Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com PRESEASON 2019 71 MEN'S BASKETBALL thinking defensively like, 'I'm not go- ing to get stretched out as much now.' "Four and maybe five are making it at the old arc. Can they make it there with the new one? I'm thinking on de- fense, do we jam it in even more? Do we not close out on guys as much?" Brey also sees the employment of more zone defenses with the rule change. "Maybe this new arc is not the weapon at a further distance as it was at the old distance," Brey noted. "So, can you play more zone — and if you can, your guys can rest a little bit when it comes to playing offense. It's the Syracuse philosophy. "The great thing about their [2-3] zone is, yes, it's hard to attack, but their offensive guys are never chasing ball screens and they are never chas- ing stagger screens. Carmelo Antho- ny's legs were always fresh on the of- fensive end. We've taken a page from that. Guys like Steve Vasturia and Pat Connaughton and others didn't need to be chasing guys 30 or 40 minutes." The 2019 NIT already used the new three-point line as an experiment. The teams in the field averaged 23.1 three- point field goal attempts per game compared to 22.8 during the regular season. The three-point shooting in the tournament was 33.0 compared to the 35.2 regular season average. Another new rule for 2019-20 that was approved was resetting the shot clock at 20 seconds after a field goal attempt hits the rim and the team on offense rebounds it in the frontcourt. It was decided a full 30-second shot clock is not needed because the team on offense already is in the front court following the rebound. Brey is all for increasing the tempo, even though the "burn offense" has been kind to him over the years. "Last year just to stop overthink- ing and turning down shots, we practiced the last three weeks with a 20-second shot clock," Brey revealed. "All of a sudden [freshman point guard Prentiss] Hubb is different. I almost wonder if that's how we play [now] and work on it. We're kind of swinging back the other way. "This is probably three or four years away because coaches won't agree to it, but we need to go to the 24-second shot clock. I think in the college game kids want to play quicker. That may be the most important rule change down the road. It won't get a lot of support for about five years, but when we went to that 20-second shot clock and I saw how the kids played … let's go." ✦ Notre Dame Adds Local 2021 Product J.R. Konieczny While waiting for its first commitment from the 2020 high school recruiting haul, the Notre Dame staff received a pledge in the 2021 cycle Aug. 18 from South Bend (Ind.) St. Joseph 6-6 wing J.R.Konieczny. At a school about a half-mile from the Notre Dame campus, Konieczny aver- aged 24 points per game as a sophomore last year and is currently ranked as the No. 129 overall prospect in the class of 2021 by 247Sports. Head coach Mike Brey offered Konieczny in late July after watching him at the NCAA Basketball Academy in Champaign, Ill. Konieczny also was getting recruited by Butler, Creighton, Iowa, Miami (Ohio) and Valparaiso, where older sister Nicole plays for the women's basketball team. "Coach Brey has developed some really good players," Konieczny told Blue & Gold Illustrated. "He told me that I kind of remind him of Pat Connaughton when he was in my grade. That got me excited. "The player development over there is top notch. You can't really get much better than playing in the ACC." In other recruiting developments this summer: • The top guard Notre Dame was recruiting for 2020, Chicago's D.J. Stew- ard, did not have the Irish among his final eight choices. Meanwhile, Trey Galloway from Culver (Ind.) Academy committed to Indiana — as anticipated — July 26. On July 29, four-star 6-6 wing Terrance Williams — Rivals' No. 92 overall prospect nationally — chose local school Georgetown over Notre Dame and Michigan. On Aug. 3, Division III wing transfer Austin Hutcherson from Wesleyan se- lected Illinois over the Irish and Creighton. This past year as a sharp-shooting sophomore, Hutcherson was the NESCAS Player of the Year while averaging 20.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists per contest. • Notre Dame remains in the hunt for 7-1 DeMatha Catholic center Hunter Dickinson, 6-7 Donovan "Puff" Johnson and versatile 6-7 Denton Texas power forward JaKobe Coles, ranked Nos. 28, 48 and 127, respectively, by Rivals in the 2020 class. Dickinson announced his final seven of Florida State, Louisville, Michigan, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Providence and Purdue. Johnson, whose brother Cameron was a first-round pick after starring at North Carolina, also is down to seven: Arizona, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Pitt. • On July 3, the Irish extended an offer to Philadelphia Imhotep Institute Charter School's Elijah Taylor, and his list includes Florida, Pittsburgh, Seton Hall, VCU and Providence. The 6-8, 215-pounder Rivals three-star player pos- sesses strong athleticism and can play the four or five. • Added to Notre Dame's big man offer list in July were Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic's Matt Zona (6-8, 220) and Bay Shore (N.Y.) Long Island Lu- theran's Zed Key, (6-8, 230). Seeking to take an official visit to a Notre Dame football game this fall, Zona also is looking at the likes of Davidson, Penn State, Pennsylvania, Yale, Harvard, Richmond and Saint Joseph's. Neither is in Rivals' top 150 chart, but Key holds more than 30 scholarship offers, and is high on Florida, Seton Hall, St. John's, and Illinois. The Irish hope to get him on campus this fall for an official visit. — Mike Singer Konieczny, who committed to Notre Dame Aug. 18, averaged 24 points per game as a sophomore at St. Joseph's High School in South Bend last year. PHOTO COURTESY J.R. KONIECZNY VIA TWITTER