Conner George: Embracing A Challenge
12/21/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
By Ryan Smith, MSU Athletic Communications Staff Assistant
Coming out of high school, Conner George faced the decision of being a star athlete with guaranteed playing time at a Division II school, or reaching for the stars and chasing his dream of playing for Michigan State.
Growing up just down the road from the Breslin Center in Okemos, Michigan, George recalls his days of watching former Michigan State standout Paul Davis, amazed with his size and ability to score. With his mom being the newly appointed head volleyball coach at MSU, a young Conner George grew up witnessing the culture of Michigan State athletics, something he says opened his eyes to being on the big stage.
Unsure of what his future held towards the end of his high school career, George had a sit-down meeting with Tom Izzo to discuss his options. It didn't take long for the Hall of Fame coach to convince him to embrace the challenge.
"He was just talking to me about the team, the players, and what my situation would be with redshirting my first year and seeing what would happen after that," said George. "He mentioned how it has worked in the past and how many key walk-ons he has had through the years. Right there, he said he would love to have me and that is pretty much it and it wasn't too long of a decision after that."
In his first season on campus, George redshirted to save a year of eligibility and work on his strength and conditioning, all while continuing to elevate his game. Now, with a year in the program under his belt, George has gained 20 pounds and is feeling confident about his on-court progression, something Tom Izzo recognized at media day prior to the start of the season.
"If the rest of our guys changed as much in a year as Conner George has," said Izzo. "He changed his body, his body fat. His shooting was always good, but the progression in his ball skills. I take my hat off to this kid. He's really made incredible progress in a year."
In the same way he has worked on his game since setting foot on campus, George used that same drive to get him to Michigan State in the first place.
"In high school, I just spent countless hours getting shots up, because that is a big part of my game," said George. "I was trying to get as many reps in the gym when other people weren't out there or they were sleeping. I wanted to be in the gym getting my shots up. I wanted to be working harder than anyone else because I knew I wasn't as athletic as other people. I had to do it by passion and will and out-working people if I wanted to do it. That is what got me to today and that is what has guided my basketball success."
Stepping on the court with something to prove isn't new to George, but it all fueled the fire for his desire to be the best player he could be.
"When I was in high school, I wasn't initially starting and that made me mad," said George. "That was my ticker. I knew I wanted to play basketball and be serious about the sport. Really, I remember that to this day and still give my coach a hard time about it. He ended up being the guy I spent time in the gym with and he really helped me throughout my whole high school career. That was the biggest obstacle for me. After that, I started, but it was tough sitting at first and I wanted to change that."
The work paid off, and as his game got better, he filled into his body. Going into his junior year of high school, George grew six inches from 5'8'' to 6'3'' and the possibility of playing at the next level started to become a reality. By the time he was a senior at Okemos High School, he was averaging 23 points and 10.5 rebounds per game on his way to becoming an All-State selection.
George joins the list of Okemos High alumni to walk-on at Michigan State with the likes of Anthony Ianni, Dan Chapman and Mike Kebler. He also hopes to add his name to the ever-growing list of impactful walk-ons to play for Michigan State.
"This is one of the best programs in the country, so going up against these guys every day is a challenge and is helping me as a player to get better. Coaches let you know when you are doing stuff right, so it gives you confidence. I think being in the program builds you into a good player and that's why so many walk-ons have had success here. Playing up against these guys every day is a huge advantage because by the time my junior year rolls around, that will be my fourth year. If you just do your job, you can play."
George saw his first career action for his hometown team against Mississippi Valley State earlier this season and grabbed two rebounds in two minutes. While it is just the beginning for him, he has four years to continue playing the game he loves while wearing the jersey he once could only dream of sporting.
"The game of basketball is more than basketball itself," said George. "You make relationships with people. You meet people, whether it is teammates or fans. You get to make relationships and that is awesome. Basketball is a game of life. You can take a lot of the skills you learn on and off the court in basketball and apply them to your life. There is a lot of different ways you can do that.
"It is amazing getting to put a Michigan State uniform on. There are a lot of people that care about MSU with such an invested fan base. This is a big-time program with a lot of people surrounding it and watching it and wanting them to succeed. People are all about this program and it is cool to be a part of that."
