Alex O'Connell
Duke Transfer Alex O'Connell Joins Men's Basketball Program
4/15/2020 10:02:00 AM | Men's Basketball
O'Connell will have one season of eligibility remaining.
OMAHA, Neb. – The Creighton men's basketball program has added Duke transfer Alex O'Connell. A 6'6 guard from Roswell, Ga., O'Connell will sit out the 2020-21 season and have one year of eligibility remaining.
"We are elated to add Alex to our program," said Creighton head coach Greg McDermott. "His combination of size, skill and athletic ability is a perfect fit for our system. After sitting out a year with a focus on development, he will fill a vital role on our team."
O'Connell played in 101 games at Duke over the previous three seasons, including 14 starts. During that time O'Connell contributed 431 points and 182 rebounds while draining 73 three-pointers.
O'Connell averaged career-highs with 5.2 points and 2.2 rebounds per game in the recently-completed 2019-20 campaign, starting six times for a Duke team that went 25-6 and finished 11th in the final Associated Press poll.
As a sophomore, O'Connell had 16 points in place of Cam Reddish (illness) against Syracuse. He also started five straight games in place of National Player of the Year Zion Williamson, including a 20-point performance in a road win at Syracuse. He made seven starts in 2018-19, averaging 4.4 points and 1.9 rebounds in 36 games overall.
He shot 48.9 percent from three-point range as a freshman on 45 attempts from long-range, starting once in 36 appearances, and averaging 3.3 points per contest.
O'Connell had a decorated prep career at Milton High School, where he was a top-100 recruit per Rivals.com (No. 55), Scout.com (No. 66) and ESPN.com (No. 85). He was named Atlanta/North Fulton Player of the Year and Class 7A Region 5 Player of the Year as a senior in 2017.
O'Connell joins incoming freshmen Ryan Kalkbrenner (St. Louis, Mo.) and walk-on Sami Osmani (Oak Lawn, Ill.) as newcomers for the 2020-21 squad.
Creighton finished the season 24-7 and earned a share of its first BIG EAST regular-season title on March 7 in win vs. No. 8 Seton Hall. The Bluejays were ranked No. 7 in the year-end Associated Press poll.
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