DANVERS — The Larry O’Brien Trophy made its way to Danvers on Friday afternoon, as former St. John’s Prep star and current Milwaukee Bucks guard Pat Connaughton brought the NBA title to his former stomping grounds for a day of celebration.
Connaughton visited St. John’s Prep to engage with students and families and lead a conversation, which tipped off the school’s annual O’Brien Family Student-Athlete Leadership Initiative. The program is funded by 1988 Prep alumnus Bill O’Brien, currently the offensive coordinator for the University of Alabama football team.
“It’s a true honor to be asked to come back here and speak to the student-athletes about my experiences,” said Connaughton. “I was once in their exact shoes and I was never expected to be a professional athlete. But being able to show them that whatever their dreams, passions or goals may be, they can accomplish them.”
The O’Brien family is committed to providing a platform for student-athletes to focus on sportsmanship, teamwork, perseverance and grit. The collaborative, student- and coach-focused program is designed to develop and enhance leadership opportunities for both young people and the adults who mentor and advise them. St. John’s student-athletes perform specified community service throughout the academic year in association with the O’Brien initiative.
Connaughton remains the Prep’s all-time leading scorer with 1,713 career points and, thanks to a spectacular summer of 2010 on the AAU circuit, he earned a full scholarship to Notre Dame — where he played both baseball and basketball. Before matriculating in South Bend, he was a late-round draft pick by the San Diego Padres (38th round, selection 1,136).
In August of 2017, St. John’s Prep christened the basketball court inside the school’s new $25 million Wellness Center as “Connaughton Court.”
Connaughton became a two-year basketball captain at Notre Dame and played in more games (139) than any Fighting Irish player in history. He concluded his career as the eighth ND player with more than 1,400 points and 800 rebounds. Meanwhile, his 11-11 record and 3.55 ERA on the mound in 30 starts for Notre Dame (in which he never surrendered a home run) put him near the top of the Orioles’ prospect pipeline. In the summer of 2014, he posted a 2.45 ERA in 14.2 innings for the Aberdeen IronBirds, Baltimore’s short-season affiliate in the New York-Penn League.
Connaughton is also the founder of the philanthropic With Us Foundation, which creates access to athletics for all kids, instilling life skills, values and wellness habits through sport.
“I think one of the goals of the foundation for me is to revamp the way youth sports has become,” said Connaughton, who grew up playing in robust youth sports leagues in Arlington. “I think it’s become money-driven and the kids’ best interest isn’t always at heart. But I think playing multiple sports exposes you to different things and works different muscle groups and helps you not only become more athletic, but it also helps you become more well-rounded.”
In 2020-21 with the Bucks, Connaughton posted career-high per-game averages in minutes (22.4), three pointers made and rebounds (4.8). In the Bucks’ 23-game NBA postseason run, he averaged 23.7 minutes and 4.4 rebounds per game, shooting 39 percent from behind the three-point arc and 86 percent from the free-throw line to average 6.9 points per game. He averaged 30 minutes per game in the NBA Finals, often matching up against future Hall of Famer Chris Paul or two-time All-Star Devin Booker — one of the league’s top scorers.
“The feeling was kind of similar to when we won (the MIAA Division 1 state title) back in 2011 in terms of as the confetti is falling, you’re excited that you won, but it just gets better as time goes on,” said Connaughton, who was the Gatorade Massachusetts Boys Basketball Player of the Year that season. “And now it makes the motivation a little different because now we want to go back and do it again. There’s still plenty for us to improve on, and I think we still have room to go before we’re the best we can be.”
Connaughton spent the rest of his afternoon at the Prep posing for photos outdoors with pre-registered attendees from the Prep community and members of the Danvers police and fire departments.
