Patrick Connaughton | SF
ESPN Grade 96 | Scout: **** | Rivals:***
Hometown: Danvers, MA | St. Johns Prep
Height 6’5″ | Weight 185 lbs.
Connaughton is a wing player with a good skill set, great length, deceptive athleticism, and incredible intangibles. He is a major mismatch problem because of his ability to shoot the ball consistently from deep range or bring smaller players to the low post and is also a good passer from various spots on the floor. He has a six-foot-ten wing span and some deceptive bounce playing above the rim. He has a winner’s mentality, plays the game exceedingly hard, and is an absolutely phenomenal rebounder from the perimeter. There may not have been another player in the country whose recruiting stock rose higher in the summer of 2011 than Connaughton. He is a flat out winner who compensates for some of his deficiencies through his competitiveness, work ethic, and ability to impact the game in different ways.
Connaughton is a hard-nosed wing prospect. He plays with intensity and likes to mix it up inside for rebounds and tough buckets. He has good range on his shot and a fairly quick release. His coming out party was in his final July at AAU Nationals. He parlayed that into high majors offers and wound up at Notre Dame. Going forward he’ll need to spruce up his ball handling and mid-range game, but he’ll find ways to contribute at the college level.