Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/542018
IRISH IN THE PROS "He didn't shoot the ball as well from three last year, but he really made a ton of plays and he was fun to watch. I think when he steps into the NBA, he steps in as a ready-made scorer that can come in off the bench or be a starter, and he can get buckets. He can defend multiple positions, the one or the two-guard spot." Bilas was also complimentary of Con- naughton going in the second round, noting the swingman's athleticism, in- cluding a 44-inch maximum vertical leap at the NBA Combine in Chicago in May that might have been overlooked by some during the college season. "He's tough, he's always guarding guys who are a lot bigger than him, and he goes nose-to-nose with them," Bilas said during ESPN's broadcast. "He's one of those guys that you say 'terrific shooter.' He can really stretch a defense, gets the shot off quickly, and he is a two- handed rebounder. I mean he goes after every rebound with both hands, and rebounds at a really high rate. "He's only 6-5, and I think most of us had no idea he was that good of an athlete and could jump like that. He probably thought he could, but I didn't know." Both the Trailblazers (Connaughton) and Knicks (Grant) will take part in NBA Summer League play July 10-20 in Las Vegas, Nev. A.J. POLLOCK NAMED MLB ALL-STAR Former Notre Dame outfielder A.J. Pollock earned his first MLB All-Star Game nomination this July, becom- ing the second former Irish player to receive a nod in the last two years (Jeff Samardzija, 2014). Pollock was an All-Big East per- former for Notre Dame during his play- ing career from 2007-09 and won the Rawlings Gold Glove award. As of July 14, he's hitting at a .299 clip for the Ari- zona Diamondbacks, with an on-base percentage of .350. He also boasts 11 home runs and 42 RBIs in 334 at-bats, in addition to 19 stolen bases. "I've run into a couple of players along the way the last two weeks that kind of went out of their way to tell me they voted for me and they were really pulling for me to get into the All-Star Game," Pollock told Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. "For me, just them saying that was pretty neat. To be voted in based on the players in general, that's cool for me." MLB PLAYERS UPDATE Through July 9 • John Axford (Played at Notre Dame from 2002- 05), RHP, Colorado Rockies: Holds a 1-2 record with 16 saves and a 2.36 ERA in 24.2 innings of relief. • Jeff Manship (2005-06), RHP, Cleveland Indians: Has pitched in five contests with a 1.13 ERA in eight innings of relief work. • David Phelps (2006-08), RHP, Miami Marlins: Owns a 4-5 record with a 3.86 ERA in 14 starts … Has thrown 82.2 innings. • A.J. Pollock (2007-09), OF, Arizona Diamond- backs: Has played in 86 games and is hitting .299 with 18 doubles, two triples and 11 homeruns … Boasts 42 RBI while stealing 19 bases and scoring 58 times. • Jeff Samardzija (2003-06), RHP, Chicago White Sox: Holds a 6-4 overall record with a 4.02 ERA in 18 starts … Has struck out 100 batters in 125.1 innings pitched … Pitched a shutout against the Toronto Blue Jays on July 9. ✦