Middlebury College has announced the hiring of Connor Merrill as an assistant men’s basketball coach. The Panton, Vermont native joins the Panther program after spending the last two seasons as a graduate assistant coach at Springfield (Mass.).
“I am grateful for the opportunity to join the Middlebury men’s basketball program and strive to continue the unprecedented successes in recent years,” said Merrill. “I am looking forward to working alongside head coach Jeff Brown and learning from him, as well as getting to know our players and help them achieve their goals.”
“We are excited about Connor joining our Middlebury basketball family,” noted Brown. “He was a tremendous and versatile player at Skidmore. His coaching experiences at Springfield and Vermont Academy will serve our student-athletes well and add value to our program. Connor’s passion for teaching and recruiting is at a high level and he will be involved in all facets of our program.”
Merrill is a 2015 graduate of Skidmore with a bachelor’s degree in sociology. He also obtained in Masters of Education with a concentration in athletic administration from Springfield in the summer of 2018. Merrill was a four-time All-Liberty League selection as a Thoroughbred, including a first-team nod following his senior season. The 2014-15 tri-captain graduated as Skidmore’s career leader in blocked shots (212), while ranking ninth in rebounds (543). Merrill became the program’s 14th 1,000-career point scorer, currently ranking seventh in scoring with 1,256 points. He was named to the Reese’s Division III All-Star Game, becoming the program’s first all-star game selection. Merrill helped lead Skidmore to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances in 2012 and 2015.
Following graduation, he served as an assistant boys’ varsity basketball coach at the Vermont Academy under former Panther assistant coach Alex Popp. While there, Merrill was a part of the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) Class AA Coaching Staff of the Year. He helped lead the team to the school’s first NEPSAC Class AA Championship.
Merrill has been a part of the Springfield coaching staff for the past two winters. During his tenure, he helped guide the program to its first NCAA Final Four appearance in 2017-18 with a 22-9 record. Merrill also helped coach the 2016-17 d3hoops.com Rookie of the Year and 2017-18 d3hoops.com Second-Team All-American Jake Ross.
During the summer months, Merrill has been a coach for camps throughout the eastern half of the United States.
