Mike Connors - Associate Basketball Coach - Men's Basketball Coaches

Mike Connors

Title:
Associate Basketball Coach
Email:
mpc38@drexel.edu
Phone:
x-1780

Mike Connors is entering his 15^th season on the sidelines at Drexel. Connors was promoted to associate head coach in August of 2008. He handles the scouting of all of Drexel’s opponents and recruits for the Dragons. Connors, who is also in charge of scheduling, has been involved in NCAA Division I basketball for more than 20 years and has been an assistant coach under Bruiser Flint for the last 17 seasons. Connors was named one of the top 30 mid-to-low major assistant coaches in the country last spring by Hoopscoop Online.

On the court, Connors works with the team’s post players. During his time in University City, Connors has played an integral role in the development of big men Frank Elegar, Robert Battle, Sean Brooks, Samme Givens and Chaz Crawford. Battle was a First Team All-CAA pick and Defensive Player of the Year in the league twice, while Brooks, Elegar and Givens were Second Team All-CAA selections and each were among the best post players in the league. Crawford was named to the CAA’s All-Defensive Team in three of his four seasons at the school and was the league’s Defensive Player of the Year as a senior. Givens is one of three players in Drexel history with 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. He has also assisted in the development of sophomore Rodney Williams, who was named to the CAA All-Rookie team in 2014.

Connors spent eight years on the UMass staff, including three as an assistant coach. He worked for five years under Head Coach Bruiser Flint at UMass and three years under current Kentucky Head Coach John Calipari. At UMass, Connors helped develop a number of prominent big men who went on to earn accolades. He has worked with players such as Larry Kettner, a second round pick of the Chicago Bulls, Kit Rhymer and Micah Brand. Both Rhymer and Brand were the Atlantic 10’s Most Improved Player during their careers at UMass. Rhymer was also named the League’s Defensive Player of the Year.

Connors served as interim head coach at Army before joining the UMass staff. He was the senior assistant coach for three years with the Cadets and played a major role in recruiting and scouting. Prior to his position at Army, Connors coached at both Colorado (1986-90) and Cornell (1984-86). At Colorado, he recruited first-round draft pick Shaun Vandiver (Golden State) and worked with Matt Bullard, a former member of the Charlotte Hornets. Connors also coached Kenny Bantum, the Ivy League Player of the Year and a draft pick of the New York Knicks, during his three-year stint at Cornell.

He coached internationally from 1983-84 as the head coach for the Ryd (Sweden) professional team, leading that squad to its highest winning percentage in the team’s history. He also organized and conducted basketball clinics in Southern Sweden.

A native of Southboro, Mass., and a 1983 graduate of Ithaca College with a degree in recreation management, Connors was a four-year varsity performer and a participant in two NCAA Division III Tournaments.

Connors and his wife, Lisa, live in Yardley. They are the parents of three children. Lindsay earned her master’s degree at Drexel. Daniel graduated from Syracuse while Johnny begins his first year at Drexel in September.