Why does this Notre Dame basketball veteran remain on the outside of the rotation looking in?

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SOUTH BEND — It seemed a rather straight-forward, standard approach.

Discussing earlier this season how he would like his bench rotations to be, Notre Dame men’s basketball head coach Micah Shrewsberry said it would often be decided on a game-by-game basis. 

If more scoring was needed, junior swingman J.R. Konieczny might see more minutes. If the Irish needed some size, Ukraine graduate transfer power forward Nikita Konstantynovskyi would get the call. If defense was dictating a particular game, senior guard Julian Roper would play. Ball handling? Get freshman guard Sir Mohammed up to speed after a left knee injury shelved him for 10 games.

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How bench minutes were dispersed would differ. Sometimes, it would be offense. Sometimes, size. Sometimes defense. Sometimes, a second handler was paramount.

Atlantic Coast Conference games of late have dictated the Irish need more size, so Konstantynovskyi has played. League games also have seen the Irish struggle to guard, so Roper has played. Mohammed has seen his minutes multiply.

Notre Dame has become far more offensively challenged than anyone expected, but the 6-foot-7, 205-pound Konieczny sits on the outside of the rotation looking in.

On a team that has struggled to score – Notre Dame had 63, 60 and 57 points in its last three games – someone who averaged 28.3 points as a high school senior at South Bend Saint Joseph isn’t much of an option.

Starting wing guard Matt Allocco has missed the last two games with a right wrist issue and Konieczny still hasn’t seen his role expand. On 574 Day at home Saturday against Virginia Tech, one of the team’s two 574 guys played 60 seconds in the first half, 120 seconds in the second.

Since scoring six points in the Jan. 11 loss at Duke, Konieczny has scored a total of five points (all Jan. 28 against Georgia Tech)…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/why-does-notre-dame-basketball-195353471.html

Author : South Bend Tribune

Publish date : 2025-02-10 19:53:00

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