Conley is dyslexic and failed to attain the minimum SAT entrance exam score to be eligible to play college basketball right after high school.[7] To try to help him qualify, he spent one year at a postgraduate school called Millersburg (Ky.) Military Institute, but Conley still fell short of his SAT requirement.[7] As a partial qualifier, he sat out one year at VMI but did not lose a year of eligibility.[7]
When Conley's college basketball career finally started in 2001, two full years after his high school graduation in 1999, he burst onto the national scene. As a freshman, Conley started all 28 games, averaged 29.3points, 8.0rebounds and 2.9steals per game while shooting 46.7% from the field and 81.8% from the free throw line.[8] He had some of his best games against top-tier competition: 24points against Kentucky, 25against Virginia and even 38against Villanova.[7]
Conley followed up an historical freshman campaign at VMI with a sophomore season that saw him transfer to Missouri after the first semester had ended.[3] At the time, Conley played in 10games and was averaging 22.2ppg with VMI.[8] Since he transferred midway through an academic year, he only had to sit out the spring semester at Missouri before he was eligible to suit up for the Tigers the following year.[3]
Missouri
As a junior in 2003–04, Conley was selected to the Big 12 Conference All-Newcomer and All-Reserve Teams.[3] He averaged 7.6points and 3.4rebounds in 18.2minutes per game,[8] and scored a season-high 24points in a win over Baylor.[3] As a senior in 2004–05, Conley's role on Missouri increased as he averaged 10.2points and 5.9rebounds in a career-high 33games played.[8] Although neither of his seasons at Missouri matched what he accomplished at Virginia Military Institute, he still finished his college basketball career with 1,567points and 557rebounds.[8]
Professional
The closest Conley came to making a National Basketball Association (NBA) roster was participating for the Atlanta Hawks' summer league team in 2005.[2] He was signed to play for Germany's Telekom Baskets Bonn in 2005, a team he stayed with through 2007–08.[1] He followed this with one-month stints for Finland's Porvoon Tarmo (February 2009) and Namika Lahti (March 2009).[1] In 2009–10, Conley signed with WBC Kraftwerk Wels of the Austrian A Bundesliga.[1][2]