basketball venture.

Blake Wesley won’t have to go far for his next basketball venture. The recruit out of Riley in South Bend has signed a National Letter of Intent to join Notre Dame next season. Tom Noie of the South Bend Tribune was on hand when Wesley made his announcement Friday:

Mike Brey had this to say about the consensus four-star recruit:

“We have been watching Blake work on his game since middle school and he has developed himself into a complete guard who has great length with court vision – and is a big-time defender. He has a natural ability to score the basketball. To welcome in another local basketball talent is exciting not only to our program, but the South Bend area.”

Wesley, who was the area’s leading scorer with 26.0 points a game last season, is the second South Bend product in two weeks to sign a letter of intent with the Irish. J.R. Konieczny of St. Joseph was the first. Clearly, there will be a strong local presence for Notre Dame basketball in the near future. And at least with this particular signing, that’s just fine with former Irish star Demetrius Jackson, who met Wesley at the program’s summer camp years ago:

Blake Wesley Will Stay in South Bend, Signs Letter With Notre Dame

Blake Wesley won’t have to go far for his next basketball venture.

Blake Wesley won’t have to go far for his next basketball venture. The recruit out of Riley in South Bend has signed a National Letter of Intent to join Notre Dame next season. Tom Noie of the South Bend Tribune was on hand when Wesley made his announcement Friday:

Mike Brey had this to say about the consensus four-star recruit:

“We have been watching Blake work on his game since middle school and he has developed himself into a complete guard who has great length with court vision – and is a big-time defender. He has a natural ability to score the basketball. To welcome in another local basketball talent is exciting not only to our program, but the South Bend area.”

Wesley, who was the area’s leading scorer with 26.0 points a game last season, is the second South Bend product in two weeks to sign a letter of intent with the Irish. J.R. Konieczny of St. Joseph was the first. Clearly, there will be a strong local presence for Notre Dame basketball in the near future. And at least with this particular signing, that’s just fine with former Irish star Demetrius Jackson, who met Wesley at the program’s summer camp years ago: