NOTHIN BUT NOLTE: Junior walk-on finds Georgia to be the right program
February 18, 2010 by NICK PARKER
Filed under Featured, Men's basketball, Sports
Connor Nolte began to question himself.
Connor Nolte, a transfer from Furman, chose to come to Georgia after only one meeting with head coach Mark Fox.
Could he play at the highest level of college basketball? Should he have taken the preferred walk-on position former Georgia head coach Dennis Felton offered him at Georgia out of Milton High School?
He decided to find out, making the decision to transfer to Georgia after averaging 5.5 points and 3.5 rebounds in two seasons at Furman.
Even though he would no longer be on full scholarship. Even though he would have to sit out a season due to NCAA transfer rules.
“I was getting minutes at Furman, but I just wasn’t happy there,” Connor Nolte said. “I really had always dreamed at playing at this level, at a big-time college program, and so you know I didn’t want to regret not trying in three to four years. I didn’t want to be sitting at my desk, thinking ‘why didn’t I just try to go play at Georgia.’”
One hitch. Georgia still had not named a replacement for Felton and his spot wasn’t assured.
“I just made a decision that I was going to go for it, and it ended up working out. It’s just a blessing, and I’m thrilled to be here right now.”
One meeting was all it took coach Mark Fox to see the benefits for both sides.
“We knew [Connor] could shoot the ball. He’s a great kid. I met with him one time and just knew he was a great kid,” Fox said. “He’s been a real big part of this team, and will have a huge impact on this program over the year. He’s a winner, so he’ll touch our program in a lot of ways.”
Fox said Connor provides a “high basketball IQ, and a very good three-point shooter,” and “depth that you know he’s a guy when he’s playing that you’re not worried about him making a mistake. You have some confidence and some trust in him.”
The year sitting out, along with transfer Gerald Robinson, has allowed him to adjust to the difference in the size and speed of the game in the Southeastern Conference.
“[Connor] has helped us so far this year on the scout team playing shooters, playing good three men, just being that tough guy, that energy guy that we need in practice,” Dustin Ware said. “And he’s been doing a great job for us, and he’s definitely going to help us next year.”
Fox says Connor still needs to get stronger, and that they are tinkering with the release in his jump shot but believes he can contribute next season despite the bump in competition.
He knows his limitations and knows his niche.
“I’m just going to be trying to do a lot of things that Ricky McPhee brings to the team now. I’d love to be that kind of player. He’s out there knocking down threes, hustling down rebounds, you know, kind of the dirty work, because obviously I’m not a physical specimen,” Connor said. “I’m not going to be dunking like Travis [Leslie], but hopefully I’ll be able to get some minutes here and there and knock down some shots and just be a solid player.”
McPhee actually followed a similar path as Nolte, transferring from Gardner Webb to Georgia as a walk-on.
At the Nolte home, the fundamentals were always stressed. That’s what happens when your dad, Kurt, is a self-proclaimed ‘hoops junkie’ and played basketball for three seasons at Division II Carroll College and taught the game to Connor and younger brother, Evan, who is of the nation’s top sophomore prospects for the class of 2012 out of Milton High School in Alpharetta. Sister – Lauren, a freshman at Georgia Tech – also had a couple offers to play basketball out of high school but “didn’t have the love for the game of Connor and Evan” and decided not to play basketball in college.
“My dad is probably the main reason we got to where we are now,” Evan Nolte said. “It always got so annoying to me when he’d tell me to keep my elbow in when I’m shooting, but he was right because it works.”
Evan, a skilled 6-foot-7, 190-pound sophomore small forward prospect, and is expected to grow ‘another inch and half to two inches.’ Even at 6-foot-7, his potential is obvious as he was recently the only sophomore named to the all-tournament team for Milton at the 2010 Bass Pro Tournament of Champions a month ago, and he is already hearing from “Georgia, Duke, Oklahoma, Stanford, and Florida State.”
While Connor and Evan could never play together, Connor’s time at Georgia has sparked Evan’s interest in a big way, visiting recently for Georgia’s win over Tennessee. Two of Evan’s teammates – juniors Julian Royal and Dai-Jon Parker – have also recently visited Georgia.
“I really like coach Fox. He’s always joking around and during the season when things are up and running, he doesn’t change from when he’s around me,” Evan said.
“I loved the atmosphere. The atmosphere is crazy. It definitely wasn’t what I was expecting.”
Due to Evan’s status as a recruit, Fox nor Connor can comment on Evan and his recruitment, but it’s abundantly clear Connor’s impact could go well beyond the basketball court in the coming years.
“Before Connor went there, Evan wasn’t interested in Georgia at all,” Kurt Nolte said. “I think Georgia did a phenomenal job in hiring coach Fox, and I’m not just saying that. I think he’s a phenomenal coach, and I think he’s a wonderful human being.”
He helped Connor find a home. Now, Fox is just trying to convince Evan to find the same one.
