This is the final installment of a 12-part series spotlighting the new head coaches in the region penned by D2EastHoops columnist Tim McCaffrey.
There are over 330 million people living in the United States, and 861 live in Blue River Oregon. That’s where new (and soon to be former) University of the Sciences men’s basketball coach Mike Connors was residing after an over 30 year journey as a Division I assistant. So what was this coaching veteran doing in the unincorporated town?
“I was coaching Chinese kids to play basketball,” said Connors, who was an assistant to John Calipari on the Massachusetts team that advanced to the Final Four in 1996.
With Yao Ming as its centerpiece China was determined to develop native athletes, entrusting them to Americans who could teach them the game properly. Still, it was a winding road to get to the Beaver State.
Conners began his collegiate coaching career in 1984 at Cornell. Following stops at Colorado and Army, his travels took him to Amherst where he connected with Bruiser Flint. Over the next 20 years the duo would be side by side first at UMASS, then Drexel.
After there were changes at the latter, Connors didn’t immediately look for another job.
“I was on a quest to learn,” Conners noted. “I decided to go around to G League and college teams and take in as much as I could.”
From there he connected with Bruce O’Neill, the former head coach at Hawaii and the founder of the United States Basketball Academy. O’Neill wanted Connors to do what he does best… teach. Here, the adventure takes a sharp detour.
“I arrived in September of 2019 and in early December Bruce tells me, there’s a virus and it’s bad and China isn’t sending any more kids over. So I guess I was one of the first to know about the Coronavirus.”
“Still, what an experience. After 32 years of coaching college, I’m in the middle of nowhere with one general store and one restaurant coaching 15-18 year old Chinese girls and boys on how to play basketball.”
Connors almost was stuck in Oregon. He had left in early March 2020 right before the numerous travel restrictions were imposed. On his way home to Yardley, a suburb of Philadelphia, an opportunity tempted the recent inductee into the UMASS Hall of Fame with his 1996 Minutemen.
“I saw the Sciences job open and long story short, here we are,” said Connors.
And that’s how he lives his life. There doesn’t seem to be much that bothers him. He even took the merger of his school with nearby Saint Joe’s in stride, eliminating all athletics at USciences.
“Live in the moment,” is Connors’ mantra. “We had a couple really good players coming in, but what can you do.”
And that’s really it. What can you do? Connors is another great addition to the region and despite his days at Sciences being numbered, the CACC is all the classier with his presence.
Next Monday the Musings will return. I hope you enjoyed all of our Coaches’ Profiles. Until next week: Cheers!
Tim McCaffrey is an opinion and features writer for D2EastHoops. The former college athletics administrator has umpired over 1500 professional baseball games. You've probably yelled at him before. He is the lead instructor at Closecallsports.com, a website dedicated to helping umpires grow on and off the field. He can be reached at tpmccaffrey@gmail.com
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