PBC Mid Major, Big Game: John Konchar

John Konchar is a 6’5 ½” wing for Fort Wayne Mastodons. The four-time First Team All-Summit League selection and all-time leading scorer in school history came from humble beginnings a skinny, under recruited high school stat-stuffer with only one Division I offer. Konchar relayed his intent to pursue a walk-on opportunity at Notre Dame. Konchar showed out in several performances at which Notre Dame associate head coach, Rod Balanis, was in attendance, but Notre Dame was tight on roster spots it wasn’t in the cards to bring him on board at that time.

​Coach Balanis connected John with and provided a recommendation to recently hired Fort Wayne head coach, Jon Coffman. The rest is history.

Tale of the Tape

Acrobatic/Athletic Rim Finishing
Konchar attacks the rim with purpose. He utilizes functional jab steps, a solid first step, and polished footwork to get to the rim as a straight-line driver. As a leaper, Konchar has shown flashes of vertical bounce, primarily off of two feet. After gathering and beginning his upward trajectory toward the rim, Konchar has also shown promising in-air acrobatic craft.  This combination of being quick off the floor and capable of adjusting his aerial approach helps to make up for his average length/extension.

On half-court derive non-post-up attempts at the rim this season, Konchar ranks in the 89th percentile by converting at a rate of 1.388 PPP.

In the clip below, we highlight Konchar’s ability to finish around and over contact at the rim.

There will be a very striking difference in the length, athleticism, and rim-protection acumen of help side defenders in the pros as compared to the Summit League. It is highly unlikely that Konchar will continue to be a 60+% converter from two, however, this statistically founded strength is supported by impressive tape, which seems to indicate that Konchar could continue to be a capable finisher around the rim as a professional.

Shooting Arc
Konchar has been a prolifically efficient shooter throughout his years at Fort Wayne.  He is a career 41.6% shooter from downtown on 450 attempts.

Konchar’s shooting mechanics are founded upon a deep stance. This element of his lower body mechanics provides a strong base for when he initiates his upward momentum and lift into his shooting motion. Despite not having particularly long arms, Konchar gets really nice extension on his shot with the release coming at an angle that results in a notably vertical trajectory.  This high-arcing ball trajectory on his jump shot, in conjunction with quality ball rotation, results in an ideal downward approach angle as the ball nears the rim. This gives Konchar’s shot a much better chance of falling within the ~255 inch area within the rim than a lower-arcing trajectory, which would be more prone to ricocheting off the rim. This arc and backspin combination also allows for a better chance at a friendly roll on close misses.

On half-court derived jumpers this season, Konchar ranks in the 83rd percentile by converting at a rate of 1.106 PPP.  Konchar’s arc is also helpful in converting jumpers in the presence of high-hand closeouts, as exemplified by 78th percentile ranking in guarded catch-and-shoot scenarios in the half-court.

In the clip below, we highlight Konchar’s jumper and the notable arc in his shot trajectory.

Despite being a consistently efficient shooter from deep, Konchar hasn’t necessarily been a consistently willing three-point shooter. He was relatively passive and hesitant to force up too many looks from behind the arc as a freshman and sophomore. He doubled his 3PA’s between his sophomore and junior seasons (2.6 to 5.2), but this number slightly tapered back down as a senior. Given his 63.5% 2P% this season, this isn’t necessarily a poor decision from an opportunity cost perspective within the context of Summit League competition, however, his shot mix will likely need to shift a bit more in favor of three-point looks as a future pro.

PBC Projection

Konchar’s four year string of across-the-board production at consistently high levels of efficiency leaves little room for nitpicking his game. The formerly scrawny, under recruited kid from the Chicago suburbs has blossomed into one of the most individually accomplished, well-rounded players in college basketball.

Coach Coffman has confirmed that 17+ NBA teams have reached out to him as a part of their due diligence on Konchar’s prospect evaluation. This NBA interest has been realized in the form of being the first confirmed invitation to the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, a 64-player seniors-only prospect showcase taking place from April 17-20 in Virginia. This stage will give Konchar a chance to play alongside and against a variety of proven high-major players in front of a smorgasbord of professional scouts.

Konchar has a chance of writing another chapter in his underdog story by contending for an NBA two-way contract and eventually working his way toward a guaranteed NBA deal.

Jon Chepkevich serves as the Director of Scouting for the Professional Basketball Combine. In his role at STATS LLC, Jon reviews the financial terms/profitability of customer contracts, develops NBA minutes projections, and records live statistics for NCAA and NBA games. When he isn’t in the office, Jon enjoys Chicago’s competitive pick-up hoops scene, dissecting NBA draft prospects, and performing salary cap analysis.
​Follow Jon on Twitter @JonChep.

James Fox serves as a Scouting Intern for the Professional Basketball Combine. James attends the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater where he is a student-athlete on the men’s basketball team. He plans on graduating in May with a Sports Management degree. Outside of the classroom and off the court, James enjoys attending Wisconsin sporting events with friends and family as well as watching plenty of NCAA and NBA basketball.
​Follow James on Twitter @JamesFox23.