Long-time Pearl River College head men’s basketball coach Richard Mathis sums up Conley Verdun’s Wildcat career simply: “an outstanding player who played big in big games.”
Verdun was inducted into PRCC’s Sports Hall of Fame on Oct. 20 during the college’s 2001 Homecoming celebration.
After helping lead the Wildcats to their first state championship in some 30 years in 1995 and earning All-State and All-Region XXIII honors, Verdun headed for the University of Southwest Louisiana (now Louisiana-Lafayette) in Lafayette and starred for the Ragin’ Cajuns for two seasons before hooking up with the world-renowned Harlem Globetrotters.
“Being with the Globetrotters since 1997 has been quite an experience...an
experience of a lifetime,” Verdun said. “I’ve travelled to every state in the country and all over the world.”
“I was on one of three Globetrotter teams, but right now they’ve scaled things back to only one team since the terrorist situation arose. I’ve got a few options on the table, but my basketball situation, particularly with the Globetrotters, is in limbo right now,” he said.
With the Globetrotters, Verdun hit the hardcourt in virtually every European country.
During his two-year stint at The River in 1993-94 and 1994-95, the Franklin, La., native was an impact player from the outset.
“From his very first day here, Conley was a big time shooter. He just has that God given talent. He impacted our team even as a 150-pound freshman,” said Mathis. “But it was his weight room work that made him into the complete basketball player he is today.”
Verdun, a 5-foot-10 point guard, was dedicated to the weights. In one year, he beefed himself up to a solid 180 pounds and the rest is history.
“Conley’s the guy that sold me on the weights,” Mathis said. “It use to be that most coaches, my self included, thought too much weight lifting hurt rather than helped. Conley proved me wrong. I’m a weight room disciple now.”
Verdun’s freshman season saw him average 17 points and six rebounds a game, while dishing out an average of five assists a game during both of his PRCC seasons. As a sophomore, he boosted his point average to 24 a game.
PRCC’s 1995 championship season is one of the biggest highlights of Verdun’s basketball career.
“We (team) were very close and had one mindset...to win the state title,” he said. “We accomplished our ultimate goal.”
That Wildcat squad could’ve likely taken that season’s Region XXIII title and earned a trip to the national tournament if Verdun hadn't broken his thumb in the opening round game of the tournament played at Mississippi College.
Said Mathis, “Conley was our main guy. He was the guy that made things click, but after he broke his thumb in the first half of our first regional game, we wound up blowing a 20 point lead and lost by 20 or so after he hit the bench.
“It was a sad way for such a great player to end a community college career, but there were lots of fond memories also.”
One in particular was a week earlier when the Wildcats rallied to beat touted Northeast in the semifinals of the state tournament. The Tigers, along with stellar forward Dante Jones who went on to star at Mississippi State and played in the NBA, had the Wildcats down by seven with a minute left.
“We were fighting back and then Conley hit a trey from deep in the corner to tie it up and send the game into overtime,” Mathis recalled. “We wound up beating them in OT and went on to beat Co-Lin in the championship game.
“We beat Northeast all three times we played them that year, here, at Booneville, and at the state tournament. That was quite an accomplishment,” said Mathis, who coached at Northeast in the early 1980s. “Conley was the kind of guy that played big when it counted.”
“He’s a true champion player and he is very deserving of induction. Conley came in here and was a big time player for two seasons. This honor should make he and his family proud.”
Verdun says Mathis was an integral part of his basketball growth.