Jared Cohen
For one of the top 2014 centers in Arizona, Connor MacDougall, success has been a common theme.
Starting his career with the Desert Vista Thunder he and a team that included Danny Powell and Jeff Lowery went all the way to the state championship game in his sophomore season. However, his team came up just short losing to Andrus Peat, Calaen Robinson, a then sophomore Casey Benson and the Corona del Sol Aztecs.
After spending his junior year with Westwind Prep, MacDougall has joined forces with now senior Casey Benson and Corona del Sol after transferring to the school at the end of the last school year. It is MacDougall’s hope that he can get over that state championship hump while helping the Aztecs land their three-peat.
“Coach (Sammy) Duane is a great coach and I am excited to play with guys like Casey Benson and now we have Dane Kuiper,” MacDougall said. “I am extremely excited, I’ve been working really hard.”
MacDougall now rounds out a star-studded lineup that has the potential of at least four future college-level athletes. Benson is committed to Oregon, Dane Kuiper who is one of the top 2015 prospects, a two-sport star in Cassius Peat and more. MacDougall brings in a strong post presence that can beat teams from the inside-out.
Having all this talent around him including guards that do a great job of getting into the paint and distributing the ball, high percentage shots and dunks will be in full forces for MacDougall down low.
The closer and closer we get the more I am shaking in my seat
“It’s great,” MacDougall mentioned. “Casey Benson and Dane (Kuiper) and some of the other guys have a great eye and it gives me the ability to use my body and create separation. They know where to feed me so I am really excited for that.”
“I think the biggest thing is we really click as a team,” MacDougall explained. “We are all really close, we are good friends. I think that makes it easier to play. It’s a great environment and I am just happy to be here.”
Back in October of last year, MacDougall decided to commit early in his recruitment to his home town school, Arizona State. He still has a year before he officially becomes a Sun Devil but it can’t come soon enough for him.
“The closer and closer we get the more I am shaking in my seat,” MacDougall stated. “I am so excited to get over there. I’ve been talking to Herb (Sendek) and our new coach Stan Johnson a lot. I am slowly but surely trying to work my way in there and just be willing to learn everything they teach me.”
MacDougall is taking it upon himself to already get acclimated with his future team. If you see him in person, his arms are starting to look like the size of some people’s legs. Part of the reason for that is because just recently he started training with the Sun Devils Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach John Storms.
“He has been teaching me things that I can do with my diet to put on weight and keep my wait obviously with all the running that we do,” MacDougall said. “It’s hard to keep it on.”
“My main goal is trying to get it where I can meet speed and power kind of at a peak,” he added. “As fast as I can be while still maintaining the strength I need in order to play my position.”
Connor MacDougall is a name that fans of Arizona hoops will become very much accustomed to. Starting with his up-coming senior season where he and his Corona del Sol Aztecs expect to be one of the favorites for the state championship.
