Amir Garrett, Mickey McConnel drafted by Major League teams

There was some minor concern for folks in the St. John's program on Monday when SI.com's Luke Winn published a story about incoming freshman Amir Garrett's ability as a pitcher.

You see, before Garrett enrolled at Findlay Prep for his senior year, he was a two-sport star, a 6'6" left-hander that was getting attention on the diamond as well as the hardwood. Findlay doesn't have a baseball team, so once the basketball season ended, Garrett spent two months working on his pitching game. It paid off, as he was clocked by scouts throwing as hard as 96 mph.

Left-handers with Garrett's athleticism and arm strength don't grow on trees, and there was speculation that he could end up getting picked high enough to warrant the kind of signing bonus that would force him to become a full-time baseball player.


Luckily for the Johnnies, Garrett fell to the 22nd round of the amateur baseball draft, putting in him a perfect position. Instead of being forced to choose between hoops and baseball, Garrett will become a full-time student and basketball player at St. John's while playing in the Cincinnati Reds minor league system during his summers.

"If he went high, it would have been one or the other," Garrett's father, Darrow, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "We love (St. John's basketball coach) Steve Lavin, and I told everyone it would have taken a lot to just walk away from him. This way he can still play basketball at St. John's and do the things he wants to be able to do."

"I expected to go in the top 10 rounds, but overall I'm very excited a team picked me up," Amir told the paper. "I'm blessed to be in a situation to be able to get drafted."

Garrett has said that his first love is baseball, but there is no denying that he has talent and potential as a basketball player as well. I think its safe to say this is the best of both worlds. He can continue his career in both sports while getting an education at the same time.

Can you really ask for anything else?

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Garrett wasn't the only player selected in the baseball draft that college basketball fans are going to recognize.

Mickey McConnel spent the last four years as a point guard for St. Mary's, garnering attention as one of the best mid-major players in the country as a senior. A two-sport star in high school, McConnel gave up baseball for hoops in college, but that didn't dissuade the Los Angeles Dodgers from scooping him up in the 31st round on Wednesday.

"It's exciting, I'm totally surprised, this was a little bit unexpected," said McConnel in a statement released by the school. "The last time I played was four years ago in high school. In the summers I would hit a little bit and do minor baseball stuff with my brother but nothing serious or organized."

McConnel isn't ready to give up on his hoop dreams just yet. He's no lock to get drafted, but he still has workouts scheduled with Golden State Warriors and the Sacramento Kings.

Getting picked in the 31st round is far from a lock for a player to actually have a real future on the diamond, but hey, is doesn't hurt to have options.

UPDATE: Notre Dame incoming freshman Pat Connaughton was drafted in the 38th round by the Padres.
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St. Mary's got their first win at the Kennel under Randy Bennett

St. Mary's has officially taken the throne from Gonzaga as the King of the WCC.

Well, actually, that's not exactly true. Gonzaga is still the reigning champ and until someone wins the the conference regular season, but after the Gaels beat the Zags 73-71 on Thursday night, the power structure of the WCC has been rearranged.

Matthew Dellavedova has 15 points and five assists while Rob Jones added 15 and 13 boards, but Mickey McConnell was the star of this show. He finished with 27 points and six assists on the night, but no play was bigger than this one:



"We were going to try to run an on-ball and get Sacre to switch off," said McConnell. "We knew we had to get one shot so we had to get the last shot."

"We couldn't have guarded it any better," Gonzaga coach Mark Few said, "but he still had the moxie to get it up there. I don’t know how many of those he could make out of 10, but to his credit he stepped up and hit it."

The loss was the third straight in conference play for Gonzaga. As of right now, this is a team that doesn't look like they are worthy of the NCAA Tournament discussion. They do have some wins -- Marquette, Baylor, Oklahoma State, Xavier -- but would you consider any of those 'marquee' wins? I wouldn't.

The Zags do get Memphis at home and at least one more shot at St. Mary's, but if they have any hope of being able to earn an at-large bid, Gonzaga must win those two games.

As for St. Mary's, the Gaels are once again rolling along, Samhan or no Samhan. Mickey McConnell is one of the most underrated playmaking point guards in the country. Throw him in a back court with Dellevadova to play alongside San Diego transfer Rob Jones, who is turning into the ultimate glue guy.

Perhaps the most impressive part of this victory for the Gaels?

It was head coach Randy Bennett's first win at the Kennel.

That, alone, should give you a good feel of what the WCC is like this season.

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