Landing a graduate transfer power forward with a long last name and an even longer basketball journey that includes three previous college stops likely wasn’t on the Notre Dame men’s basketball transfer portal Bingo card this spring.
The Irish still covered that specific space early Tuesday afternoon with the verbal commitment of former Monmouth/Tulsa/Northeastern Oklahoma A&M power forward Nikita Konstantynovskyi, a 6-foot-10, 245-pound native of Kyiv, Ukraine.
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Konstantynovskyi visited Notre Dame for one day — Saturday — last weekend. His viewing of campus consisted of a golf cart tour with assistant coach Mike Farrelly. He also officially visited Mississippi.
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Konstantynovskyi arrived in the United States as a high school sophomore. He attended school in Tennessee for one year before returning home. There, he finished high school and played for his country’s world team. He returned to the U.S. for junior college.
He last visited Ukraine in 2021.
“It’s been a long journey, you know?” said Konstantynovski, who spent two-plus hours early Tuesday afternoon on the phone with family members and friends (and at least one reporter) discussing his commitment. “I’ve been looking into my next school, just to be on the same page as the head coach. It seems like Coach (Micah) Shrewsberry was honest and will try to help me.
“I will help them as well.”
How can Konstantynovski help a Notre Dame team that really needs frontcourt help after finishing 13-20 overall and 7-13 in the Atlantic Coast Conference last season?
“We kind of play the same style,” he said. “Pick and pop, being physical, catching it and having great touch around the rim. Driving it. Pretty much like being a high IQ guy will help at this level.”
This level being a level that Konstantynovski has never played at in college. He spoke Tuesday from Washington, home base for his agent, where he will spend time before reporting for summer school next month working out against various players from Australia’s National Basketball League and NBA G League players.
“A great opportunity to get better here,” he said.
Konstantynovskyi needs the reps to prepare for the Dukes and the North Carolinas and the Virginias and now the North Carolina States of the ACC.
“It’s a different level,” he said. “I’m excited for the opportunity with what we can do this season with my teammates for my last year.”
The commitment of Konstantynovskyi bumps Notre Dame’s 2024-25 roster to 12, one below the NCAA maximum. Heading into the offseason, where more than 2,000 college players entered the transfer portal, Notre Dame needed perimeter and low-post experience.
Last month, the Irish added graduate student and former Princeton guard Matt Allocco, a potential starter and likely major-minutes guy. Monmouth and Princeton played last season, an 82-57 Tigers victory. Allocco had 19 points, six rebounds and two assists in 34 minutes. Konstantynovskyi had two points, eight rebounds and two assists in 16 minutes.
The Irish still may add a third player following the transfer to Illinois of small forward Carey Booth.
Konstantynovski is the first European to be part of the Notre Dame program since former forward Martinas Geben, a native of Lithuania, arrived in 2014. In 33 games last season at Monmouth where he spent one season, Konstantynovski averaged 9.3 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 0.9 assists in 23.5 minutes. He made 32 starts for coach King Rice and shot .526 percent from the field, .652 percent from the foul line.
Monmouth was 18-15 overall, 10-8 in the Colonial Athletic Conference.
Konstantynovskyi played two years at Tulsa (2021-23) after two years at Northeast Oklahoma A&M (2019-21), where he was ranked among the nation’s top 100 junior college players. Konstantynovskyi earned a sixth season of eligibility after sitting out the 2022-23 season at Tulsa because of a stress fracture in his left foot. That happened because Konstantynovskyi couldn’t find a pair of adidas shoes that fit properly.
His season bests at Monmouth included 22 points versus Stony Brook, 20 rebounds against Rider and 33 minutes also against Rider. In a 72-56 loss on New Year’s Eve to Oklahoma, Konstantynovskyi scored 11 points on five-of-six shooting from the floor with six rebounds.
“He’s skilled,” said former Irish power forward and assistant coach Ryan Humphrey, now an Oklahoma assistant. “He has good touch around the rim and knows how to use his body and angles.”
The ACC isn’t the CAA, though. That may not be that big of an issue.
“He’s got great size,” Humphrey said. “I think he can play in that league.”
Follow South Bend Tribune and NDInsider columnist Tom Noie on X (formerly Twitter): @tnoieNDI. Contact: (574) 235-6153.