The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Longhorns spotlight: Connor Atchley
01.13.2007 | Men's Basketball
Connor Atchley came to The University of Texas a pretty confident person. As a prep basketball standout and solid student at Clear Lake High School, he had every reason to be.
Since arriving at Texas, Atchley has found similar success. Last season he was named to the Academic All-Big 12 Second Team after earning a spot on the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll.
Atchley is in his element on the court as well. The redshirt sophomore forward has started four games this season and is averaging around 17 minutes, six points and four rebounds a game for the Longhorns.
But, there is one situation where he finds himself a little nervous.
No, it's not Gallagher-Iba Arena or Allen Fieldhouse or even his business final. Most often it's when he's surrounded by a bunch of hearing-impaired grade-schoolers.
Atchley finds himself in this situation often because the degree requirements for his corporate communications major include 16 hours of foreign language study.
To fulfill this requirement, Atchley decided to study American Sign Language (ASL). He quickly discovered that he had a lot of hard work ahead.
"There's no talking in class, but we usually go slow enough to follow everything," Atchley noted. "Outside of class though, you get a little lost sometimes. The kids sign fast enough that it's hard to keep up. It has definitely made me a little nervous at times."
In addition to his regular class work, Atchley spends time each semester volunteering for various events in the deaf community. His extracurricular work includes after-school day care at a local church and other community events, including a recent convention highlighting consumer items for the hearing impaired.
"The sign language classes teach us a lot, but getting out in the deaf community is an eye-opening experience," Atchley said. "In the end, though, you realize you're learning so much from the kids that you might be taking as much from the events as the kids are."
The events have also allowed Atchley and his fellow students to give something back to the Austin community. He emphasized that the time they spent out in the community was really a reflection of how much The University prides itself in supporting the city.
"Being out in the community is important because it's about more than just basketball," Atchley said. "It's not just a reflection of yourself, but it's representative of your school as well."
Additionally, the benefits to Atchley from this program have proven to be numerous.
He had always thought that the time outside of the classroom would allow his class to gain a better understanding of the deaf community. What surprised him was how much he actually learned from the kids on his visits.
"One major surprise was how observant the kids were," Atchley said. "They noticed little details that would usually slip by me."
He also recognized the strong community presence among those that he met during the events.
With fellow teammate J.D. Lewis also taking ASL courses, Atchley added that their studies had spilled onto the practice floor, with Atchley signing in inbounds instructions to J.D. last season.
While he doesn't think that their impromptu inbounds plays will make it into the game plan, Atchley knows that there is plenty to be taken from his volunteer experiences. Hard work, a strong community bond and plenty of communication are a few of the traits that he experienced firsthand through his work with the deaf community.
There is little doubt that Atchley will put those lessons to good use, both on and off the court this year.
