When former Saint Louis University Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach Alex Jensen called Brian Conklin to express the Billikens’ interest in having him play collegiate ball for them, Conklin was also fielding calls from a much more successful – and local – program: the University of Oregon.
Conklin, a native of Eugene, Ore., has been a life-time fan of the Ducks. After all, if Eugene has a claim to fame, it is the Ducks. But Jensen offered an
incentive that Oregon could not offer. If Conklin chose SLU, he would be playing for Rick Majerus. For Conklin, a post player, the chance to learn from one of the most well-regarded defensive minds in college basketball was the chance of a lifetime.
But then Conklin got to speak to Majerus on the phone.
“I remember, the first time he called me, I sat in the car for almost an hour and just talked to him,” Conklin said. “He was telling me books I should read, told me he saw some film of me, and he liked the way I play.”
“He told me I’d be part of the rebuilding. When they get recruits, they tell you, ‘You’re coming to a new arena, you’ve got a new weight room, you’ve got people that care about you, and you’re going get the best scholarship on campus.’ Al [Jensen] told me I’d be coached by the best coach, and it’s all true.
“My decision is paying dividends.”
And it’s paying dividends for SLU, too. As of Dec. 7, the senior forward leads the Atlantic 10 Conference with a .667 shooting percentage from the field and leads the team with 16.8 points per game. He was named A-10 co-Player of the week for Nov. 28 and was named the 76 Classic MVP in Anaheim, Calif. over Thanksgiving. Conklin is also leading the team with 4.8 rebounds per game.
“There’s no question, the heart and the motor of the team is Conklin,” ESPN basketball analyst Sean Farnham said. “When he plays hard, when he gets his hands on the ball, when he’s going through traffic, it energizes the rest of his teammates. Then you start to see that work rate increase at both ends of the floor from everybody, and that’s when SLU gets dangerous.”
Born to Joe and Annette, Conklin was always bigger than the other boys his age and naturally gifted at a handful of sports.
Joe Conklin began coaching his oldest son in basketball in the third grade and continued doing so for four years before creating a select travel league for Conklin and a few friends to play in. Years later, while in high school, Conklin would travel to Orlando, Las Vegas and even China, as part of an AAU league. His size and athleticism, though, also made him a gifted tight end in football. But his high school team was not well coached, and after injuring his ankle sophomore year and missing most of the season, Conklin transitioned solely to basketball, a move that fit him both physically and mentally.
“He was never a contact, hitting kind of player,” Joe Conklin said. “He was finesse, using his strength. He may look like it on the basketball court, but I got news for you, on the football field, he didn’t like it.
“Anyway, he had more passion for basketball. He had more fun playing it.”
So, with an offer from SLU on the table, “my ticket to get stuff done,” as Conklin says, the “Eugene Enforcer” committed to play for Majerus as a Billiken. The decision to come to St. Louis, a full 2,057 miles and two time zones away, was easy for him. Always driven by academic as well as athletic success, SLU was the perfect fit, and leaving home was just something that went along with it. But for Joe Conklin, watching his eldest son leave home was tough.
“It was hard, the hardest thing, to watch him walk out the door,” he said. “But he made the decision right off the bat. It wasn’t our decision. He’s always been that way. Whenever he wants something and makes a decision, then that’s it. I told him, ‘Once you make the decision, you’re done.’ That’s the commitment you make.”
Both Conklins are happy with the decision.
And now, in his fourth and final year at SLU, Conklin’s game has reached a whole new level. After spending the summer in the gym, Conklin has been perhaps the reason SLU is off to an 8-1 start this season, as well as receiving votes in the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today polls. Conklin, while admitting he has managed to keep off additional weight gains by running sprints harder, attributes his success this fall to his coach and his health.
“This is the first year I’ve been healthy and able to sustain my gains,” Conklin said. “I’ve always been hurt, had a nagging pain, that’s prevented me from playing to my abilities. I don’t think I’m physically tougher.
“It’s also Coach hammering in those minute details, and I’m able to finish this year. I’m able to get a little more lift to get my shot higher to the backboard. I’m not worried about getting my shot blocked or the [physical] contact.”
And, while his sights may be set on the A-10 Conference title and a trip to the NCAAs, Conklin has at least two dates already booked on the calendar. In May, he will graduate with his MBA, and sometime after that, he will marry his fiancée of over a year, Christina.
Papa Conklin couldn’t be prouder.
“I never went to college. That was my choice,” he said. “This was his choice. I’m awfully proud of everything he’s done. He’s a wonderful young man, a great son, and I’m proud to be his father.”
