Tag: JR Konieczny

Revisiting some of Mike Brey’s local media day comments

Do you think Mike is regretting any of these preseason quotes?

Back in October, Fighting Irish Wire was lucky to attend Notre Dame’s media day for South Bend outlets. [autotag]Mike Brey[/autotag] spoke with the assembled reporters before the players entered the room, and every answer he gave was a clue into the workings of his team. The atmosphere was an optimistic one as the Irish were coming off a couple of NCAA Tournament wins in the spring. Why couldn’t it happen again with all of these older players returning?

Well, the Irish have reached a crossroads much sooner than they would have liked. They are 8-7 and have lost their first four ACC games, tying with Louisville for last in the conference. The fun of last March has given way to frustration and bafflement as to how things have gone so wrong. Even most of the nonconference victories have not been very satisfying, and there is no reason to think this season will last beyond the ACC Tournament.

So how have some of Brey’s preseason words held up? Let’s take a look:

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.