Growing up in Rockville Centre, N.Y., Kevin Connors was your typical sports-loving child.

He played basketball in his parents' basement with his siblings, taking joy in sinking a basket or throwing down a dunk with the nerf basketball.

But there was one difference between Connors and most children, however, when it came to his love of sports. In addition to dribbling, shooting and passing the basketball, Connors would actually provide play-by-play and commentary of the games as they were occurring, setting the stage for a decorated 20-year broadcasting career that currently has him working for ESPN as an anchor for the station's flagship program, SportsCenter.

Connors, a 1997 graduate of the Park School of Communications, is coming home to Ithaca as the emcee for the College's 46^th annual Athletics Hall of Fame induction ceremony, which occurs Friday night inside the Athletics and Events Center.  

"There is a tremendous amount of nostalgia whenever I return to Ithaca College. The campus is alive with memories," said Connors, who has returned to the South Hill three times since graduation but added that every time he sets foot on campus, memories of his undergraduate days come rushing back.

"Those were four of the most formative years of my life where I enjoyed great experiences and great friendships. To come back now and see how serious and dedicated those journalism students are to their craft, it's neat because that's how I treated my broadcasting opportunities on campus."

Connors, who played basketball for four years for the Bombers, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in television-radio from the Roy H. Park School of Communications.

Connors worked on ICTV's Gridiron Report during his senior year. He also served as a radio broadcaster for home football games on WICB.

On the court, Connors helped the men's basketball program to an overall record of 66-39 in four seasons. Connors appeared in 53 contests and amassed 100 points, 56 rebounds and 52 assists during his playing career.

He has worked at ESPN for the past seven years and previously held positions at WCBS-AM 880 and WCBS-TV in New York City for nearly two-and-a-half years. Connors' first job out of college was with WRNN-TV in the Hudson Valley, where he was employed for over seven years.

When Connors started at WRNN, he never envisioned that one day his broadcasting career would have him starring on SportsCenter, interviewing famous athletes like LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers), Rob Gronkowski (New England Patriots), and Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors).

Now that he has settled in as a recognizable face on the worldwide leader in sports, what advice does Connors have for aspiring broadcasters?

"There's no real blueprint for a career in television," said Connors, whose first job at WRNN lasted more than seven years when, according to the anchor, most first television jobs last between two and four years.

"Setting goals is very important. You have to have a goal to shoot for and learn how to attain that goal. A strong work ethic is essential. This is such a competitive industry and you have to have a passion for what you're doing. You need to outwork everyone else because very few things are given to you."

Connors lists Chris Berman, Marv Albert, Bob Costas and Len Berman as some of his broadcasting role models, a list that includes Ithaca's own Chris Wheatley, the manager of radio operations for WICB.

Connors said Wheatley and his other professors challenged and pushed him to develop his own unique broadcasting style, something that has served him well during his accomplished career.

"An enormous amount of my success is owed to the professors at Ithaca," Connors said. "I tell people all the time that while I have 18 professional years of broadcast experience, it's really 22 years because from the moment I was a freshman at Ithaca, I was engaged in extracurricular activities that propelled me in my career. Some of the fondest memories I have of college were walking down to Butterfield Stadium before a big football game, knowing that I was broadcasting a game that, to me, was like broadcasting the Rose Bowl."

Eight individuals and two teams will be enshrined into Ithaca's illustrious Hall of Fame during Alumni Weekend. The individual inductee and members of the two teams will sit down with Connors in a question-and-answer forum to talk about their athletic careers as student-athletes at Ithaca College.