News Detail

Basketball’s Connor Fitzgerald Commits to Pomona College

4/18/2023

When Connor Fitzgerald was in sixth grade, he told his father he wanted to play college basketball. The dream has come true with his commitment to play and attend college at Pomona.

“I am super excited,” said Fitzgerald. “I told my Dad when I was in the sixth grade I wanted to play college basketball. He responded that I better start working. It definitely has been a long process to have this opportunity. I am excited to be able to keep playing.”

Fitzgerald will play for Coach Charles Katsiaficus. He has led the Sagehens to 12 Regular Season SCIAC Championships (4 SCIAC Tournament Championships), and 13 berths in the NCAA Division III Tournament, including the deepest run in program history in 2020 when the Sagehens advanced to the Sweet Sixteen and had their tournament run cut short due to the COVID-19 outbreak. He went over the 500-win mark for his career in 2019-2020 with a road win at Cal Lutheran and currently has 512 wins in his 33 seasons with the Sagehens.

“Academics was my first priority,” said Fitzgerald. “I have taken a lot of AP and honors classes at Brophy. I pride myself on the books over sports. I thought Pomona fit the combination of both basketball and academics. It is a strict academic environment but still a great competitive basketball school for its level. I thought it all came together. It is also in Southern California, a great place to be.”

He will major in economics with a finance minor. Pomona-Pitzer Men's Basketball has established itself as one of the nation's premier NCAA Division III programs. Since 1986 the Sagehens have made eleven trips to the NCAA National Tournament and captured eleven Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Championships.

“What is unique about my journey is that I tore my ACL my senior year,” said Fitzgerald “Coach Katsiaficus was super supportive, more than any other coach, when he found out I tore my ACL. He really stepped in and told me my season was over but my basketball career was not. He said, “We would love to have you. If you are not healthy by freshman year, it is fine. We have the trainers and facilities to get you back. We like you as a person and a player.”

Fitzgerald entered his senior year as a starter for the Broncos but went down early in the season against Millenium.

“I feel lucky to be able to do what I do,” said Fitzgerald. “Seeing the younger guys play and being able to step back senior year and see them have fun and learn about the game, was really special. It was a cool experience to see it from the outside and a different position.”

Fitzgerald’s academic resume is impressive, preparing him for Pomona-Pitzer, including 17 honors and AP classes. He helped to found the Brophy Research Journal, was a member of the STEM and Family to Family clubs, and served in a leadership role with the Phoenix Altruism club.

His favorite Brophy memories include taking the El Salvador trip for two weeks in Central America last summer and the Kairos retreat. His only regret is not playing freshman football.

“In the last four years, Connor Fitzgerald established himself as an accomplished shooter and scorer who was capable of devastating opposing defenses,” said Head Coach Matt Hooten. “Beyond his ability to stretch the floor, Connor brought a competitive spirit and even-keeled demeanor that were equally important to our team’s success. In addition to his many accomplishments on the court, Connor has also been a terrific example of a scholar-athlete as he worked his way to a 4.35 weighted GPA while tackling a rigorous academic schedule that included 10 Honors and 7 AP courses. That blend of exceptional player and student fits perfectly at Pomona College, and we are eager to follow the next stage of Connor’s basketball career in Southern California. Go Sagehens—chirp, chirp!”

He will participate in the Brophy Signing Day Celebration on Wednesday, April 19 at 7:10 in the Robson Gymnasium.