From hometown hero to new beginning - former Notre Dame standout heads south

The Notre Dame basketball team hasn’t been all the busy in the portal this year. That might come as a bit of a surprise considering head coach Micah Shrewsberry has some holes to fill on his roster, even if he’s also got some serious talent coming in from the high school ranks.

Interestingly enough, the most movement in regards to the Fighting Irish has been the players leaving. That includes South Bend native JR Konieczny who just found the school where he’ll look to rejuvenate his college career. 

Former Notre Dame guard finds new opportunity at FGCU

When the former Notre Dame basketball player hit the portal, Florida Gulf Coast coaches reached out to him immediately and let him know how much they wanted him. On Monday he pulled the trigger and is headed to one of the more interesting mid-major schools out there.

“I wanted to be somewhere where I could have an instant impact and a bigger role as a leader and a player,” Konieczny explained to Sports Michiana. “I was able to go down there and catch a spring workout and I liked the energy and intensity of the practice.”

Konieczny will depart South Bend next month with his Notre Dame degree and one year of eligibility remaining. Then if off the the sunnier skies and beaches of FGCU.

The 6-7 guard was a superstar at Saint Joseph High School in South Bend, ending his prep career as the all-time leading scorer in St. Joseph County history with 1,996 points (he’s since been passed by Markus Burton and his younger brother Chase). However, that success in high school never really translated to the same kind of run with Notre Dame.

While the guard did play in 71 games and started 23 over the last three years, he averaged just 17.9 minutes, and 5.5 points per game. It would certainly seem as though the former Notre Dame basketball star will get a chance to put up bigger numbers than that at his new school.