(Photo: coronahoops.com)
It’s almost second nature. The game. An automatic response programed into college-level players when asked what is most important to them. Once they take that college court for the first time, and can see their futures in the reflections of their massive bodies on the hardwood, the game becomes paramount.
For Connor MacDougall, family has always been, and will always be the most important thing.
The 6-foot-8, 220-pound Phoenix native is a most recent product of Corona del Sol, after beginning his high school education at Desert Vista and then transferring to Westwind Prep for a year, before going to Corona halfway through his junior year.
MacDougall helped his team to a state title his senior year. Fox Sports Next ranked him the twelfth best center in the 2014 recruiting class. However, neither of these accomplishments proved his best memory of high school. It was something much simpler.
“The years I went to high school with my sister were the best part,” MacDougall said. “She’s my best friend.”
MacDougall fell in love with the game alongside his sister, Hanna. Both played basketball from a young age and continued on to play in high school. MacDougall’s love for the game was manifested in his cherished time spent practicing with his sister.
“We had two different basketballs, a girl’s ball and boy’s ball, so she’d always rebound for me until I got mine in and then we’d switch and she’d get hers in,” MacDougall said.
That family mentality was not only found in the backyard with his sister. His second family is always his team. Everything he does on the court is for “the guys.”
“I think the biggest thing I can do is bring my best everyday and give it my all, especially just for my team in general, the harder I work the better I can try and push the other guys,” MacDougall said.
The Switch
High School was marked by decisions and transitions for MacDougall. His solid frame was first utilized on the football field as a formidable tight end and defensive end. Come freshman year, the force to be reckoned with on the football field became the unstoppable center on the basketball court.
“Up until freshman year in high school I was a football player and in high school you kind of make that switch to decide what sport you’re going to do and I just love basketball so I stuck with it and it’s been basketball ever since,” MacDougall said.
The center was a standout at Corona, eventually earning his lofty rank among some great talent in his 2014 recruiting class. He said the small things he did consistently helped him to earn the recognition.
“For me I think it has a lot to do with my big body, setting screens and pushing people out of the post,” MacDougall said. “I hustle hard. I try to be a good defender, guard the other bigs, stay strong down low and snatch a lot of rebounds.”
MacDougall has recently started training as a power forward, as his to-be-determined-position is still unknown.
When Practice is Progress
MacDougall revels in progress. He says that his favorite part of the game is seeing the benefits. It is not the amount of minutes logged in the gym, the soaked towels in the weight room, or the mental expenditure during off time that signifies results. It is the work in practice that translates come game time that is MacDougall’s favorite part of the game.
“I say just all the work ethic you put in and how much you can notice it once you start playing because until you start playing you really don’t know,” MacDougall said. “All the work that really starts to pay off once you start putting it into the game and using it in the game, that’s my favorite part.”
The Phoenix-native is quickly acclimating himself to the faster pace that comes with college basketball. MacDougall does not recognize it as a challenge, but rather a change that just takes some getting used to.
“It’s definitely a big switch. I mean, everything is a lot more intense. The guys are bigger, they’re stronger, they’re faster, so the overall speed’s faster, so it takes a little bit of getting used to, but once you come in from high school it is kind of what it is,” MacDougall said. “You’re catching up to that speed, starting to learn the flow of it which I’m coming along with every day.”
Enlightened and Eager
Helping to train MacDougall is junior Eric Jacobsen, who played center for the Sun Devils behind Jordan Bachynski last season. While Jacobsen is projected to get the start at center, he constantly is helping to teach the freshman something he wished he learned when he was starting out: how to be physical and use his body.
“We got Connor…he’s going to play an important role,” Jacobsen said. “The biggest thing is just learning the speed of the game and how much more you got to think about while you’re playing, but he’s come a long way. He’s really strong for a freshman, so that’s cool.”
MacDougall is one of a slew of new players added to the Sun Devils this year. Speculations surround this team as many question the potential for success. MacDougall has heard the talk, and is ready for the challenge.
“Because we’re a bunch of new guys I think we all are hungry, we all are ready, and excited to play, we have a great group of guys and each one’s committed to being successful and shows up every day,” MacDougall said. “We bring our best every day in the weight room and in practice and skill, so I I’m pretty excited to see how our heart alone will translate once we start playing games.”
MacDougall maintains his focus. He does not assume anything. He knows his mindset and motivation epitomizes what he values most: his new family.
“I’m just keeping an open mind,” MacDougall said. “I’m just going in with a clean slate and ready to give it my best and give it my all for my team and see where I go from there. I will just be there and be ready for whatever they throw at me.”
Can be reached on Twitter at @KristinaV_18 or by email at kvicario@asu.edu
