ORU signee likes defensive battle
BY MIKE BROWN World Sports Writer
Thursday, April 12, 2012
4/12/12 at 5:49 AM
Brandon Conley, a 6-foot-4 forward from Keller (Texas) Fossil Ridge, signed a letter of intent Wednesday to play basketball at Oral Roberts University.
"I'm excited. I get to play basketball on a four-year scholarship and there's nothing better than that," he said in cell phone interview.
Conley led the Dallas-Fort Worth area with 4.9 blocked shots as a senior and also averaged 14.8 points and 9.9 rebounds per game.
He said he signed in a ceremony at his high school. ORU's coaches received his letter of intent by fax.
"He's a tremendous kid from a great family, and he's a tremendous athlete with a lot of upside," ORU head coach Scott Sutton. "He has a chance to develop into a great defensive player."
Conley is also described as a good transition player who finishes strong at the rim by Mike Kunstadt's TexasHoops.com: "He has good speed in the open floor, can hit the mid-range jumper, can create from 15 feet, (and) goes to the boards well from the wing."
But Conley said defense is his favorite part of the game.
"I love playing defense," he said. "I think it's more fun shutting somebody down than it is scoring a lot of points, especially if he's known as a great scorer."
Fossil Ridge head coach Zack Myers described Conley as "an electric jumper" and "a great competitor. He's relentless and he can run like a deer. He just keeps fighting."
Conley said his vertical jump was measured at 32 inches during his junior year of high school. He said he's always been a good jumper, but increased his ability with exercises in the weight room to strengthen his legs.
Conley is rated the No. 83 prospect in Texas by TexasHoops.com. He said he chose ORU over Jacksonville (Fla.), Northwestern (La.) State and UC-Riverside.
He is the third member of ORU's 2012-13 recruiting class. He joins Velma-Alma forward Corbin Byford and 6-foot-11 Jorden Kaufman of Andover Center (Kan.). The Eagles are believed to be seeking a guard to round out the class.
Original Print Headline: ORU signee likes defensive battle
Mike Brown 918-581-8390
mike.brown@tulsaworld.com
