SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The 2024-25 roster rounded out for Glenn & Stacey Murphy Notre Dame men’s basketball head coach Micah Shrewsberry. On Friday morning Nikita Konstantynovskyi (Con-stan-tee-nov-ski) and Burke Chebuhar (CHEB-uh-harr) officially became Irish. Konstantynovskyi is a grad transfer from Monmouth while Chebuhar is a grad transfer from Lehigh.
Konstantynovskyi is a 6-10, 245-pound forward, hailing from Kyiv, Ukraine. He spent the last season at Monmouth where he averaged 9.3 points and 8.1 rebounds per game, while guiding the Hawks to an 18-15 record with a 10-8 mark in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA).
Konstantynovskyi’s top highlight of last season was an impressive 22-point, 20-rebound performance against Stony Brook. It marked the fourth 20-20 game in program history and the first since 1997 (also Monmouth’s last 20-rebound game). It marked the sixth such game in Division I last season.
“We are thrilled to be able to add Nikita to our program. In the offseason a major focus for our staff was to identify someone who could help us immediately at the center position, and Nikita can absolutely do that. He is a veteran who can score around the rim, is more than capable when facing the rim, and also is a physical rebounder with good hands. We expect Nikita to be a big part of Notre Dame and our success over the next year,” Coach Shrewsberry said.
Konstantynovskyi notched six double-doubles last season, which ranked ninth in the CAA. He also ranked fourth in the conference in rebounds per game, as well as second in offensive boards (2.9 – ranked 67th nationally).
Prior to Monmouth, Konstantynovskyi spent two years at Tulsa (only competed during the 2021-22 season) where he played in 29 games, starting in nine. He shot 52.8 percent from the field during the 2021-22 campaign.
Prior to Tulsa, Konstantynovskyi started at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M and as a sophomore he averaged 11.1 points and 8.0 rebounds in 21 games. He ranked second in NJCAA in shooting percentage (60.2 percent) and blocked shots (44) as well as fifth in offensive rebounding.
“I chose to play for Notre Dame because of the outstanding coaching staff, the wonderful environment, and much more. Coach Shrewsberry’s support has been incredible, and he has shared his and the coaching staff’s intentions regarding how they see me on the court. It’s a fantastic opportunity to represent an institution with such a great tradition,” Konstantynovskyi said.
Chebuhar is a 6-8, 230-pound forward, hailing from Marietta, Georgia. Chebuhar played three seasons at Lehigh and saved his best for last, working his way into the starting lineup. Chebuhar averaged 7.5 points and 5.0 rebounds during the 2023-24 campaign, where he started in 22 games while appearing in all 32.
The Georgia native led the Mountain Hawks in rebounding 11 times while producing 10 double-digit scoring games, with three of 20+. He produced a team-best four double-doubles. Chebuhar shot 46.2 percent from the floor, 32.1 percent from deep and 76.7 percent from the free-throw line.
“Burke is everything that Notre Dame stands for,” Coach Shrewsberry added. “He is a tremendous student-athlete who excelled on and off the court at Lehigh. I always talk about how I have a chip on my shoulder, and Burke is the same way. Nothing was ever handed to him during his basketball life, and he has made huge strides over the past 12 months. With the help of our player development and strength and conditioning program, we expect him to continue to improve and impact our team in a positive way this upcoming season.”
Notable games include Chebuhar setting a career-high in Lehigh’s 94-90 double overtime win over Lafayette with 28 points. He shot 16-19 from the free throw line in the game and hit the shot to force OT and the free throws in double OT to clinch the victory.
Against Lafayette in the Patriot League quarterfinal, Chebuhar scored a game-high 22 points, dished out a career-high six assists and posted career-highs in field goal attempts/makes (8-11) and three-point attempts/ makes (6-7). At Holy Cross, Chebuhar secured a 20-point, 10-rebound double-double.
“I’m thrilled to join the Notre Dame family and hopefully contribute to its long-standing history and traditions,” Chebuhar said. “This opportunity excites me because of Coach Shrewsberry’s vision for the team’s offense – I’m intrigued by their play style and hope that I can complement the team with my experience and skill set. Additionally, I’m pumped to get to work with the rest of the coaching staff and players. I love that the staff is known for player development. I can’t wait to get on campus to continue improving my game and grow connections with my teammates. Go Irish!”
— ND –