Kamiak’s Connor Conrad is the epitome of dedication, persistence and hard work.
After missing the cut for the boys basketball squad his freshman and sophomore years, Conrad devoted hours in the gym and became the team manager in order to learn all he could about the game. Now a senior, Conrad has earned his spot as a starter for the Knights and is the team’s leading scorer.
“He’s the kid that I use for all the freshmen on the team who don’t play or didn’t make it through tryouts,” said Kamiak head coach Cory West. “Here’s an example of a kid who didn’t make the team his first two years but he didn’t give up.”
Instead, Conrad asked to become team manager, which allowed him to keep an eye on the game and learn the sport by listening to the team practice. He recorded the games, swept the floor and got the basketballs out. Being team manager kept him in the gym and he spent hours shooting hoops on his own while the team practiced.
After his sophomore year, Conrad worked hard all summer and, with West as the newly appointed varsity coach, he finally made the Kamiak team.
He spent most of his junior year on the JV team, which provided him with the experience he needed to build his skills and understanding of the game. Although he had played on a YMCA basketball team for two years in elementary school, he decided at the time that soccer was a greater passion. When he chose to begin playing basketball again in middle school, he had a bit of catching up to do with his peers who had been playing for years.
“Last year at one point (on JV), he got a three-second (violation) call,” recalled West. “He came running down the court after and said, “Coach, is it one foot in the lane or two feet in the lane to get the call?’ He just didn’t know the game that well but he practiced all summer and he’s doing really well now.”
The 6-foot-5 center has improved so much that he is the Knights’ leading scorer with 83 total points this season and an average of 11.9 per game, as of Dec. 20.
West believes that Conrad’s intelligence — he has 3.5 GPA and is taking multiple AP classes — is a huge factor in his success on the court.
“He’s one of those kids who just picks things up and reads things well,” said West. “He’s a smart basketball player.”
Conrad isn’t the only improvement for the Kamiak basketball team this year. Although their record (0-5 league, 1-6 overall) is similar to last season’s final record (0-18, 1-19), West believes the team is playing better this year.
Case in point: the Knights lost to Mercer Island (2-0, 3-2 overall) by just two points on Dec. 4. The Islanders are a perennial favorite in the Kingco 3A league and to come so close to a win against such as strong team gives West hope for a stronger season.
“We’re playing a lot better — our record isn’t better — but we’re playing better,” said West. “We’re still young but we’re experienced for a young team. We’ve played enough games that we’re not young at heart but we’re still making some young mistakes. We need to learn to finish games.”
But with a committed player like Conrad leading the team and being a source of inspiration to younger players, perhaps the Knights can turn the season around.
“I’ve seen a lot of improvement from last season to this year,” said Conrad. “It’s more of a team effort, I think, on all levels and we’re all doing a lot better.”
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