McCONNELLSBURG, Pa. — The hometown of Phoenix Suns head coach Jordan Ott sits between two mountains in south central Pennsylvania. Given its population of 1,151, residents like to point out that more cows are living among them than people.

Downtown has two traffic lights, a McDonald’s and a strong sense of patriotism. Signs featuring the area’s service members are attached to light poles, veterans of America’s past conflicts and wars.

JLG Industries, a global manufacturer of aerial work platforms, and the Fulton County Medical Center are the borough’s biggest employers. But when a Giant supermarket opened two decades ago, a high school student explained to school officials that he was late to class that morning because he had been at the store’s grand opening, “making history.”

The Fulton Fall Folk Festival is an annual attraction with tractors, antique cars and apple butter. Schools close for the start of deer hunting season. Youth sports draw a crowd.

People say they love the feel of their blue-collar community. Everyone knows everyone, which is not always good. But if you need help, they know they can count on neighbors to respond. When a repairman rings the doorbell, it’s comforting to see a familiar face.

Ott, 40, is a 2003 graduate of McConnellsburg High School, where he competed in basketball, soccer and track and field. Although he forged his path after leaving home, working his way from student manager at Penn State to graduate assistant under Tom Izzo at Michigan State to NBA assistant coach, his journey began at McConnellsburg.

No other NBA head coach comes from a place so small, a fact not lost on the residents. “Isn’t it amazing?” high school secretary Nancy Shearer said one cold January morning.

The school’s front office has a “Boast Board” that showcases accomplishments and good deeds. A printout of the student of the month is attached. A newspaper article about the Fulton County Fair queen. And one report from last June: “Native Son Jordan Ott Named Head Coach of Phoenix Suns.”

A local product rising to such athletic heights is unusual, to say the least. Former high school athletic director Greg Hays said he sat in the school’s gymnasium for years waiting for someone to simply dunk the basketball, so one can imagine what it must be like for him to see Ott, his former student assistant, winning Western Conference Coach of the Month, as Ott did in January.

The area’s most accomplished sports figures are featured in “My Home is Fulton County, Pennsylvania,” a book found in the local library. It includes Tom Peck, a former stock car driver; Jeff Garber, an infielder who played in the minor leagues and worked in MLB development; and the 1990-91 McConnellsburg Lady Spartan basketball team that went undefeated and won a state championship.

Future editions will include Ott, who this summer will get inducted into the Fulton County Sports Hall of Fame, provided it can be arranged.

“We’re trying to schedule a date — believe it or not — that doesn’t interfere with the NBA Draft,” Hays said.

McConnellsburg High School produces graduating classes of about 70 students. As athletic director Kenny Welsh walks through the parking lot this day, he waves to school board member Jeff DeShong, who also drives a school bus. Inside, Shelly McMullen, a high school counselor, sets the 2003 yearbook on a table and turns to Ott’s senior bio.

It’s strange to see the Suns coach, then 17, dressed in a dark blazer with a matching tie (he is much more casual on the Phoenix bench), but what’s not surprising is how Ott answered the questions listed under his photo. He sounded like a coach even then.

Pet peeve: “People who are late.”
Last words: “Never settle for less than your best.”
Future plans: “After graduation I plan to earn a degree in sports management. In 10 years, I plan to be working in the front office of a professional sports team.”

That last quote comes up throughout the afternoon, how Ott predicted his path, even if he ended up calling plays instead of making trades. While Ott was a fine athlete, he is remembered more for his work ethic and competitive drive.

Math teacher Donnie Gordon, who coached Ott in track, recalled him one day after practice simply asking, “What can I do to get better?”

“I have a new line,” Gordon said. “Kids see the next 10 seconds instead of the next 10 years. And Jordan Ott could see the next 10 years. Matter of fact, you can make that 20. Because it’s taken him 20 years to get to where he’s at. But he didn’t quit on his dream.”

“We kind of always felt that whatever he chose to do, he was going to be super successful,’’ said Chris Mellott, a former teammate of Ott’s. “The thing that always impressed me about him, he was super competitive and driven. But at the same time, he was a down-to-earth person.”

(Note: There are actually two Chris Mellotts who live in this area. The Athletic initially contacted the wife of the wrong Chris Mellott. Alicia Mellott forwarded the number to the right Chris Mellott, then added: “I’d just like to share how proud this community is of Jordan.”)

Alongside players such as Royce O’Neale (left) and Dillon Brooks, Jordan Ott has Phoenix solidly in the Western Conference playoff picture. (Mark J. Rebilas / Imagn Images)

Those who know Ott best say the discipline and focus stem from his parents. John and Pam Ott live within walking distance of the high school and still attend basketball games. Their surname is common here. The Fulton County Historical Society has an “Ott” folder that includes letters from Otts around the country seeking information on ancestors who lived in the region. It also includes a photo under a newspaper headline that reads: “Ott Brothers Close Its Doors.”

For 84 years, “Ott Brothers Furniture & Appliance” was a community staple, a place residents could call and say, “Hey, I need to pick up a refrigerator.” Ott’s father was the third generation of Otts to run the business, which closed in 2017. According to the newspaper report, it was believed that every county resident over age 50 had done business with “Ott Brothers” at least once.

“Jordan actually worked (there) in the summers when he was growing up through middle school and high school,’’ said Emile Olsen, Ott’s younger sister. “He would help with the deliveries.”

When someone makes it big, it’s common for those who grew up with him to look for signs that suggest the person has changed. Folks here have followed Ott through NBA assistant-coaching stops in Atlanta, Brooklyn, Los Angeles and Cleveland. They watch Ott’s postgame news conferences with the Suns online. They see the same person. Measured and determined.

Last August, the school had an assembly for high school and middle school students that focused on positive behavior. Welsh and high school principal Terry Bard had hoped to have Ott talk to students via video call. Instead, Ott, in town for a family funeral, showed up in person. He talked to students for 30 minutes, took questions and stuck around to sign autographs.

“I was thinking it’d be like 15-20 minutes,’’ Bard, who has a basketball with Ott’s signature in his office, said of the autograph session. “There was a line down the hall, down the other hall. We knew he had to get back to Baltimore for a flight, but he said, ‘No, I’m good. I’m staying.’’’

In December, McConnellsburg residents bused two hours to Washington, D.C., to watch the Suns play the Wizards. In January, Josh Strait, a social studies teacher and former teammate of Ott’s, took his family to Philadelphia because his son needed tests at a children’s hospital. That night, they watched the Suns play the Sixers, sitting about 12 rows up from the Phoenix bench at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

“I think to myself, ‘There’s the kid I’ve known since I was 5 years old, roaming the sidelines,’” Strait said. “I’ve seen the looks. The anger. Because I played ball with him. I ran track with him. I’ve seen those looks before. So that never surprises me. But it was surreal to see him through my kids’ eyes. Wow, Dad knows an NBA coach. Wow, Dad, you’re friends with Coach Ott. To see that through their eyes was something.”

At a varsity basketball game, Drew Washabaugh, a close friend of Ott’s who attended his introductory news conference in Phoenix, watches his son Karson warming up while wearing a Suns T-shirt. Coach Josh Lowery has a set he calls “Phoenix,” where the point guard penetrates, reads the defense and dishes inside for a layup or kicks it outside for a 3. After the game, an easy win over a county rival, Lowery says he uses talented guard Hoyt Glenn how Ott uses star guard Devin Booker.

Through the Suns, Ott declined to be interviewed for this story. He preferred the focus remain on the team, especially during the season. Those who know him best are not surprised. Some even chuckle when they hear this. As Mellott, his former teammate, says, Ott will accomplish everything and take credit for nothing. More about work, less about glory.

It’s how he’s gotten to basketball’s highest level.

“It’s just kind of hard to grasp what all he has accomplished and where he is right now,’’ Hays, the former high school AD, said. “But I don’t doubt it. He’s so deserving, and he has not reached the top. When he got that head-coaching position, that was just the next highest step in the ladder. But I know Jordan. He’s probably working harder now than he ever has.”