When two creative minds unite into one group there is a sense of equanimity that exists amongst those two forces. And on the basketball court in north Peoria the creativity of two well-respected men is on display.
Coach Mark Wood and hall-of-fame assistant Jerry Connor have the Liberty Lions off to their best start in school history, a 7-0 opening highlighted by a 6-0 region record so far. But to Wood and Connor the goal isn’t to be just 7-0 on the court, it’s to be 1-0 every day off of it.
Wood for years on Friday’s both during the season and the off-season in June has his players attend a leadership course that he feels is important to be cohesive as a unit in game but to also enact positive change on campus and the city of Peoria as a whole.
“I live one mile from here. I want these young men to become leaders so that once they leave here, as men, as fathers, and as husbands they help make their communities better,” Wood said as he passionately discussed the importance these young men have on him.
“I want us to be a program that leads by example in how we conduct ourselves whether it be how we speak to officials, talk to other players, or even how we interact with others on campus,” Wood added
Connor added that he appreciates how Wood has an importance on building leaders and that in some ways he has learned from Wood. The words left a mark on Wood who was honored and humbled by Connor.
When asked about what has helped the Lions start off undefeated, Wood instantly praised the importance of adding Connor to the staff and having him take over the offense.
“Coach has made our offense more fast paced and has us shooting the ball better, I can’t praise him enough for the impact he has made on our team," Wood said.
Wood is right about Connor’s impact, The Lions have averaged 92 points per game so far.
The real question is how does a legend like Coach Connor end up on 97th & Deer Valley? According to Connor it was a matter of circumstance.
“After Horizon let me go, I believe I was still in the parking lot and coach Wood reached out and told me that I’ll always have a friend over here and told me he has my back," Connor said, expressing how important that was to him.
That is how after 16 years at Horizon with an unceremonious and controversial firing at the end. Connor headed over to Liberty to become the new offensive coach and it has led to instant success.
The tandem of Wood and Connor has the campus of 2,500 buzzing with young men who are spreading positivity, but who are also winning games. And at the end of the day the positive change that people are seeing stems from the men who are leading the program. Leaders of positive change, that’s what it means to be 1-0 everyday.
Liberty continues their season at Chaparral February 9th, at 7 p.m.
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