Four years of change for Conroy

Washington men's basketball coach Lorenzo Romar hasn't always been enamored with his starting senior point guard Will Conroy.

While coaching at St. Louis, Romar first caught a glimpse of Conroy at a Nike All-American Camp. But, instead of pursuing the Garfield High School hoops star, Romar was too busy watching Conroy's teammate and backup Travis Diener, now with Marquette.

The next year, Romar would compete against Conroy -- then a freshman with the Huskies -- when Washington traveled to face St. Louis in December of 2001. Needless to say, Conroy didn't impress.

Conroy, who played 13 minutes per game in his first season, had a chance to show off his athleticism when he faced a breakaway dunk.

"It would have been my first collegiate dunk," he said.

After going airborne, however, Conroy decided instead to do a lay-in, but, in the process, lost control of the ball missing the easy two-point shot.

"It just so happens that we lost the game by one point," Conroy added, recalling the 71-70 loss.

Losing was a common occurrence that season for the Huskies. For the final seven games, Conroy worked his way into the starting role on a team that finished 11-18.

The following year, Romar arrived at the UW to help turn the program back around, and, despite his previous first impressions, the new coach took immediate notice of Conroy upon his arrival to the Seattle campus.

"When we got here, we saw someone that was obsessed, not with just the game, but obsessed with being good," Romar said. "He was just an extremely hard worker."

Conroy's passion is evident. In practice, his voice echoes around the arena as the point guard barks commands to his teammates from his vantage point in the backcourt.

Today, Conroy is a captain of a 22-4 Husky squad, with a legitimate opportunity to drive deep into the NCAA Tournament. On an individual level, Conroy recently picked up his 1,000th collegiate point, and is now eyeing some bigger marks.

After last night's win over Arizona State, Conroy has picked up seven assists, and needs just two more to break Chester Dorsey's UW single-season assists record of 163 in 1976. Conroy is also nine off of Dorsey's career mark of 466.

With a number of games remaining in the season, Conroy's impression on the UW program will undoubtedly be branded into the history books.

"I don't really like to talk about the records too much with these big games coming up," Conroy said, referring to tomorrow's contest with No. 9 Arizona and the remaining Pac-10 games.

Moments later, Conroy spouted off the number of assists he needs for the record, making sure his teammates, who sat in earshot, knew the tally.

"I'm just saying what people tell me," he said with a smile.

Conroy said that he has only recently gained recognition. Four years ago, Conroy entertained scholarship offers from the likes of Pittsburgh, Xavier and UTEP, before deciding that family was more important.

"I was a mama's boy, I just wanted to stay here and play for all the people at home," Conroy said.

While his mom is a fixture in the stands at every game, Conroy and his teammates have also fostered a close kinship. On Wednesday, a few players gathered at junior Nate Robinson's house for a weekly dinner -- this week, the team family gorged on lasagna and spaghetti.

"We've built a family around here," said Conroy, who goes by "C-Dub" amongst his peers. "We always eat together and go to each other's houses. They have the pieces here this year that will keep this team together next year. This place will be just fine for bonding and keeping the team concept."

Conroy also admitted that he will be lacking another part of his extended family -- Washington's student section, the Dawg Pack. Dubbed his "second family," Conroy said he hopes tomorrow won't be the last time he will play in front of his enamored fans.

"I know they're coming to the Pac-10 tourney for me," he said, pleading a little. "They have to."

Conroy and the student section are in constant dialogue -- barking back and forth, gesturing at one another and keeping a relationship on and off the court.

"I've been here in the past when the seats haven't been filled," Conroy said, eyeing the seats around the arena. "And now I've been here when they are filled."

Conroy said that is how he hopes to be remembered -- a local hoopster who stuck around Seattle to help change UW basketball; or, in his words, someone who helped "show how special it is to play basketball at the University of Washington."

Tomorrow, Conroy will play his last home game for the "special" program he helped re-establish.

"I'm going to be emotional," Conroy said. "I love this place."