Signing Day Finally Arrives For Notre Dame Commit JR Konieczny

It’s been well over a year since JR Konieczny shut down his recruitment and announced his commitment to Notre Dame.

On Wednesday, the 2021 Indiana guard/forward finally got the chance to make that official when he signed his National Letter of Intent with the Irish on the first day of the early signing period.

“It kind of feels the same I’d say because I’ve been building a relationship with those guys for over a year now,” Konieczny told Irish Sports Daily on Wednesday. “It’s nice to finally put a stamp on it and make it official. I’m real excited for it.”

The 6-foot-7 Konieczny from nearby St. Joseph High School in South Bend believes he has the versatility to fit in with the Irish while head coach Mike Brey called him a “perfect fit for how we like to play.”

“Hopefully, I can keep doing what I’m doing right now and fit in wherever they need me to,” Konieczny said. “I kind of have the body type to play like any position. I’m really to do whatever they need me to do and hopefully we can get some wins when I’m there.”

Since making that commitment last August, Konieczny has had the chance to build relationships within the program.

He’s worked out with many of the players at a gym in Granger.

“I got to work out with them a little bit over the summer and hang out with them,” he said. “It was fun.”

And while his relationship with the coaching staff has always been strong, it too has grown in recent months.

“That’s kind of the main reason I committed in the first place, the coaches there are amazing,’ Konieczny said. “They’ve done a really, really great job of checking in on me every week or so.

“Coach Brey has done a great job of calling me and seeing how I’ve been doing and how school is going and all of that. They’ve just been amazing throughout this whole process.”

Konieczny’s upcoming season remains a go.

“This Coronavirus could change anything, but as of right now, everything is on schedule,” he said.

And Brey made sure he knew what the Irish’s challenging slate this year looks like.

“Those are going to be some really, really good games this year,” Konieczny said. “They’ll be exciting to watch.”

While Konieczny was the only player to sign with the Irish today, he’s working on getting another local guard, Blake Wesley, to join the group soon.

“I’ve been trying,” Konieczny laughed. “I’ve been talking to him every single day trying to get him to come with me. We’ll see what happens there.”

Wesley attends Riley High School in South Bend, but the two go way back.

“We’ve grown up playing basketball since we were in third grade,” said Konieczny.

“It would mean the world if I got to team up with him. He’s been a childhood friend. We’re both from the South Bend area, so it would be big-time.”