O's Connaughton leading Irish into NCAAs

Pat Connaughton, a 6-foot-5 senior wing, looked over the scene at Purcell Pavilion during the Notre Dame men's basketball Selection Sunday watch party, recalling the one thing that caught him off-guard at the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament.
"I wasn't ready for confetti to come showering down, but when it did, I wasn't mad about it, by any means," Connaughton laughed.
Connaughton scored 20 points and helped Notre Dame rally past North Carolina, 90-82, on Saturday night for the ACC Tournament championship, the first men's basketball conference tournament title in Notre Dame history. He averages 12.8 points and 7.4 rebounds a game for the season.

Connaughton, a fourth-round Draft pick last season by the Baltimore Orioles, hopes to delay his baseball career for about a month, as he and the Fighting Irish basketball team head into the NCAA Tournament.
Draping a net from the ACC Tournament championship around his neck for Sunday's watch party, Connaughton savored the moment to bring Notre Dame basketball back to the NCAA Tournament after a one-year absence.
For Connaughton, a 6-foot-5 pitcher who has lit up the radar gun at 94 miles an hour, there was never a question that he wouldn't return to play basketball for Notre Dame, even after he signed with the Orioles following his junior season of Notre Dame baseball. He pitched in six games with Aberdeen in the New York-Penn League last season, posting a 0-1 record and a 2.51 ERA.
Wrapping up baseball in late July, Connaughton was with the Irish basketball team for its exhibition tour in Italy in August.
Jumping from Minor League Baseball to college basketball wasn't easy for Connaughton.
"My entire life, I've always gone from basketball to baseball," Connaughton said. "When you jump back from baseball to basketball, you have to get your quickness back, you have to get the rust off your jump shot, you have to get the rust off your dribble, you have to get the rust off your passing. There are more things to get the rust off. In baseball, especially during the basketball season, I can throw a little bit here and there. The things you do in basketball -- the conditioning, the running, the athleticism you use helps baseball more."
Connaughton said that returning to play basketball for Notre Dame was particularly important after last season's 15-17 record, including a 6-12 mark in ACC play.
"First and foremost, I wanted to get my degree," Connaughton said. "I also didn't want to leave my team and the coaches and the people at this university who gave me the opportunity to come here and pay for my education for four years. I didn't want to leave them hanging on the season we had last year.
"There was an obligation factor. And I would kick myself for giving up one of the two sports that I've loved since I was a little kid, before I ended it the right way, or before I saw what the options were in basketball, as well."
Sparked by Connaughton, the Irish turnaround this season has been dramatic. They are 29-5 and earned a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Notre Dame opens NCAA play in Pittsburgh on Thursday against Northeastern.
Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey said that Connaughton's accomplishments as a student-athlete at Notre Dame are remarkable.
"The maturity level that he had, even as a freshman, allowed him to compete at a high level at both sports, and earn a degree from (Notre Dame's) Mendoza School of Business, the No. 1 business school," Brey said. "He's the lowest-maintenance player I've ever coached. He just handled his business. Really, it's an example of amazing athletic ability -- to be able to go back-and-forth to the two sports, and not have much slippage at all."
Connaughton said that he was committed to making sure that Irish basketball would be on a winning track when he left the program.
"I think what I've brought to this team is the desire to win and the hatred to lose," Connaughton said. "Last year was obviously very tough for multiple reasons, and losing was one of them. I think the thing that I wanted to bring this year was, that's not going to happen again. Not only is that not going to happen, but we're going to put ourselves in a great position for the postseason. The leadership is something I really worked on, and tried to get better at."
Steve Vasturia, a sophomore guard, said that Connaughton seized command of the Irish and made sure players starting building toward a successful 2014-15 season as soon as the Irish walked off the court after a first-round loss in the ACC Tournament that closed out the 2013-14 season.
"Ever since the end of last season, Pat's come in here with a winning attitude," Vasturia said. "He knows how to win. He told us that we're all going to come in here and work hard, and he leads by example. He works harder than anybody, He also does a good job of holding us accountable. He's just a great leader."
Basketball isn't totally out of the picture for Connaughton after his Irish career.
After the Final Four, Connaughton is expected to play in the NBA tryout Portsmouth Invitational. If he plays well there, a trip to the NBA pre-draft camp in Chicago will happen in June.
Connaughton will also mix in playing baseball in the Orioles organization after the Irish basketball season ends.
"Pat has handled things always on his terms," said Brey, a Maryland native. "He's not let anybody pressure him. He's been calm about stuff. At the end of the day, I think he'll make the right decision. If it is baseball, I've got great tickets for my favorite baseball team."

Pat Connaughton appeared in six games for Aberdeen in 2014, fanning 10 over 14 2/3 innings. (Ashley Marshall/MiLB.com)
Connaughton has to re-sign a contract with the Orioles. Baltimore has the rights to Connaughton for six years, but the contract he signed last year was a one-year deal.
"There are some things we have to get sorted out," Connaughton said. "At some point, I'm going to go back and pitch for the Orioles.
"I think I can be a very good big league pitcher," Connaughton said. "I think I can get there quickly. I think I can have a lot of success at that level, when I put my mind to it. At the same time, I've played both sports for my entire life. When I came back this year, and we've been playing very well. I've been playing OK. There is some NBA interest in the second round. There are some things that I'd kick myself if I didn't explore before I finally made a decision."
Connaughton loved the challenge of proving coaches wrong who told him he couldn't play two sports at the Division I level.
"It takes a lot of time and effort, but it's something I like to do, and it's something I'm willing to work at. The biggest thing I've learned is, you play both sports as hard as you can, you put as much time in to both of them for as long as you can, and you don't let anybody tell you, 'You're only going to be this.'
"Everyone is telling kids you have to play one sport to make it to the college level," Connaughton said. "I think that's [wrong]. You can play multiple sports. It helps your overall athleticism. The fact that you're not focusing on one sport, the fact that you're not using the same muscles over and over again, that helps your competitive nature, it helps you athleticism, and it helps your ability to prevent injuries, and it helps prevent burnout."
As for the NCAA Tournament, Connaughton thinks that the Irish can be dangerous.
"I love the chemistry on this team," Connaughton said. "Everybody has one common goal, and that's to win games, no matter what their personal success is. I think that's very unique this day and age in college basketball, where you see so many guys going one-and-done, going two-and-done, focused on getting to the NBA. The guys on this team know that winning and doing the thing that's best for the team will put them in the positions that they want."