PREP Athletics Basketball Podcast
PREP Athletics Basketball Podcast
Building Championship Culture at Deerfield with Coach Connor Merrill
We're excited to bring you our latest episode featuring Connor Merrill, Head Basketball Coach at Deerfield Academy, where we dive deep into the world of prep school basketball and player development. From Coach Merrill's own journey as a post-grad at Vermont Academy to his coaching stops at Springfield College and Middlebury, we explore what makes Deerfield's program unique in NEPSAC Class A. Our conversation covers everything aspiring student-athletes need to know - from reclassing benefits to college placement strategies - plus we get some fascinating insights about The Holdovers movie filmed on campus and what it really takes for guards to make it at the D1 level.
đź“Ś Key Topics:
âś… Connor Merrill's journey from Vermont Academy post-grad to becoming Deerfield Academy's head coach
âś… Deerfield Academy's prestigious academic standing (12-13% acceptance rate) and competitive Class A basketball program
âś… The differences between NEPSAC divisions (AAA, AA, A) and finding the right fit versus focusing on division classification
âś… College placement process and coach's active role in student recruitment
🗒️ About Connor:
Connor Merrill has served as the head boys varsity basketball coach at Deerfield Academy since summer 2022, bringing extensive experience in both prep school and collegiate basketball. His journey began as a post-graduate student at Vermont Academy, where he later returned as an assistant coach, working with future NBA talents like Bruce Brown and Marcus Santos Silva. During his collegiate playing career at Skidmore College, Merrill was part of historically successful teams that made two NCAA tournament appearances and won two Liberty League championships. His coaching career includes six years at the collegiate level, serving as the top assistant men’s basketball coach at Middlebury College for four years and as a graduate assistant at Springfield College for two years. Under his leadership at Deerfield, Merrill has focused on building a championship culture while maintaining the school’s prestigious academic standards.
đź”— Connect with Connor:
Email | comerrill@deerfield.edu
Twitter | https://x.com/connormerrill33
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/cmerrill33/?hl=en
Twitter | https://x.com/DeerfieldHoops
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/deerfieldbasketball/
đź”— Connect with Cory:
Website | https://www.prepathletics.com
Twitter | https://twitter.com/PREP_Athletics
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/prep.athletics/
Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/PrepAthletics
Email | coryheitz@gmail.com
Phone | 859-317-1166
đź”– Subscribe to the PREP Athletics Podcast:
iTunes | https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/prep-athletics-podcast/id1546265809?uo=4
Spotify | https://open.spotify.com/show/6CAKbXFiIOhoHinzsReYbJ
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Cory Heitz (00:01)
Welcome to this week's episode of the Prep Athletics Podcast. I'm proud to have joining us coach Connor Merrill from Deerfield. Now Connor did a post-grad year himself at Vermont Academy and had a wonderful experience there, played some big time basketball and then went to Skidmore where he was a very good player, had the best teams in Skidmore history when he was there. After that he coached at Vermont Academy so you got to the other side of that and then coached at Middlebury and Springfield College.
And we had a great conversation today learning more about his background, why he chose prep school, how he chose a prep school. He talked about how he places kids in college, the benefits of, you know, class A and all the talent that's there now, which is the class that Deerfield plays in. And he also played at Vermont Academy and they were double A and coached there when they were triple A's. So he's seen the whole gamut of the class system. So he speaks well on that, talks about, you know, what
we ask every coach is what does it take for a guard to play at the D1 level? And then he shares some fun insights on the movie, The Holdovers being filmed there at Deerfield before he got there. But they did get the screen early at Deerfield and he talks about that as well. If you'd like this podcast, be sure to subscribe on all the podcasting platforms. Make sure to subscribe on YouTube as we put bonus footage up there. And as always, prepathletics.com. Go there to sign up for the newsletter where every month we'll update you.
on the latest in the prep school world. And now enjoy our conversation with Coach Connor Merrill on the PREP Lakes Podcast.
Cory Heitz (01:55)
Connor, welcome to the podcast.
Connor Merrill (01:57)
Thanks for having me on, Cory. Excited to be here.
Cory Heitz (02:00)
Yeah, good to have you. in high school, you chose to go to Vermont Academy for a prep school experience. And I want to know, when did you find out about prep schools and what led you to choosing Vermont Academy?
Connor Merrill (02:12)
Yeah, so I didn't find out for a while. I had no idea what prep school was until the summer going into my senior year. just kind of, actually my principal at my public school at the time had coached some kind of private school football and kind of knew of the world a little bit. So he connected with my high school basketball coach and we all kind of agreed, you know what, this could make some sense for me.
So then the current coach at Vermont Academy at the time used to be a public high school coach in Vermont. So he knew my current high school coach. So they kind of connected the dots for me. Went down there, did the whole interview process, tour, that whole process. And then just the more and more we visited it, the more and more it made sense. And actually, when I committed to him, probably about a month or two later, he actually got asked to leave.
So I was kind of committed to a school that didn't have a coach at the time. And then of May and come to Jesse Bopp calling me up on a random Friday saying, Hey, the man I'm like, I'm your new prep school coach. You know, let's get to work. And I said, all right, let's go. Sounds good. So yeah, that was kind of the whole process of how I got, how I got the dots connected to Vermont Academy.
Cory Heitz (03:03)
Okay.
Interesting. So you just had one guy telling you this could be a good fit for you. You didn't look at other options, didn't know double A. Did you know about double A, triple A, the talent and all this?
Connor Merrill (03:29)
No idea. I looked at one other school. I looked at Kimball Union as well because I knew of another Vermonter who was actually there my senior year for post-grad year. But other than that, I I had no idea what this world was like. No clue.
Cory Heitz (03:33)
Okay, gotcha.
Tell me
about your experience at VA.
Connor Merrill (03:47)
Yeah, was, you know, it's funny. actually, you know, I get to talk about this quite a bit when I'm talking to prospective families here. We're looking at a post-grad year, because I've kind of, I've seen both sides of it. It was the, it was, it was the best, it was one of the best decisions I ever made. That being said, it was also one of the hardest years I've ever gone through. Just again, it's, it sounds cliche. It sounds generic, but it's true. mean, just you are, you are constantly outside your comfort zone.
You know, you're living a couple hours away from home in a pretty isolated rural area. You your schedule is very structured. It's very set. Played for Jesse Bopp. He's pretty animated. So he was a phenomenal coach, great guy. just, I've never been exposed to that level of intensity and competition. So it was hard. It was really, really hard. And I was probably miserable for at least half the year.
it was just, was, I was, you know, I was like a fish out of water. I was just so out of my comfort zone, but, probably by like January or so, I don't know what it was, just something clicked. I mean, he was, again, he was, was, he was on me. He was on my case a lot. I mean, for all the right reasons. but I think just something clicked where finally what he was saying was resonating, finally started to resonate with me.
Cory Heitz (04:49)
Yeah.
Connor Merrill (05:03)
And I just, you know, I took off, just, you my confidence skyrocketed on the court, in the weight room, just in the community, in the classroom. And I was just, you know, I was a different person in the second half of the year than I was in the first half of the year. And I always tell people, you know, if it weren't for that discomfort and it weren't for, you know, just, just how hard it was going through that place on a daily basis, there's no way in heck I would have, you know, been able to go on the path I went on. So.
I'm forever in debt to that place. I'm forever in debt to Jesse. It was such a positive experience for me.
Cory Heitz (05:37)
Yeah. And that's funny because one of the players I coached in Kentucky, I chose to go to Vermont Academy and play for Jesse. And then Jesse left, took a job at the college ranks and then that player had to play for the next coach, Cody Hatt. And so.
Connor Merrill (05:47)
Yep. Yep.
Cory Heitz (05:51)
That's challenging. In South Kent this year, we have kids that have signed up to go to South Kent and then their coach, Raphael Chilias, announced the first day of school that he took a job at the Memphis Grizzlies. So you've got to be ready for flexibility and know it's part of life. So it's prepping you for life as well.
Connor Merrill (05:55)
Yeah.
Yeah, yeah, totally. Yeah, yeah, I will
say though that South Camp got a winner in Craig Carter. actually my junior year of college at Skidmore, he was he was our volunteer assistant. And he was he was unbelievable. So they got themselves they got themselves a heck of a person and a coach.
Cory Heitz (06:11)
Yes.
great.
Absolutely, absolutely. And then from Iran Academy, chose to play at Skidmore. Walk me through what colleges you were looking at, what was important to you, and why you ultimately chose that school.
Connor Merrill (06:25)
Thanks
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, yeah, you said obviously ended up choosing Skidmore. St. Lawrence was recruiting me pretty hard. Springfield College was recruiting me pretty hard. Connecticut College and the Nets CAC was, was recruiting me pretty hard. It kind of came down to those four. I had a little bit of like division two sniffs early on, like St. Mike's came to watch me play. I visited Southern New Hampshire, like the summer going into my post-grad year, but you know, none of that kind of formulated. So it kind of came down to those four.
And I think just, you know, so my, my AU coach was a Skidmore alum. And at the time they, know, Skidmore just hired Joe Burke. He was new. So my AU coach kind of pushed him towards me, pushed me towards him. And just, you know, we kind of developed a relationship, stayed in touch throughout the year. I went there to visit, see them play all that stuff. And I'd actually been there previous, you know, prior to my time, you know, before I decided on a post-grad route.
Cory Heitz (07:13)
Okay.
Connor Merrill (07:25)
The previous coach, Luke LaFerze, who's now the head coach at the University of Rochester, had recruited me a little bit. I was familiar with the campus, familiar with the area, and wanted to explore it again. So yeah, just ended up coming down in the spring and fortunately got a really good financial aid package there. Just felt like the right fit. For me, what I was looking for is I really wanted to go to a school that was really strong academically.
I had a relationship with the head coach. I had an opportunity to win. They had just won the Liberty League title for the first time in school history the year before I got there. And then I wanted to play. I was a competitive kid. I didn't want to go somewhere where I was going to ride the pine for a year or two. I wanted to go somewhere where hopefully I could get on the court and impact winning pretty early on. And luckily, Skidboard checked off all those boxes. So that's kind how I got there.
Cory Heitz (08:04)
Okay.
Now here's something I want to touch on you mentioned. said your AAU coach connected you with Skidmore and their coach versus Jesse. So now in your role at Deerfield, and we're going to get into Deerfield and about that more, but I want to sidebar here. How much placement do you do for your final year guys versus AAU versus parent outreach versus maybe a family that hires a consultant to help them with the college basketball placement? What's your philosophy on placement and who else gets involved?
Connor Merrill (08:24)
Mm-hmm.
Thank
Yeah, mean, mean one, I'm heavily involved with that. It's honestly a big reason why I kind of wanted to get to this level. This is a process I enjoy. You know, I always tell kids just keep your circle relatively small and listen to the people, you know, who you trust enough. You know, they're going to give you honest, genuine feedback and honest, genuine guidance. So, you know, if that's an ADU coach, great. If it's not,
No worries. If it's a parent, if it's a friend, I haven't had any families hire kind of outside consultants to help them through the college process. Again, that's something I really take on. And I tell families that in the recruiting process. I hey, this is part of the deal. This is what I do. But that being said, it's a two-way street. I'm not going to make phone calls for you. And I'm not going to advocate for you.
Cory Heitz (09:27)
Okay.
Connor Merrill (09:36)
you're not doing what you're supposed to be doing. If you're not in the gym every day, if you're not in the waiting room every day, if you're not doing everything in your power to be as good of a student and community member, do as you can be. But if you do those things and you give me a list of schools you want me to contact, I'll run through a wall for you. But I think my background having coached at the college level and been around various levels of basketball, I have a pretty good sense of where I think I can place a kid.
And then my network, kind of just really rely on that and try to cast a wide net and push kids to those coaches. And luckily I've been able to go seven for seven so far in my time here and hopefully that keeps going up.
Cory Heitz (10:18)
Perfect. All right. Thanks for that side note. Let's get back to Skidmore and your experience there. You were a good player there, both there and both nationally, and your team was really good too. Tell me about your experience basketball wise at Skidmore.
Connor Merrill (10:22)
Thank
Yeah, it was great. Again, it was just talking about when you're in the process trying to figure out what's important to you, it ended up working out. I was part of a winning program. went to two NCAA tournaments. We won the Liberty League championship twice. Once my freshman year, once my senior year. We finished in at least the conference semifinals all four years.
So we were, you we were a really good team, you know, not only in the league, but by the time my senior year came around, we were, you know, receiving votes to be in the top 25, you know, on D3HOOPS.com. And, you know, my senior year team, we actually just recently got inducted into this Goodmore Athletics Hall of Fame earlier this month for, you know, for, you know, for what we did that year. You know, we were the first team, you know, to ever win over 20 games in a season. We were the first team to win the Liberty League.
Cory Heitz (11:13)
Cool.
Connor Merrill (11:25)
regular season championship and we were the first team to ever win a game in the NCAA tournament in school history. it was awesome. It was such a good experience and you know we were a point away or a possession away from going to the Sweet 16. We ended up losing a really close three-point game on the road to Johns Hopkins in their gym and again it was just we were so close to so close to making it to the next round.
But again, it was just such a good experience. I was able to have some individual success. We had a lot of collective success. And yeah, it was an incredible experience.
Cory Heitz (12:01)
I'm great. Thanks for sharing that.
You then went from graduating to be an assistant coach at the college levels at Springfield and at Middlebury. Tell us what you learned from being at that level that you now use at your coaching job.
Connor Merrill (12:15)
Yeah, so actually my first gig was to an assistant at Vermont Academy. So I went back there and worked there. I worked for Alex Pope for a year. To have my introduction to coaching, to able to coach guys like Bruce Brown and Tyre Jones and Marcus Santos Silva and Patrick Fisher, all these guys, it was incredible. So I was really lucky for that to be my introduction to the profession.
Cory Heitz (12:19)
That's right. Yes.
Connor Merrill (12:39)
You know, Alex had also been a graduate assistant at Springfield back in the day. So he had a connection to coach Brock, kind of pushed me to coach Brock. you know, that timing ended up working out pretty well. And then I also had known Jeff Brown from my time as a player. So, you know, one of my two years had finished at Springfield. Luckily, you know, Jeff offered me a full-time job. But yeah, I mean, just working for those guys. I mean, Jeff Brown and Charlie Brock are...
two of the best coaches to really ever coach. it's regardless of level, mean, Coach Brock has been super involved in the NABC, the rules committee. He's done so much, not just for Springfield College, but for the game of basketball itself. And then Jeff Brown's resume speaks for itself. think he's probably close to 80 % of his games in the last 15 years. Spent 11 or 12 NCAA tournaments, spent on Final Four.
Cory Heitz (13:11)
Okay.
Connor Merrill (13:33)
coached coached, you know, coached overseas guys, all Americans. And you also couldn't ask for two polar opposite personalities, which was such a good experience for me. And just kind of, you know, led me to show as like, like there's no one right, you know, there's no one right way to do it. You coach to your personality. And those guys did, and it worked uniquely in their own ways. So just taking bits and pieces of that, you know, just the
Cory Heitz (13:44)
you
Connor Merrill (14:01)
The amount of time and preparation that coach Brock put into every single practice plan and every single scouting report and every single game plan. It was eye opening. Just again, the attention to detail and how important that was. then coach Brown, just the amount of autonomy and how we empowered as players. There's a reason why he's won the amount of games he's won is because those guys want to run through a wall for him because he genuinely cares about them and empowers them.
Taking bits and pieces from each of those guys and trying to kind of mold it into my own style. You know, that's the ultimate goal. And if I can be a fraction of, you know, as successful as those guys have been in their careers, I think, you know, I've done a pretty good job.
Cory Heitz (14:42)
Nice. And then from there, you've now been at Deerfield for a couple of years. Give us your picture on Deerfield. Tell us about your school. Tell us about your basketball program.
Connor Merrill (14:50)
Yeah, mean, it's, you know, obviously I've been listening to, you know, some of the other, you know, other podcasts you've been on and, you know, it's going to sound pretty similar to, you know, some of these other schools, but it's, it's, you know, this place is the real deal. I mean, it's one of the five best academic boarding schools in the country. And, you know, we compete in Nepstec class A, which is incredibly competitive. I mean, just
Just the amount of resources we have, we're fortunate to have at this place, beautiful location, such a strong name brand academically. When I was in the process trying to get the job, I just kept telling people, I'm like, this place is a sleeping giant in the basketball world. It really is, has everything in the place you need in order to give yourself a chance to be competitive. Just gotta get a, hopefully get the right guy in there. And luckily they hired me and-
You know, with our program, you what I'm always trying to sell kids on is, again, one, it's the academic piece. You're not going to get a better education anywhere else than you're going to get here at Deerfield. You know, the community aspect, too, here is as good as it gets. I'd say about 90 % of our kids all live directly on campus. So you're just going to meet kids. I mean, we have kids from 40 different states, over 50 different countries.
Cory Heitz (15:40)
Okay.
Connor Merrill (16:02)
So it really is a worldly institution and you're gonna get to meet such a diverse group of kids and just use that as a network as you're moving forward. then the basketball piece for me, it's just my biggest sell is just be a part of something at a place where it's never been done before. Building a championship level program and building a championship level culture, it doesn't happen overnight. But I mean, we've made incredible strides in my two years here and-
Cory Heitz (16:09)
Okay.
Connor Merrill (16:27)
We've beaten teams in these two years that historically we've not been successful against and we've come up really close against teams that we haven't been successful against in the past. And just try to sell kids, we are knocking on the door. We just need a few more guys to go along with us. it's, again, it checks off so many boxes and this place has a chance to really transform kids' lives. And I wanna bring as many kids that wanna be a part of this as possible on board.
Cory Heitz (16:48)
.
Right, and what kind of kids should be looking at Deerfield for your program?
Connor Merrill (16:58)
Yeah, again, obviously, you you got to be a really strong student. We say no to 87 or 88 out of every 100 kids that apply here. So, you know, that's about a 12 to 13 % acceptance rate. you know, you obviously have to be an incredibly strong, strong student. But, you know, I always look for kids that are are self starters. You know, I don't want kids that have to be told what to do. They have to be told, hey, you know, go to class, go to study hall. Hey, like, you know,
go to the weight room, go to the gym, like kids who are self starters really are what I'm looking for a lot. And then obviously again, when it comes to talent, you know, you got to be able to pass, triple and shoot. I know that sounds generic, but if you can't do those things, it's going to be hard. It's going to be really hard. And this league is just so competitive. It's just full of scholarship level talent, high major, mid major, low major division two, you know, high level division three basketball, you know.
good basketball is good basketball and this league is chock full of it. So kids who love the game, kids who love to compete, kids who want to win, and kids who want to use this sport to get them somewhere. I think those are kids I really, really look for in the recruiting process.
Cory Heitz (18:09)
And when you're looking at them in your recruiting process, you're trying to figure out how much bandwidth it's going to take you, Connor, to place them at the next level.
Connor Merrill (18:16)
That certainly plays a role. Yeah, it definitely plays a role. It's for me, it's kind of finding that balance, right? Who's going to help us win and who can I help get to where they're trying to go? Because again, it's, you know, it's an investment. It's a financial investment. You know, you're, you know, whether you're a post grad or a repeat junior or repeat sophomore, you're putting some level of investment into this place. So I want to make sure
that we can position you as best as possible to get out of it what you're hoping for. So yeah, that certainly plays a role in the recruiting process.
Cory Heitz (18:53)
All right. So you played at AAA Ramon Academy. You coached at AAA Ramon Academy. Actually, Ramon might have been AA when you were there. And now you're at single A. And you just mentioned now single A is very competitive, which I absolutely know it is. But what do you say to families that are
Connor Merrill (19:00)
We work.
Cory Heitz (19:07)
you know, trying to figure out the differences between AAA, AA, single A, BC, like what's your response to that?
Connor Merrill (19:12)
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, I mean, I say it's again, like I just said, good basketball is good basketball and it is it is at every single school in the the NEPFAC. I'd say the triple, you know, the triple A level to an extent more so puts basketball on its own pedestal. And again, that that works for those schools that works for kids that are looking for that. You know, double A is a little bit more, you know, like that as well. And that's not a discredit single A. Again, it is.
incredibly competitive, but the vast majority of single-A schools are also some of the best academic boarding schools in the country. So it really is the blend of both. And it's a place you can do both at a really high level. again, if you're looking for one of the best educations you can possibly get while at the same time playing in an incredible academic, know, an incredible basketball league, this level is for you.
Cory Heitz (19:47)
Yes.
Connor Merrill (20:08)
If you're looking just to play hoops and just kind of have that be your primary focus, maybe you want to look at that AA, AAA level.
Cory Heitz (20:16)
Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I always tell people, I've said this a thousand times, like go to the place where it's the best fit for you coaching wise, especially if you're a post-grad for that nine months. And I don't care what the letter is, you know, by the name, if you want to go to a AAA school, but it's not the best fit, none of that rankings or status matters. So yeah, you say that too in your pitches.
Connor Merrill (20:24)
Mm-hmm. Totally.
Mm-hm.
Yeah, you know, and again, it's like there is value. Again, I mean, the fall open gym stuff is invaluable. It is one of the premier selling points that all of us Nip-Sack coaches make to families when we're trying to get you to come to Deerfield or come to whatever school. But at the same time, you got to get game minutes wherever you go. You don't want to just go somewhere and...
Cory Heitz (20:57)
Yes.
Connor Merrill (20:59)
play in front of all these high major coaches because they're all there watching kids who are twice as good as you. But then come season time, you're riding the pine. It's like, yeah, again, it's important to play in front of coaches. But you got a 25, 30 game schedule. You want to give yourself an opportunity to be on the floor as much as humanly possible. So like you said, it's just about fit, over levels.
Cory Heitz (21:19)
Yes. Yeah. What do you see as the future of prep school basketball? Like, do you see it expanding over the next five years? know, NIL is taking place. You've got academies popping up, more foreign kids coming over, Juco kid, the game's gotten older. Like, what are your thoughts?
Connor Merrill (21:28)
Yeah.
Yeah, that's a great question. I really don't see it ever going away. I do think...
Watered down is the wrong term for it. But like you said, there's just, there's more out there now. There are these basketball academies there that are, again, it's just, very singular focused. So to an extent that can take away from, you know, from the Netsack sometimes, you know, kids that historically may have gone to a, to a Tilton or a Brewster, you know, again, like back in my day, you know, when Tilton had that loaded team that they had, you know,
Cory Heitz (22:05)
.
Connor Merrill (22:11)
St. Andrew's had, know, like Michael Carter Williams and all those guys, you know, maybe that level of player isn't consistently coming to the net stack because there are these NIL opportunities where, you know, maybe it's just, it's a better fit for them. So that's, that's where I would say, you know, what I see as the biggest change. But, you know, with, class A, know, class A is only getting better. You know, I think I was listening to Max Gordon speak recently on this and he was just saying, you
All these new coaches keep getting hired and a lot of them have such impressive resumes, know, just coming from college levels, know, division one, division two, division three. So it's like, they're bringing that resume and that experience to our league. And it's just, it's only making the rest of the league better. So yeah, it's, it's, it's definitely not going anywhere. And I, I'd say it's just, it's, it's only going to continue to be as strong as it's always been. And you know, if not, if not get stronger.
Cory Heitz (22:41)
There.
Yeah, talk to me about this question that a lot of younger families have, reclassing versus not, right? So what are your thoughts on that? It's like a ninth or 10th graders talking to you.
Connor Merrill (23:15)
Yeah, and again, I've been in a unique opportunity where I did a post-grad year. So I can, again, kind of speak to both sides of it. And I always tell families, my biggest regret about my post-grad year at Vermont Academy was that I only did one year. Again, I just had no idea what prep school was. But knowing what I know now and
Having seen the transformational growth I saw as a person, as a player, as a student, I absolutely would have pursued multiple years instead of just one, if I could have. So I firmly believe that the more time you can spend in this type of environment, the better. But at the same time, you got to go when you're ready and you don't want to go too early. think, again, it's such an adjustment. know, Deerfield is such a rigorous...
Cory Heitz (23:43)
you
Connor Merrill (24:01)
academic school, a lot is going to be asked of you on the court, in the classroom,
in the community. You want to make sure you're ready for that discomfort and for that growth. again, think, and again, the other piece I speak to with families too is having been a college coach for six years, we prioritized
Cory Heitz (24:06)
Yes.
Connor Merrill (24:21)
kids who had gone through some type of prep school experience, whether they reclassed early or they did a post-grad year. I remember taking one of my post-grads on a college visit last year and we were talking to the head coach there and he said, it's rare that we go after kids who haven't reclassed at some point. So I just think that's the reality of the situation in today's day and age. And I think if you can be a 19 year old freshman in college or sometimes even a 20 year old freshman versus an 18 year old freshman and having
already been on a boarding school campus where it's much more like a college experience and you're playing with and against the level of competition that's here, you're only gonna be that much more ready to go whenever you hit the ground running, wherever you land next. So again, my firm belief is that the more time a kid could spend on a prep school campus, it's only gonna serve him better in the long run.
Cory Heitz (25:13)
Yeah, absolutely. Now, if a player doesn't reclass at Deerfield and they graduate and want to do a post-grad year, can they stay at Deerfield and do a post-grad year there or do have to go to a different school?
Connor Merrill (25:21)
Thank
They could, I'd say it's very rare. I would say it's very, very rare. I personally haven't heard of any instances, at least, obviously not in my time or in the immediate future since that's happened. Could it have happened at some point? Yeah, maybe. For example, we just had a La Crosse kid graduate here last year. He came in as a new junior, but he didn't repeat his junior year.
Cory Heitz (25:25)
Yes.
you
Connor Merrill (25:44)
I think he's committed to go play lacrosse at Denver next year, but he had to be a class of 2025. So now he's doing a post-grad here at Salisbury in Connecticut. So I would say it's much more common for kids to leave here and go somewhere else.
Cory Heitz (25:59)
Yeah, because that's the thing, like with families I talk to, let's say I'm dealing with a 10th grader right now and they're like, do we reclass and do, you know, 10th, 11th, 12th, or we just do 11th, 12th and post-grad. And, you know, you and I both know everyone, like you just said, every college coach wants an older product out there. But, you know, some families are gun-shying that and be like, well, what if I just do four years and the school I like is waiting for me? You know, if I had a reclass, I might've missed out on that, which, and, know, you see some
Connor Merrill (26:10)
He
Cory Heitz (26:26)
top players in high school like will graduate early to join Duke or someone like that. There's a lot going on with that process, yeah, it's tricky. It's every situation is different. Every school does it different too.
Connor Merrill (26:38)
Yeah, and again, think, like you said, most, so many kids are doing five years, five years of high school anyway. You know, if you have an opportunity to come to Deerfield as a repeat sophomore, why wouldn't you take that as opposed to just coming right in? know, and again, it doesn't matter to me, it doesn't matter where you come from, whether you're coming from another boarding school experience, coming from a public school, maybe you went to a junior boarding school, you know, Deerfield and just prep school in general, it's, it's going to be an adjustment.
Cory Heitz (26:45)
Yes.
Connor Merrill (27:06)
It's going to be an adjustment. The level of rigor academically is going to increase. The level of competition on the basketball court is going to be different. And again, just the more time you have to adjust to that, the better.
Cory Heitz (27:18)
Yes, love it. What does it take to play GAR at the D1 level?
Connor Merrill (27:23)
Cool. Boy.
Cory Heitz (27:25)
I ask every coach
that because everyone's got a different opinion. I want all the guards out there to have that dream that just hear as much as they can.
Connor Merrill (27:31)
Yeah,
yeah. Maybe play the lottery to an extent. I'm just kidding. Yeah. The great question. mean, there's, there's to an extent there's so much luck that goes into it. No, it's really, no. If you're not six feet or over, it's going to be really, really difficult. Yeah. I mean, there's so few instances where sub six foot guards or even six foot guards have.
had success, substantial, substantial success at that level. Like Isaiah Thomas says, don't grow on trees. The guard that Kansas State had a couple years ago in the tournament, guys like that don't grow on trees. But again, I think for me, it's just, you're the floor general, you're the quarterback, you're the CEO, you're the one running the show out there.
And you your your pulse on the game has to be so immense like you have to orchestrate every every everything else out there. You have to minimize mistakes. You got a guard. You got to be able to make shots. You got to make everyone else's job around you better. You know you got to be a coach on the floor and I think. Sometimes you could do all those things and sometimes it still might not work out. Again, like you know, like I said, just kind of the luck sometimes you know.
Some guys have God-given ability and God-given genes where maybe they're six foot two, six foot three, six foot four, and that just, that puts them in another level for coaches to see. Not everyone has those genes, so there certainly is a level of just genetics and God-given ability that goes into it, but again, like I said, I think you've got to impact winning in as many ways as possible, and you've got to make everyone else's job around you easier.
Cory Heitz (29:11)
Yeah, thanks for sharing that. We're gonna do some quick hitters now, all right? Who's the best player you've ever played against?
Connor Merrill (29:17)
George Nieng. George Nieng, yeah. When I was at Vermont, he was on that loaded Tilton team that had like, Maryland's Noel and Wayne Seldon and good luck Okanobo. And yeah, I think he gave us close to 40 that game. And I was just, I mean, he just, he was unstoppable. And, you know, there's a reason why he's stayed in the league for as long as he stayed. You know, just figures out how to win and figures out a way to, you know, impact winning.
Cory Heitz (29:19)
Was that when you were at Vermont Academy?
What's the best player you've coached against?
Connor Merrill (29:46)
Probably a guard that Ben Farmer at Wilson has right now, Preston Edvede. Six foot guard, committed to Hofstra next year. Just lightning quick, super shifty, creates so much separation on a step back jumper when you're going on the rim. Facilitates just tough, hard notes kid. Again, like talking about his gravity and his pulse and impact he has on the game.
Cory Heitz (29:51)
Thanks.
Okay.
Connor Merrill (30:12)
He checks out those boxes. So
yeah, I did not, you know, we did not find a way to slow him down last year too well. hopefully, hopefully we can find out a way to slow him down this year. But yeah, he is, he is, is terrific. And Hofstra, Hofstra had, you know, found themselves a heck of a player for the next four years.
Cory Heitz (30:30)
That's great. What about your favorite movie of all time?
Connor Merrill (30:34)
Ooh, favorite movie. Probably bring up my nerdy side. I love Lord of the Rings. All three of them. I mean, I could binge watch those things all the time. So yeah, definitely Lord of the Rings fan.
Cory Heitz (30:39)
Mmm.
Speaking of movies, tell us about the movie that was filmed at your school a couple years ago.
Connor Merrill (30:50)
Yeah, yeah, the holdovers. Yeah, Paul Giamatti, he's kind of the headliner. It was filmed before I got here and the second lead act was a Deerfield alum. He graduated in 2022, kid named Dominic Sesta. So again, he graduated before I got here. But yeah, it was just one of a bunch of awards. We actually got a pre-screening of it here on campus before it was released.
Cory Heitz (31:12)
Thank
Connor Merrill (31:15)
to the theaters like two weeks before we had a pre-screening. It was awesome. But yeah, no, it's definitely gotten us some more PR. And it was filmed right here on campus. I think they did it during our long holiday break,
Cory Heitz (31:27)
you.
Connor Merrill (31:30)
maybe a little bit during the March break too. But yeah, that's pretty cool to watch the movie and recognize, hey, that's the building where my office is in. Or hey, that's so so dark. It's pretty cool.
Cory Heitz (31:42)
That's awesome. And then what are your hobbies when you're not doing the basketball thing?
Connor Merrill (31:45)
Yeah, spending time with my dog. I got a two and a half year old golden retriever that takes up a lot of time, but he's, you know, I wouldn't trade it for the world. Currently right now, wedding planning, getting married next August. that's, thank you. Yeah, so that's taken up some time too, but yeah, you know, just getting outdoors, know, Deerfield, a beautiful area, you know, you can get outside, go for a lot of hikes, find different swimming holes, stuff like that.
Cory Heitz (31:59)
Congrats.
Connor Merrill (32:12)
Yeah, just kind of spending time outside, spending time with fiance, spending time with a dog. And yeah, it's a great place to be.
Cory Heitz (32:19)
Cool. Is there anything we didn't talk about you want to touch on before we get off of here?
Connor Merrill (32:23)
No, think you kind of checked off all those boxes and I think again, it's great what you're doing for kids and families and bringing more and more notoriety to prep school basketball and to New England prep schools. I wish we had someone like you back when I was going through this process 12, 15 years ago.
Cory Heitz (32:46)
Yeah,
I could have used one of me too before I picked a Pepsicle as well.
Connor Merrill (32:50)
Yeah, so no, I'd
say just yeah, the biggest thing is, know, really appreciate everything you do for for our brand of basketball and everything that you know, the opportunities that you're you know, that you help provide kids and their families.
Cory Heitz (33:02)
Thanks man, I appreciate those kind words Connor. Where can people find you if they want to reach out, they're interested in following you on the socials or inquiring about Deerfield? We'll put all that in the show notes, but go ahead and share it now.
Connor Merrill (33:04)
for sure.
Sure.
Yeah. Twitter handle, my personal one is at Connor Merrill 33. We also have our Twitter handle at Deerfield Hoops. I think our Instagram is Deerfield Basketball. those are our three kind of social handles and, you know, try to do as good of a job as I, you know, I'm certainly no social media whiz, but try to do as good of a job as I can keep, you know, providing content, keeping up to dates, you know, responding to the recruits.
the groups that reach out and just trying to showcase what deer field is about and what our program is trying to become.
Cory Heitz (33:45)
Awesome. I love it. Well, Connor, thanks for joining us today in the Prep Athletics Podcast. If you folks enjoyed this, be sure to subscribe and tune in to all the episodes and we'll keep bringing you the good stuff with interviews with coaches and more insights into the prep school basketball world. So, Connor, thanks again for coming on.
Connor Merrill (34:01)
Yep, absolutely. Thanks for having me, Cory. Appreciate it.
Cory Heitz (34:03)
Thanks so much. See you guys next week. Take care.