TJ McConnell will be inducted into Arizona's Ring of Honor

INDIANAPOLIS – After his second season at Duquesne, TJ McConnell watched an NCAA tournament game at PPG Paints Arena, home of the Pittsburgh Penguins, which is barely a quarter-mile from Duquesne’s basketball arena. There he told his father, Tim, who had coached him at Chartiers Valley High School in nearby Bridgeville, that, as small as he was, he believed he belonged at a higher level and that he wanted to go to a power conference program -You can and should participate in the tournament.

That led him to Arizona, where he got to play for another point guard from the Pittsburgh area, Sean Miller. That bold decision, McConnell said, is the reason he has been in the NBA for 10 years. For this achievement, McConnell will be inducted into Arizona’s Ring of Honor on Wednesday night before the Wildcats’ game against Samford at McKale Arena in Tucson.

“I wouldn’t be where I am today without this place,” McConnell said after practice on Tuesday. “For all the coaches, teammates, everyone that was there, the staff that was there, I’m just very grateful, especially the fans. They still show a lot of love. I’m just really grateful for this place.”

Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said the entire team and traveling party would fly to Tucson to participate before traveling to Phoenix for Thursday’s game against the Suns. Arizona agreed to move up the ceremony after halftime to accommodate the Pacers’ travel needs.

The Pacers also traveled to Tucson last year before their game against the Suns to induct former Arizona star Bennedict Mathurin into the Ring of Honor.

Arizona Ring of Honor:Pacers accompany Bennedict Mathurin in Tucson for the Arizona Ring of Honor Ceremony

The two players earned entry by meeting different criteria for automatic inclusion. Mathurin was the 2022 Pac-12 Player of the Year. McConnell had an outstanding career at Arizona, earning All-Pac-12 honors twice, including a first-team spot his senior year. He helped lead the Wildcats to consecutive Pac-12 titles and a berth in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. However, these successes were not enough for Ring of Honor success. However, playing in a major professional league for 10 years does, and McConnell did that this year despite going undrafted.

The 6-1, 190-pound McConnell signed a multi-year deal with the 76ers in 2015 during the “Process” years in which they finished near the bottom of the NBA every year, but carved out a niche as a skilled ball-handler and tenacious defender. After four years in Philadelphia, McConnell signed with the Pacers and three coaches have found him to be a difference-maker. At 32, he is averaging 11.3 points per game and a career-best shooting percentage of 57.2%, establishing himself as one of the best backup point guards in the NBA.

McConnell’s introduction to Ring of Honor covers all of that.

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TJ McConnell will be inducted into Arizona’s Ring of Honor

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