When T.J. McConnell left Duquesne for Arizona three years ago, many wondered how he would adapt to the more athletic, and ultimately competitive, Pac-12 Conference. Some thought he was too small, too slow, not skilled enough to break down Pac-12 point guards.
As McConnell preps for his final game at the McKale Center, it almost feels funny that those doubters had such a following at one point. Not only has McConnell thrived in bringing a fiery edge to the Arizona Wildcats, but according to Bill Walton, he might even be the Pac-12 Player of the Year.
It isn’t McConnell’s statistics that make him such a vital cog in Arizona’s wheel. Rather, it is his ultra competitive spirit and drive to be great.
Every time Arizona needs to rally from behind, or deliver the final blow to an opponent, it always seems to be McConnell that sparks it. He screams, yells and flexes. He’s loud, and to many outside of the fan base, probably a bit obnoxious.
However to Wildcats fans, no one on this year’s team is as revered. He’s found a way to keep everyone on the court happy with their shots, while also pushing the talent around him to reach their peak effectiveness. Like his head coach, he’s found a way to mold a cohesive team out of a team littered with McDonald’s All-Americans and players told they would be one-and-done.
Here’s to T.J., a fiery spirit that all college basketball fans should soak in as much as possible with his career having entered its final month, and perhaps Sean Miller’s most underrated, but most important recruit.
