Vandegriff feels at home at NCCC

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Niagara County Community College men’s basketball coach Bill Beilein, left, speaks with player Connor Vandegriff recently during practice at NCCC in Sanborn. Dan Cappellazzo/Staff Photographer

November 18, 2011

T-Wolves host Corning CC at 3 p.m.Saturday.

By Nate Beutel Lockport Union-Sun & Journal The Lockport Union-Sun %26 Journal Fri Nov 18, 2011, 09:29 PM EST

SANBORN — When Connor Vandegriff passed on Niagara County Community College in favor of Division III Hobart in the spring of 2010, NCCC head coach Bill Beilein was disappointed.

When Vandegriff decided to transfer out of Hobart after a freshman season where he played only sparingly, Beilein was shocked.

“I didn’t expect it at all,” Belein said. “But as soon as I could, I talked to him and his father and told them I thought NCCC was a good fit for him to get more playing time and grow as a player.”

Vandegriff agreed, especially after thinking back to all the good times he had with Beilein as a member of his Harbor Hoops AAU squad.

A Colorado native, Vandegriff moved to Middleport in middle school and quickly tried to hook up with an AAU team. While playing at Royalton-Hartland, Vandegriff met up with Wally Moxham, whose two sons played at rival Wilson. It just so happened that Moxham had recently joined forces with Beilein — an Appleton native and Barker High School 1,000-point scorer — to create the Harbor Hoopsters and they were looking for some more local talent.

Vandegriff jumped at the opportunity and quickly formed a relationship with Beilein, who he described as the difference maker in his decision on where to attend college after Hobart.

“I know how good of a coach he is and how great he is with his players,” Vandegriff said from his Middleport home recently.

Accepting Vandegriff into the Thunderwolves family was easy for Beilein.

“He’s so easy to work with because he’s such a hard worker,” the coach said. “You’re always looking for a kid that wants to get better and that’s Connor.”

Vandegriff brings a lot to the table for NCCC, most notably defense, rebounding and post play. He’s also a sophomore presence on a team comprised of mostly freshman. Perhaps most encouraging, though, was his 24-point, 13-rebound performance in the Tompkins-Cortland CC Tournament championship game.

“I don’t think he has scored 24 points since he was at Roy-Hart,” Beilein quipped, while noting that Vandegriff was the fourth or fifth offensive option after transferring to Nichols for his junior and senior years of high school.

“It was nice to be able to contribute something more than just defense,” Vandegriff said.

At 6-foot-4, Vandegriff is a bit undersized for the post, but that hasn’t stopped him from making a commitment to being a bigger paint presence.

“I’ve been a post player my whole life and I think if I want to go somewhere after NCCC I have to improve my play from 15-feet-and-in first,” he said. “I want to be more marketable to other schools and that’s why I want to get better with my inside game.”

Beilein said Vandegriff is already showing great improvement largely due to his tremendous patience and power in the post. He’s also very intelligent out on the floor.

“You don’t have to run specific plays to Connor,” Beilein said. “He puts himself in a good position to score. He usually goes and gets the ball and scores. He does most of it on his own. He has a nice touch, too.”

Vandegriff said he’s not worried about being flashy, but rather doing whatever it takes to help the team win.

“I actually love getting rebounds and putbacks,” he said. “It’s rewarding because it’s hard work. Everybody calls it garbage buckets, but those are some of the hardest buckets to get. I’m just really excited to be here at N-trip.”

Beilein echoed those sentiments.

“We’re thrilled to have him,” the coach said. “I expect him to produce like he did (at the TC3 tournament), help us win a lot of games this year and get an opportunity to go somewhere and play next year, too.”

The Thunderwolves continue their first-semester, non-conference schedule at 3 p.m. today when Corning CC visits Sanborn for their home opener. The women’s teams tip at 1 p.m.

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Vandegriff feels at home at NCCC

T-Wolves host Corning CC at 3 p.m.Saturday.

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