All-Area Boys’ Volleyball Player of the Year: Burroughs’ Ludlum turned opportunity into success
In his first semester at Burroughs High as a freshman, Conner Ludlum played in the Indians football program.
Little did he know that taking a geometry class in the midst of his first high school year would change his athletic focus and set him on a path to success in a sport he never imagined.
The teacher in that math class was Joel Brinton, the boys’ volleyball coach and architect of a program he built from the ground up and transformed into a league and Southern Section powerhouse.
“When I took that geometry class my freshman year, that’s when I met coach Brinton,” Ludlum said. “He just kind of encouraged me to try out and just suggested that volleyball might be a good sport for me.
“After that, I tried out for the team and I was surprised that I made it on the freshman team.”
With no volleyball background or experience, Ludlum had to learn the sport completely.
“It was a little intimidating at first because I had to learn everything new,” Ludlum said. “But as I started playing, I found out it wasn’t anything that I couldn’t handle. I think I was able to pick it up pretty quickly.
“The program that we have at Burroughs in volleyball is definitely one of the better and most successful programs on campus. So with all the great players in the program at that time, it gave me a chance to explore my untapped potential in volleyball.”
Brinton remembers that initial conversation with Ludlum in that second-period class in what seems like a distant four years ago.
“We had talked about it and he really didn’t know much about volleyball,” Brinton said. “It was that conversation that started to get him going and got him interested in the possibility of playing. Then, just the kind of rapport that we started having as a teacher and student and me explaining to him about it kind of got him thinking that it could be a lot of fun.
“Like most freshmen, I think he was like ‘Wow, what did I just get myself into.’ He was a work in progress. But it started from there and he just progressed and he really took to the sport and became a very good player.”
In his third year on varsity this past season, Ludlum made an impact during his senior campaign. Although he was sidelined for the first three weeks of the season with an injury, the outside hitter stepped in to lead the Indians. Ludlum, the Pacific League co-Player of the Year, was a driving force in helping Burroughs capture an eighth straight Pacific League championship and perpetuate a league winning streak that swelled to 53 straight matches.
So with all the great players in the program at that time, it gave me a chance to explore my untapped potential in volleyball,” Ludlum said.
For those accomplishments, Ludlum was voted the All-Area Boys’ Volleyball Player of the Year by the sports staff of the Burbank Leader, Glendale News-Press and La Cañada Valley Sun.
With Ludlum sidelined, Burroughs struggled early in the season. Against some formidable competition, the Indians lost four of their first five matches.
With league play rapidly approaching, Burroughs looked to right the ship to defend its title.
“From his junior season to his senior season, Conner really stepped up and he wanted to be that player who impacted the game,” said Burroughs All-Area libero Skyler Bercini. “So to have to sit out and just watch and not be able to play was really hard for him. You could just tell he was itching to play. We were also struggling at that time without him and I know that bothered him.
“But once he got back in the lineup, we started doing better and you could see the kind of impact he had on our team. He is just a guy who always seems to give our team what it needs. ... His leadership really showed.”
With Ludlum back in the mix, Burroughs (17-14 overall) stormed through Pacific League play, going 10-0 and surrendering just three total games.
In its first season in CIF Southern Section Division I, Burroughs won its first-round match against Newbury Park in five games. The Indians saw their season come to an end in the second round with a three-game loss to Huntington Beach.
It was an uncharacteristically early postseason exit for Burroughs, which advanced to the CIF Southern Section Division II championship and won a CIF Southern California Division II championship in 2016.
“Although we lost in the second round, we were just excited about being in Division I and being able to compete against the very best teams,” Ludlum said. “It was a challenge, I think it was good for our program and it says a lot about how far we’ve come at Burroughs.
“It was a bummer that we got knocked out in the second round, but that doesn’t take anything away from what we were able to accomplish.”
Ludlum ended the season with 268 kills, 26 aces, 25.5 blocks, and 161 digs.
“For me, it was just a matter of trusting in the process and the program and believing in what the coaches were teaching me,” Ludlum said. “It’s just nice to see what all the hard work will eventually turn into.
“What really helped us as a team is that we were all on the same page and we were all working toward the same goals. We were all focused on what we wanted to accomplish.”
It’s with a sense of pride that Brinton looks back on Ludlum’s progression as a player the past four years. But the coach is quick to point out that it was only through a great deal of hard work, dedication and drive that Ludlum became a success.
“I see the maturity of him year after year, from the time he was a freshman to his three years on varsity, which was just great,” Brinton said. “Every year in this program, something different was asked of him and he stepped up. This year we needed him to be a leader and he did just that.
“I am just proud of the growth he showed every single year. He was able to change and grow and see what he had to do to help us and, as a team and a program, we were able to benefit from that. ... I think that says a lot.”
Twitter: @jefftsports
