Three Notre Dame men’s basketball players earn 2021-22 ACC All-Academic honors
Three Notre Dame men’s basketball players were recognized for their efforts in the classroom and on the court this year.
Senior guard Cormac Ryan, senior forward Nate Laszewski and graduate student forward Paul Atkinson Jr. were named to the ACC All-Academic team, the conference announced Tuesday. They’re three of the 37 honorees across the league’s 15 teams. Ryan made the team for the second straight year.
To make the team, a player must have a grade point average of 3.0 or higher for the previous semester and a cumulative 3.0 GPA for his career. Athletic achievements and performance from the current season are also part of the selection process.
PROMOTION: Sign up for just $1 for your first year at Blue & Gold
Atkinson is graduating this spring with a master’s in finance. He came to Notre Dame for a graduate season after four years at Yale, where he was the 2019-20 Ivy League Co-Player of the Year. He was the Irish’s third-leading scorer this year, at 12.5 points per game. He averaged 6.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game while shooting an ACC-best 58.8 percent from the floor. He is the lone Irish player who is out of eligibility after this season.
Atkinson saved his best game for a big moment. He scored a season-high 26 points on 13-of-15 shooting in Notre Dame’s 89-87 double-overtime win over Rutgers in the NCAA Tournament First Four. His final basket, a put-back with 1.4 seconds left in the second overtime, was the winner.
RELATED: Notre Dame football:
• Notre Dame football spring practice No. 12: Instant observations on the offense
• Notre Dame spring practice No. 12: Instant observations on the defense, special teams
Ryan averaged 9.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game, shooting 45.4 percent overall and 40.7 percent on three-pointers. He moved into the starting lineup Feb. 9, though, and delivered a career-best stretch. He averaged 13.4 points and 5.1 rebounds over his last 13 games, shooting 56.1 percent from the field and 50.9 percent on threes. He is set to graduate this spring with management consulting degree.
The highlight for Ryan was a career-high 29 points and seven three-pointers in a first-round NCAA Tournament victory over Alabama. He and head coach Mike Brey have strongly hinted at a return for a fifth season in 2022-23. He has fifth-year eligibility because he redshirted in 2019-20 after transferring from Stanford.
Laszewski averaged 9.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game while shooting 45.6 percent on three-pointers (14th in Division I). He was one of four players in the country to shoot at least 45 percent on threes and grab 200 or more rebounds. He is testing the NBA draft process while keeping his college eligibility open. He has the option to play a fifth season using the COVID-19 exemption. Like Ryan, he’s a management consulting major.
