Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com NOV. 13, 2021 47 MEN'S BASKETBALL BY PATRICK ENGEL F orgive Paul Atkinson Jr. for wan- dering around Notre Dame's bas- ketball facilities in awe when he first arrived in June. The Yale graduate transfer forward made the jump from the Ivy League to the ACC to play his final year of college bas- ketball this season. The accouterments of high-major basketball lifestyle were initially a shock to the system. A juice bar and snack station in Rolfs Hall. The team's own weight room, strength coach and trainer. Cost of attendance stipends. And, you know, an athletic scholarship. "My favorite part is having a fuel sta- tion that has snacks and food whenever I want," Atkinson said. "Even now, I'm still finding things we get that I'm not used to." It's a lot different than his prior home, which for most of last year, was his lit- eral home. The Ivy League canceled all 2020-21 activities due to COVID-19 concerns, therein sideswiping Atkinson's senior season. He stayed in New Haven, Conn., anyway, mostly confined to his off- campus apartment. His classes were online. His workouts were often in- home individual exercises. He couldn't use the athletic program's weight room or play five-on-five in Yale's gym. The closest he came to organized bas- ketball last year was pickup games with teammates … at a New Haven Boys and Girls Club. It was better than nothing. But … "It's not this," Atkinson said, gestur- ing at an empty Purcell Pavilion after a mid-October scrimmage. He sure looked at home in his first official action at Purcell two weeks later. The 6-9, 235-pound Atkinson put up a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double in Notre Dame's 87-37 exhibition win over Nazareth College Oct. 29. That's the expected production for a 22-year-old former Ivy League Player of the Year against an undersized and woefully over- matched Division III team. The initial spark he provided, though, stood out. Atkinson pulled down a rebound just 51 seconds into the game and tossed an outlet pass. Four seconds later, he caught the ball in transition from senior guard Cormac Ryan, absorbed some contact and made a layup for Notre Dame's first field goal. On the next possession, he found himself open at the top of the key and let a three- pointer fly. Never mind that he had at- tempted just three of them in 20 preseason practices and 14 in his entire Yale career. Splash. "I guess I have to let him take it mov- ing forward," head coach Mike Brey said afterward. Atkinson wasn't done. He blocked a shot at the rim on the ensuing defen- sive possession. About a minute later, he posted up, took a dribble and kicked out to senior guard Prentiss Hubb on the wing for a three-pointer. Hubb missed, but that shouldn't diminish the pass. He also ended the game with two assists, one steal and no fouls commit- ted while shooting 7 of 11 from the field. "The game comes easy to him." Brey said. "He has a feel, he has feet, hands around the bucket. A really good defen- sive rebounder. We make a concerted effort to throw it in there." That's just how Atkinson wants it. He's a crafty post player who can finish with either hand and doesn't need to bury his defender to score. In his final season at Yale, he ranked in the 95th percentile in post scoring efficiency, per Synergy Sports. He's a career 66.1 percent field goal shooter who finished third nation- ally in field goal percentage twice. Atkinson is not the most physically imposing or athletic forward, but he is ef- fective. Not even in Yale's games against high-major opponents. In four 2019-20 games against Power Five teams, he av- eraged 14.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists while shooting 56.4 percent. That included a 20-point, four-rebound, four-assist game in a win at Clemson. "Coach Brey has been trusting me down low in the post, and that's an easy transition," Atkinson said. "I didn't have to take a different role here." He did, though, need to regain some strength. A year of apartment workouts, limited training and infrequent access to a weight room dropped him from his 235-pound playing weight at Yale to 215. A summer with Irish strength coach Tony Rolinski and actual scrimmages helped him regain his form. "I definitely had to get my wind back," Atkinson said. "The strength and physi- cality of bumping bodies every day, that took a little while getting used to." He seems to have settled in comfortably on the court. And in his new home. ✦ Atkinson posted a 15-point, 10-rebound double- double in Notre Dame's 87-37 exhibition win over Nazareth Oct. 29, his first college game action in more than 600 days. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS RIGHT AT HOME Yale graduate transfer Paul Atkinson Jr. is loving life in his new setting 2021-22 NOTRE DAME MEN'S EARLY BASKETBALL SCHEDULE As of Nov. 4 Date Opponent Result/Time (ET) Oct. 29 Nazareth College^ W, 87-37 Nov. 5 St. Norbert College^ 7 p.m. Nov. 13 Cal State Northridge TBA Nov. 16 High Point 7 p.m. Nov. 22 vs. Saint Mary's# 11:30 p.m. Nov. 23 vs. Oregon or Chaminade# TBA Nov. 24 vs. Butler, Houston, Texas A&M or Wisconsin# TBA Nov. 29 at Illinois TBA ^ Exhibition; # Maui Invitational at Las Vegas