Father’s belief in Conley’s skill proves to be no leap of faith

When it came to jumping, particularly horizontally, few could match him. But Mike Conley couldn’t do enough of the other things that a basketball player must do to play in the NBA. So he settled for being a gold medalist in the triple jump at the 1992 Olympics.

Mike Conley Jr. doesn’t have his father’s hops. But he has everything else one would want in an NBA point guard, and that’s why he, not his dad, will live the dream of playing at the highest level of basketball.

Last month, the Memphis Grizzlies drafted Conley with the fourth overall pick, and he was the first point guard selected. He had decided to leave Ohio State after his freshman year because his dad was convinced his kid would be a lottery pick. How high, he wasn’t sure, but he knew big money was waiting and the time had arrived to cash in.

“I enjoyed college, but when you’re a high lottery pick, you’ve got to go,” said Conley Jr., who had a good showing at the NBA Summer League, averaging 10.5 points and 5.0 assists for the Grizzlies, who finished 2-3 after losing to Minnesota 102-91 Saturday at Cox Pavilion. “I definitely feel like I did the right thing, given where I wound up.”

But as Conley Jr. embarks upon his life as a professional, his father will play a bigger role in guiding his son’s career.

Not just because he’s his father but because he represents his son’s financial and business interests. By being Conley Jr.’s agent, Conley Sr. gets to keep it all in the family. His kid doesn’t need to worry about some unscrupulous person ripping him off.

“It’s good and bad,” Conley Jr. said. “Sometimes he makes decisions as a father, and sometimes he makes decisions as an agent, and I can’t tell the difference.

“The bad thing is, say I want to buy something, a car or something, he may say no, even though it’s my money and, technically, he works for me. He’s in on every decision. But the good thing is he’ll always have my best interests at heart, and that’s more important.”

Conley Sr., who helped guide his son and a few other talented Indianapolis area athletes through their formative basketball years, coached the Spiece Indy Heat AAU team — a team with Conley Jr., Greg Oden, Daequan Cook and Josh McRoberts that won The Big Time tournament in Las Vegas in 2004 and 2005.

“That was so much fun,” Conley Jr. said, reflecting on the battles he and Oden had against the likes of O.J. Mayo and Bill Walker of the D-1 Greyhounds at Foothill High School. “We had great talent there, and my dad did a great job of bringing us together as a team.”

It helped prepare Conley for college and, ultimately, the pros. He learned to play against top-flight competition, deal with pressure and adjust his game to blend in with other talented players.

“It’s like night and day,” Conley said of the summer league compared to college. “The speed of the game. It’s a lot of hard work. I know it’s complex at this level, but I like to think the game a lot, so I’m looking forward to that part.

“It’s also a business now, so you have to get used to that.”

First-year Grizzlies coach Marc Iavaroni said Conley is adjusting nicely.

“He’s a quality kid,” Iavaroni said of the 6-foot-1-inch Conley. “He wants to win, and he works well with others. But we’re taking it slow with him. He got his feet wet here, and he was very unselfish.

“The one thing I saw of him that I probably didn’t realize was how well he sees the floor and gets the other guys involved. All in all, he had a good week here. He’s off to a good start.”

Part of that start is establishing his identity.

“I love my dad and everything he’s done, but I want to have my own life,” Conley said. “We’ve always been close.

“But I feel like I’m starting to be Mike Conley the basketball player and not as much Mike Conley Sr.’s son.”