Image descriptions:
Left: #20 Pat Connaughton makes contact with the ball in a game again the Northeast team.
Middle:: Pat Connaughton gets caught in a pickle between first and second base
Right: Pat Connaughton fields a ball during warm ups before Metro takes on Northeast in the 2009 Baseball Showcase
Professional athlete #BSGAlum alert!! Pat Connaughton (#24 Guard, Milwaukee Bucks, Arlington native) played on the Metro baseball team in the 2009 Baseball Showcase. Wearing #20, Connaughton was a rising junior at St. John's Prep, where he was a three-sport athlete (football, basketball, and baseball).
We dug up some old box scores to see how he performed. Connaughton played in 4 games for the Metro team, starting one game as pitcher, one game at first base, and two games at shortstop.
In his first game, Connaughton took the mound for the Metro team, pitching 5 innings and allowing 1 hit, 1 run, 3 walks, and striking out 5 batters.
He went 0-2 at the plate in a 2-0 loss to Southeast. In the next game, Connaughton started at first base, going 1-3 and driving in one run in a 9-7 win against Coastal. In the third game, Connaughton led the Metro team to a 9-2 win against Northeast, going 3-4 with 2 RBI while playing defensively at shortstop. Connaughton wrapped the tournament going 0-1 and playing shortstop in an 8-0 loss to West. Metro ended up winning the silver medal.
Image Description: 2009 Metro Baseball team. Pat Connaughton (#20) stands in back row third from the left.
Connaughton also joins the rare group of athletes who played multiple sports in Bay State Games. He played in the Juniors Basketball tournament while in middle school on the same team as former NBA player, Shabazz Napier. (Sorry, we couldn't find any photos from that).
Connaughton had a stellar senior season at the Prep, eventually being named Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year and being drafted in the 4th round of the 2011 MLB draft by the San Diego Padres. He ultimately decided to attend the University of Notre Dame as a two-sport athlete in basketball and baseball. After his junior year, Connaughton was drafted in the 4th round of the 2014 MLB Draft by the Baltimore Orioles. He signed with the team but returned for his senior basketball season at Notre Dame, where his team won the conference championship and made it to the Elite Eight.
Connaughton was drafted by the Brooklyn Nets with the 41st pick in the 2015 NBA draft. His draft rights were traded to the Portland Trailblazers, who signed Connaughton to a 3-year contract. On August 1, 2018, Connaughton signed a contact with the Milwaukee Bucks and won the NBA Championship in 2021.
The Milwaukee Bucks are currently playing the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals of the 2022 NBA Playoffs as Connaughton is coming off a career high in points per game. While the BSG office bleeds green, we may be rooting for a certain player in a different shade of green just this once.
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Week 5 - 1996 Summer Games Top Shots
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Week 3 - Let's Jump!
Week 2 - 1994 Top Shots
Week 1 - Light the Cauldron