Building Championship Culture at Deerfield with Coach Connor Merrill

PREP Athletics Basketball Podcast

We're excited to bring you our latest episode featuring Connor Merrill, Head Basketball Coach at Deerfield Academy, where we dive deep into the world of prep school basketball and player development. From Coach Merrill's own journey as a post-grad at Vermont Academy to his coaching stops at Springfield College and Middlebury, we explore what makes Deerfield's program unique in NEPSAC Class A. Our conversation covers everything aspiring student-athletes need to know - from reclassing benefits to college placement strategies - plus we get some fascinating insights about The Holdovers movie filmed on campus and what it really takes for guards to make it at the D1 level.
📌 Key Topics:
✅ Connor Merrill's journey from Vermont Academy post-grad to becoming Deerfield Academy's head coach
✅ Deerfield Academy's prestigious academic standing (12-13% acceptance rate) and competitive Class A basketball program
✅ The differences between NEPSAC divisions (AAA, AA, A) and finding the right fit versus focusing on division classification
✅ College placement process and coach's active role in student recruitment
🗒️ About Connor:
Connor Merrill has served as the head boys varsity basketball coach at Deerfield Academy since summer 2022, bringing extensive experience in both prep school and collegiate basketball. His journey began as a post-graduate student at Vermont Academy, where he later returned as an assistant coach, working with future NBA talents like Bruce Brown and Marcus Santos Silva. During his collegiate playing career at Skidmore College, Merrill was part of historically successful teams that made two NCAA tournament appearances and won two Liberty League championships. His coaching career includes six years at the collegiate level, serving as the top assistant men’s basketball coach at Middlebury College for four years and as a graduate assistant at Springfield College for two years. Under his leadership at Deerfield, Merrill has focused on building a championship culture while maintaining the school’s prestigious academic standards.
🔗 Connect with Connor:

Email | [e-mail]
Twitter | https://x.com/connormerrill33
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/cmerrill33/?hl=en
Twitter | https://x.com/DeerfieldHoops
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/deerfieldbasketball/

🔗 Connect with Cory:

Website | https://www.prepathletics.com
Twitter | https://twitter.com/PREP_Athletics
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/prep.athletics/
Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/PrepAthletics
Email | [e-mail]
Phone | 859-317-1166
🔖 Subscribe to the PREP Athletics Podcast:

iTunes | https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/prep-athletics-podcast/id1546265809?uo=4
Spotify | https://open.spotify.com/show/6CAKbXFiIOhoHinzsReYbJ
Amazon | https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/3c37179d-3371-47f9-9d97-fd569e8802a7/prep-athletics-basketball-podcast #AmazonMusic

Chương

1. The Journey to Vermont Academy (00:00:00)

2. Transformative Experience at Vermont Academy (00:04:37)

3. Choosing Skidmore College (00:07:25)

4. Coaching Journey and Lessons Learned (00:10:04)

5. The Deerfield Experience (00:13:04)

6. Recruiting Philosophy and Player Placement (00:15:40)

7. Understanding Prep School Basketball Levels (00:18:16)

8. The Future of Prep School Basketball (00:21:19)

9. Reclassing vs. Post-Grad Decisions (00:24:06)

10. Keys to Playing Guard at the D1 Level (00:26:45)

11. Quick Hitters and Personal Insights (00:29:19)