Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM AUGUST 2024 47 MEN'S BASKETBALL gosh, these people are doing this for me.' … It was the little things that made a big difference with Nikita." On the court at NEO, Konstan- tynovskyi started somewhat slowly but took off his sophomore year. Jackson recalls one day after practice, early in that spring semester, when Konstan- tynovskyi came into his office and asked him, "What do I have to do to be great?" Jackson's advice: Konstantynovskyi all-around game was good, but he should make sure there were one or two aspects at which he truly excelled. One of them, as it turned out, was rebounding. Konstantynovskyi went on a double-double streak that spring that spanned most of February and March, cementing him as a Division I prospect. "He started chasing every shot," Jack- son said. "Every time a three-pointer went up, he would re-adjust on some- body trying to block him out. He had very good footwork, and the ability to slip around people to get in better posi- tion." "The first few months were chal- lenging for me, but I just bought in and did my part," Konstantynovskyi said. "Coach Jackson did an incredible job putting me in the right situation and believing in me." HEARTBREAKING STRETCH Konstantynovskyi transferred to Tulsa after his sophomore year, in large part to stay close to his American fam- ily. But things took a turn for the worse in 2022, in ways most people can't even fathom. The war began. Denys was drafted into it. Anastasia fled. His hometown gym in Kyiv was destroyed by Russian bombing. His family dog in Ukraine died, which the McMains described as "heartbreaking." Worst of all, his father passed away from a heart condition. Each of these events happened around the same time. "I saw him become sad," Bea McMain said. "I saw a lot of different emotions, but I saw strength. He knew that he had to pick himself up." Konstantynovskyi and the McMains tried to bring Anastasia to the United States, but she felt it was important to stay close to the family. Understand- ably, Konstantynovskyi had no inter- est in returning to Ukraine and has not since 2021. "I was a little bit worried, because I wasn't able to talk to my family, due to there was no connection, no electric- ity," Konstantynovskyi said. "It was a hard time." He has sent money to his family — especially his brother, who needs it to purchase protective equipment — but it's not easy to stay connected. "I tried not to think about it," Kon- stantynovskyi said. "Obviously, it's hard, but you can't bring emotions to the basketball court. You need to be fo- cused and take pride that you have this opportunity to play and represent your family and your country." Later in 2022, he suffered an early- season injury that ended his second and final season at Tulsa. In a way, that was the most diffi- cult event for Konstantynovskyi to pull through. Basketball was his happy place, and the injury put his career in jeopardy. "He got through it with his mental toughness," Jackson said. "Nothing was going right in his life, other than his grades." Through it all, Konstantynovskyi never thought about quitting basket- ball. He had a strong support system, with Jackson, the McMains and his coaches and teammates at Tulsa. Toge t h e r, a l o n g w i t h Ko n s ta n - tynovskyi's own resolve, they helped him get through his difficult stretch. "They were incredible," Konstan- tynovskyi said. "They were asking questions; how do I feel and everything. I think it's just more support and more confidence in myself by being around good people." INNER FIRE After transferring from Tulsa to Mon- mouth for the 2023-24 season, Kon- stantynovskyi finally enjoyed a suc- cessful season at the Division 1 level. He averaged 9.3 points and 8.1 rebounds per game, and he was the No. 22 rebounder in the nation on a per-36-minute basis. "You could see his potential coming out," John McMain said. "We always knew he was going to," Bea McMain said. "We didn't know when or how, but we knew he would. He just has that much determination." The McMains made the trip to West Long Branch, N.J., several times and plan on doing the same in South Bend this season. The light bulb came on at Monmouth, Jackson said, similarly to the way it did at NEO. Once Konstantynovskyi be- came comfortable with his situation off the court, he excelled on it. "He just let go of everything and lost himself on the basketball court," Jack- son said. "That inner fire drove him to do that." Konstantynovskyi still worries for his family, as anyone in his situation would. But as he prepares for his last go-round as a college basketball player, he finds solace in the family he has in the U.S. "It's meant a lot for me, from team- mates, from coaching staff, from my American family," Konstantynovskyi said. "I'm glad that I found those kinds of people." ✦ NOTRE DAME'S 2024-25 SCHOLARSHIP ROSTER No. Player Pos. Ht. Cl. Hometown (High School) 1 Julian Roper II G 6-4 Sr. Detroit (St. Mary's) 2 Logan Imes G 6-4 So. Zionsville, Ind. (Zionsville) 3 Markus Burton G 5-11 So. Mishawaka, Ind. (Penn) 4 Sir Mohammed* G 6-6 Fr. Charlotte, N.C. (Myers Park) 5 Cole Certa* G 6-5 Fr. Le Roy, Ill. (IMG Academy [Fla.]) 7 Tae Davis F 6-9 Jr. Indianapolis (Warren Central) 11 Braeden Shrewsberry G 6-3 So. Granger, Ind. (State College Area) 12 Garrett Sundra* F 6-11 Fr. Ashburn, Va. (Paul VI Catholic) 14 Kebba Njie F 6-10 Jr. Centerville, Ohio (La Lumiere [Ind.]) 20 J.R. Konieczny G 6-7 Sr. South Bend (St. Joseph) 21 Burke Chebuhar* F 6-8 Gr. Marietta, Ga. (The Walker School) 25 Nikita Konstantynovskyi* F 6-10 Gr. Kyiv, Ukraine (Secondary School No. 163) 41 Matt Allocco* G 6-4 Gr. Hilliard, Ohio (Hilliard Bradley) * Newcomer