Sports at Lunch: Dick Enberg & his play "McGuire"
LJCD's Conners hits the road
- 01-16-2008
- By Tom Shanahan, San Diego Hall of Champions
PHOTOS BY SUSAN COOPER PHOTOGRAPHY
Susan Cooper Photography is the official photographer for the CIF San Diego Section. Visit her website at www.scphotoinc.com to view or purchase high school sports photos. You can e-mail her at susan@scphotoinc.com.
Las Vegas Bishop Gorman's girls basketball team, ranked No. 1 in Nevada, was looking for competition outside its area when it scheduled an early January trip to La Jolla Country Day, a California power ranked No. 2 in the San Diego Section's Sportswriters/Sportscasters poll behind Mount Miguel.
So Bishop Gorman drove to LJCD's campus Jan. 4, lost 39-29 to the Torreys, and then drove back home to Vegas the same night.
Sometime shortly before Bishop Gorman's players crossed back across the Las Vegas city limits, LJCD senior guard Dominque Conners made it home to Temecula.
Well, that's exaggerating, but some days the 1-hour, 40-minute drive each way must seem like that long of a trip for the University of San Diego-bound Conners, who scored 19 points against Bishop Gorman. She's averaging 14.8 points a game.
"I get up at 6 a.m., I get going by 6:20 and I get there by exactly 8," said Conners, a 5-foot-10 point guard. "I've got snacks and I jam to music. It's like a road trip every day. It's gotten easier, though."
Conners began her career commuting from Oceanside, which is about a 30-minute trip. But then her family bought a bigger house in the housing friendly Temecula area.
For Conners, changing schools was out of the question. The longer commute would be worth every minute in her mind.
"Playing for Coach (Terri) Bamford and this program is a blessing for me," Conners said. "She's one of the best coaches in California, if not the best. She's passionate about what she does. She comes to the gym everyday excited about what we do."
Conners was first-team All-CIF pick in San Diego as a junior despite missing her sophomore season with a torn ACL in her left knee. She wore a brace as a junior but is playing without the brace this year.
When she was injured, she was worried recruiting intereste would drop off. Schools such as Arizona State and Oregon State still offered scholarships, but Conners made an early commitment to USD.
"They never stopped recruiting me," Conners said. "A lot of people told me, 'Go Pac-10, go Pac-10,' but I think USD is an up-and-coming program. I want to be a part of it. I really like the players and the coaches."
Ironically, going away to college will mean less traveling to school for Conners.
"People tell me I'll be in heaven next year living in the dorms at USD," Conners said. "I'll wake up and be five minutes from class."
Tom Shanahan can be contacted at 619-699-2334 or toms@sdhoc.com.
