You heard it here first! Pat Connaughton, the second round pick out of Notre Dame, will be the best thing to come out of this whole rebuild of the Portland Trail Blazers. The two sport stud is viewed as a wildcard to most given his interesting skill set and that he has yet to make up his mind between the diamond and the hardwood.
This offseason has been a depressing on for Rip City fans after seeing four of the five starters from last year’s team leave in free agency or trades. Nicolas Batum was the first to be on the move. He was shipped to the Charlotte Hornets for veteran sharpshooter Gerald Henderson and former lottery pick Noah Vonleh. Next we saw Robin Lopez, a player who epitomized the local fan base, sign a four-year, $54 million deal with the New York Knicks. Finally we got the nail in the coffin of our dreams as Wesley Matthews and LaMarcus Aldridge bolted for Dallas and San Antonio, respectively.
The offseason has not been all about losses, as the Blazers have added some nice young talent to build around like Ed Davis, Al-Farouq Aminu, Vonleh, and Mason Plumlee who came over from Brooklyn with Connaughton in exchange for Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. Although all these roster moves signal an end of an era in Portland it also ushers in a new era of Blazer basketball: the Damian Lillard show. While Lillard will now be the undisputed leader and star of the team, it will be Connaughton that emerges to be the Robin to Lillard’s Batman.
Connaughton did everything, and I mean everything, for his Fighting Irish squad during his time in South Bend. He was a four-year player that improved greatly from year-to-year. His freshman year he was one of three players to appear in every game. That year he averaged seven points and 4.4 rebounds-per-game as the team lost in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
His sophomore year he became a full-time starter and saw an increase in production, upping his points-per-game to 8.9 and also started to emerge as a star for the baseball team as a pitcher. His junior year was his best to date for both sports; he averaged 13.8 points-per-game on the court and had an ERA of 3.92 on the diamond.
After his junior year there was a lot of pressure to leave Notre Dame for Major League Baseball but Connaughton stuck to his guns about returning for his senior year of basketball. He was selected 121st overall by the Baltimore Orioles but it was believed he would’ve gone in the first two rounds if he committed to the sport over basketball.
His senior year was his best in a Notre Dame uniform by far. He was captain of a team that in its first year in the Atlantic Coast Conference took home the title and almost beat an unstoppable looking Kentucky team in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. He averaged 12.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.5 assists-per-game in 35.6 minutes netting 46% of his shots and averaging 42% from behind the arch. To get a better idea of what he is capable of take a look at this:
Two things you can take away from the video is Connaughton’s Lillard-time like ability to knock down big shots and his insane vertical (he notably recorded a 44-inch vertical at the combine). Time after time when Notre Dame needed a big shot or a boost it was Connaughton who would literally swoop in from out of nowhere and get the job done.
Although Connaughton’s physical abilities and skill will make him successful in the league it is his intangibles will set him apart from not only the new players in Portland but in the league in general. Pat is a leader and above all else, a team player.
When Notre Dame brought in five-star guard Demetrius Jackson it was Connaughton who switched from guard to forward to clear space in the backcourt. His entire senior year he played power forward in Mike Brey’s small ball lineup and never looked out-of-place, even against Duke and Kentucky who featured the top two big men in this year’s draft. He is one of the most high character guys I have seen in sports and would be welcome on any team of mine.
He shined in a recent interview with Oregonlive.com that featured everything from his thoughts on switching to baseball and what he can bring to the team. When asked about what he can bring to the team he confidently said winning plays; whether that is making the extra pass, grabbing an important rebound, or hitting a shot. You can catch the full interview below:
http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1&isUI=1
I am convinced Pat Connaughton will not only make this roster but eventually play a big role for the Blazers — it is guys like him that make good teams great teams. His intangibles and abilities will only catapult him into a successful NBA career. With leaders like Lillard and Connaughton at the helm, the Portland Trail Blazers will be back on top in no time.
The Heat Check Magazine 
He cheated on the vertical. At an earlier such test, his standing reach was something like 8’3″; at the one in which he supposedly leaped 44″, his standing reach was recorded as 8’0″ or so (maybe 8’1/2″). He cheated by not extending his reach as much as possible — likely by not fully stretching out his shoulder and arm, and/or torso. He still is amazingly athletic, and still has a vertical leap of around 40″ or more. But he cheated, so that he would get more attention (and thus be more likely to be drafted).
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