Freedom star Connelly to continue hoops career at Midland College

Amore Connelly has spent most of the past four years turning heads on the basketball court at Freedom High School, but he will soon be looking to make an impact far away from home.

After graduating from Freedom late last month, Connelly signed his letter of intent on Wednesday to play for Midland College in Texas, where the 6-foot-3 guard will join a program that has a history of success on the hardwood.

A Division I member of the National Junior College Athletic Association, Midland is one of 23 teams in Region 5 and one of nine squads in the Western Junior College Athletic Conference. The Chaparrals finished 21-10 overall and 11-5 in WJCAA play this past winter under interim head coach Isaac Fontenot-Amedee, who was named their full-time head coach on May 5.

Midland has appeared in five national championship games, winning twice, since making its first title game appearance in 1982. And several former Chaps have gone on to play at the professional level, including 1986 NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion Spud Webb and 1994 NBA All-Star Mookie Blaylock.

Connelly was impressed with how “straightforward” Fontenot-Amedee was during their conversations with one another, and he noted that “a lot of other JUCOs (junior colleges) don’t have what they have” at Midland. Although Connelly hasn’t yet decided on a major, he is interested in pursuing a job in the automotive industry.

Named to the All-Northwestern 3A/4A Conference team in each of his three full seasons at Freedom — he finished his junior season at a prep school in Arizona — Connelly was also a two-time All-District 10 honoree and was selected as Burke County’s boys player of the year as both a freshman and a senior (the award was not presented during the 2022-23 season).

As a senior, Connelly averaged 18.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.3 steals per game while also recording 16 total blocks. In addition to shooting 49% from the field, he also made 34% of his 3-point attempts and 77% of his free-throw attempts as he helped the Patriots finish 20-7 overall and 7-3 in league contests en route to winning the NWC tournament title and qualifying for the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 3A state playoffs for the fourth consecutive year.

Connelly pointed out that he has been playing basketball since he was around 4 or 5 years old, with then Mountain Crest Elementary School coach Brandon Thomas playing a big role in his early development.

“I wasn’t too good,” said Connelly, who mentioned that he “was wearing Chuck Taylors running down the court.”

“He saw potential in me,” he added of Thomas, “and he helped me get better and stick with basketball.”

Since arriving at Freedom, Connelly has enjoyed spending time with his teammates and coaches. He is thankful for how much FHS head coach Clint Zimmerman, his assistants, and mentors like Eric Davidson and Rev. George Logan have meant to him over the years.

“I’ve grown tremendously with my attitude, my mouth, the way I come across to people, and my character,” said Connelly. “That includes the way I talk to refs, my coaches, and my teammates.”

Always impressed by Connelly’s abilities on the court, Zimmerman has noticed his personal growth as well.

“I think where he’s grown the most is his maturity and how he interacts with his teammates,” said Zimmerman. “He’s always been a special talent on the floor, there’s no argument there, but how he’s interacted with his teammates, how he’s interacted with others in the building, he’s just grown each year and especially this year with that.

“He’s got a lot of intangibles that you can’t teach. I think they are looking at him as a point guard, so a 6-3 point guard with the explosiveness and the athleticism that he has, you absolutely just can’t teach that, and that’s what you’re immediately drawn to. I think maybe his most underrated ability on the basketball floor is his ability to pass the basketball, so I think when he gets to Midland that will stand out a lot.”

Fontenot-Amedee is looking forward to working with Connelly, whose “IQ and skill set really kind of set him apart.” He stated that “Coach Zimmerman has been really great throughout the whole recruitment process,” while Connelly and his mother have also been a pleasure to deal with while navigating the challenges of attending a college that’s located more than 1,300 miles away from Freedom.

“We’re really excited to have him,” said Fontenot-Amedee. “... I just think he’s a really good guard, and the great thing about him is he can score, and he can facilitate. So, if it’s his day to score then we can have him do that, or if it’s a time where he needs to facilitate then he can do both. He’s a modern-day guard for sure.”