Photo by: Steve Woltmann
O'Connell Stays Busy In Dunk Contest; 3-Point Shootout
3/31/2022 9:55:00 PM | Men's Basketball
O'Connell ties for second in first round of dunk contest, take third in 3-point shootout
NEW ORLEANS, La. -- Alex O'Connell's last night in a Creighton uniform saw him finish third in the TaxAct Men's 3-Point Championship and tie for second in the first round of the Great Clips Slam Dunk Championship on Thursday evening at the 33rd annual State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships. The competition, hosted at Xavier University Louisiana's Convention Center, was televised live on ESPN.
O'Connell competed in the Applebee's Team Shootout to start the night, but his team did not hit the four baskets (lay-up, free throw, three-pointer, half-court shot) within the 24.3 seconds of the alternate shot format to win the event.
After a commercial break, O'Connell was the fourth contestant in the dunk contest. Upon being given the go-ahead, the Bluejay senior took the ball and headed to the right corner. He then threw the ball up and let it bounce off the floor, grabbing it and spinning in mid-air before throwing down a windmill slam. He missed his first two tries before converting on his third attempt, earning a score of 36. O'Connell was part of a four-way tie for second place after the opening round, yet that wasn't enough for him to advance to the four-person finals for reasons that were never fully explained on the broadcast.
The Georgia native was just the second Bluejay to ever participate in the dunk contest, joining 1999 contestant Rodney Buford.
In the 3-point contest, O'Connell had 17 of a possible 30 in the first round. He made 14 shots, including three money balls (worth two each), to earn the second best score among the eight-man field. Only Rice's Carl Pierre (19) was better. The marksmanship made O'Connell Creighton's first semifinalist in the event since Kyle Korver in 2003.
That advanced O'Connell to the semi's, where he actually made one more shot (15), but one less moneyball (2) to own an identical score of 17. That kept him just outside the top two spots to reach the final, as Iowa's Jordan Bohannon (20) and Brad Davison (19) were the duo that advanced. In the final, Bohannon edged Davison, 18-17, to claim the title.
Former Bluejay Davion Mintz, who finished his career with two seasons at the University of Kentucky, was part of a four-way tie with a first round score of 15 but did not advance to the semifinals.
O'Connell was the fifth active Creighton player to take part in the men's three-point contest. and first since 2018. Kyle Korver finished second in the 2003 competition to Butler guard Darnell Archey, while Booker Woodfox did not advance to the semifinals in the 2009 competition won by Miami's Jack McClinton. Ethan Wragge placed fifth in the 2014 competition won by Baylor's Brady Heslip. Most recently, Marcus Foster didn't advance out of the quarterfinal round in the 2018 shootout, won by Connor Burchfield from William and Mary. Notably, Creighton Athletics Hall of Famer Kathy Halligan won the 1992 women's three-point contest.
O'Connell became the first man to be in the 3-point contest and Slam Dunk Contest in the same year since 1997, and 4th person ever, joining Larry Davis (South Carolina in 1997), Kendall Gill (Illinois in 1990) and Milt Newton (Kansas in 1989).
O'Connell averaged 11.8 points per game as a senior in 2021-22 for a Creighton team that went 23-12 and reached the Second Round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament. He made a career-high 66 three-pointers this past season and owns 152 career trifectas. O'Connell made a career-high six three-pointers on Jan. 19 in a win vs. St. John's, which also saw him accumulate a career-best 28 points. He also used his 41" max vertical leap to finish his Bluejay career with 21 dunks.
O'Connell isn't the only Bluejay staying busy in New Orleans this weekend, as Ryan Hawkins will participate in the 2022 Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship, beginning on Friday. Hawkins is part of a team with UConn's RJ Cole and Tyrese Martin, as well as George Mason's D'Shawn Schwartz, to play on a team called the Beast Coast Ballers. They'll play at 7 p.m., 8:20 p.m. and 9:20 p.m. on Friday in games that will air exclusively on the @3x3UHoops Twitter page.
O'Connell competed in the Applebee's Team Shootout to start the night, but his team did not hit the four baskets (lay-up, free throw, three-pointer, half-court shot) within the 24.3 seconds of the alternate shot format to win the event.
After a commercial break, O'Connell was the fourth contestant in the dunk contest. Upon being given the go-ahead, the Bluejay senior took the ball and headed to the right corner. He then threw the ball up and let it bounce off the floor, grabbing it and spinning in mid-air before throwing down a windmill slam. He missed his first two tries before converting on his third attempt, earning a score of 36. O'Connell was part of a four-way tie for second place after the opening round, yet that wasn't enough for him to advance to the four-person finals for reasons that were never fully explained on the broadcast.
The Georgia native was just the second Bluejay to ever participate in the dunk contest, joining 1999 contestant Rodney Buford.
In the 3-point contest, O'Connell had 17 of a possible 30 in the first round. He made 14 shots, including three money balls (worth two each), to earn the second best score among the eight-man field. Only Rice's Carl Pierre (19) was better. The marksmanship made O'Connell Creighton's first semifinalist in the event since Kyle Korver in 2003.
That advanced O'Connell to the semi's, where he actually made one more shot (15), but one less moneyball (2) to own an identical score of 17. That kept him just outside the top two spots to reach the final, as Iowa's Jordan Bohannon (20) and Brad Davison (19) were the duo that advanced. In the final, Bohannon edged Davison, 18-17, to claim the title.
Former Bluejay Davion Mintz, who finished his career with two seasons at the University of Kentucky, was part of a four-way tie with a first round score of 15 but did not advance to the semifinals.
O'Connell was the fifth active Creighton player to take part in the men's three-point contest. and first since 2018. Kyle Korver finished second in the 2003 competition to Butler guard Darnell Archey, while Booker Woodfox did not advance to the semifinals in the 2009 competition won by Miami's Jack McClinton. Ethan Wragge placed fifth in the 2014 competition won by Baylor's Brady Heslip. Most recently, Marcus Foster didn't advance out of the quarterfinal round in the 2018 shootout, won by Connor Burchfield from William and Mary. Notably, Creighton Athletics Hall of Famer Kathy Halligan won the 1992 women's three-point contest.
O'Connell became the first man to be in the 3-point contest and Slam Dunk Contest in the same year since 1997, and 4th person ever, joining Larry Davis (South Carolina in 1997), Kendall Gill (Illinois in 1990) and Milt Newton (Kansas in 1989).
O'Connell averaged 11.8 points per game as a senior in 2021-22 for a Creighton team that went 23-12 and reached the Second Round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament. He made a career-high 66 three-pointers this past season and owns 152 career trifectas. O'Connell made a career-high six three-pointers on Jan. 19 in a win vs. St. John's, which also saw him accumulate a career-best 28 points. He also used his 41" max vertical leap to finish his Bluejay career with 21 dunks.
O'Connell isn't the only Bluejay staying busy in New Orleans this weekend, as Ryan Hawkins will participate in the 2022 Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship, beginning on Friday. Hawkins is part of a team with UConn's RJ Cole and Tyrese Martin, as well as George Mason's D'Shawn Schwartz, to play on a team called the Beast Coast Ballers. They'll play at 7 p.m., 8:20 p.m. and 9:20 p.m. on Friday in games that will air exclusively on the @3x3UHoops Twitter page.
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