2021-22 Men's Basketball Roster
Roster
O'Connell, Alex
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Jersey Number 5
Alex O'Connell
- Position:
- Guard
- Height:
- 6-6
- Weight:
- 185
- Class:
- Senior
- Hometown:
- Roswell, Ga.
- High School:
- Milton
Bio
Alex O'Connell Bio (PDF - last updated June 23, 2022)
2021-22: Senior at Creighton
• Larry V. and Linda J. Pearson Family Starting Guard Endowed Scholarship recipient
• Fourth man ever to participate in both the College Slam Dunk Contest and 3-Point Shootout at the Final Four, joining Milt Newton (Kansas, 1989), Kendall Gill (Illinois, 1990) and Larry Davis (South Carolina 1997).
• Owned 21 dunks as a senior and boasts a max vertical jump of 41 inches.
• Creighton’s second College Slam dunk contestant ever, joining Rodney Buford in 1999.
• Creighton’s sixth 3-Point contestant ever, joining men’s participants Marcus Foster (2018), Ethan Wragge (2014), Booker Woodfox (2009), Kyle Korver (2003) and women’s winner Kathy Halligan (1992).
• Fifth-year senior who played his first three seasons at Duke (2017-20) before transferring to Creighton prior to last season.
• Helped Creighton to Sweet 16 last season and Second Round this year.
• BIG EAST ranks: 10th in 3FG/game; 15th in defensive rebounds/game; 22nd in points/game.
• Ranked eighth in the BIG EAST in three-pointers per game during league contests.
• Had 7 or more points in 3-of-24 games played last year, but did it in 29-of-35 games this senior.
• Scored in double-figures 23 times this year after doing so just 16 times (in 125 games) in his first four years of college.
• Owned 11 or more points in seven straight games from Dec. 11-Jan. 19.
• Scored 17 of his 20 points after halftime in season-opening win vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Nov. 9), including his first three dunks as a Bluejay.
• Also led CU in scoring with 13 points vs. Kennesaw State (Nov. 11).
• Had 13 points in win at Nebraska (Nov. 16) while grabbing nine rebounds in 36 minutes.
• Scored 15 points in neutral site win vs. No. 24 BYU (Dec. 11).
• Had 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting in 79-59 win vs. No. 9 Villanova (Dec. 17).
• Scored 17 points in win at Marquette (Jan. 1), including buzzer-beating three-pointer to force double-overtime.
• Led CU with 13 points at No. 19 Villanova (Jan. 5).
• Scored then-career-high 22 points on 7-of-10 FG at No. 17 Xavier (Jan. 15).
• Had career-high 28 points, including 6-9 three-pointers, in win vs. St. John’s (Jan. 19).
• Scored 19 of 27 points in first half vs. Georgetown (Feb. 14), matching his career-high with five assists.
• Scored 13 points and tied career-high with five assists despite missing finish of win vs. Marquette due to injury (Feb. 20).
• Collected nine rebounds and had team-high four assists in win vs. No. 18 UConn (March 2).
• Owned nine points and nine rebounds in BIG EAST Tournament quarterfinal round win vs. Marquette (March 10).
• Led CU with 18 points, including 4-of-6 from three-point range, in 85-58 win vs. No. 11 Providence in BIG EAST Tournament semifinals (March 11).
• Closed his career with 15 points and eight rebounds vs. San Diego State (March 17) before pumping in 16 points vs. No. 3 Kansas (March 19).
• Averaged 3.4 points and 2.2 rebounds in 9.7 minutes per game in 24 appearances off the bench last season.
• Made 14 starts in three seasons at Duke, including five starts when Zion Williamson was hurt in 2018-19 and later in the season in the 2019 Elite Eight and Sweet 16.
• Was the No. 55 recruit per Rivals coming out of high school.
2020-21: Senior at Creighton
• Averaged 3.4 points and 2.2 rebounds while playing 9.7 minutes per contest in 24 games off the bench.
• An NCAA vote on Dec. 16 made him eligible immediately, and he would generate six points and two rebounds in his Bluejay debut a day later vs. St. John’s (Dec. 17).
• Creighton was 18-7 after he became eligible, including one game he missed due to injury.
• Had breakout game vs. St. John’s (Jan. 9), making 6-of-7 shots to score 16 points after entering the contest with 18 points in his first five games as a Bluejay.
• Had four points and five rebounds in win vs. No. 22 Xavier (Dec. 23).
• Scored six points in 13 minutes vs. Seton Hall (Jan. 6).
• Made back-to-back three-pointers to start 13-2 run to end first half of road win at Marquette (Feb. 6).
• Contributed 10 points in 13 minutes of win vs. DePaul, making 4-of-6 shots.
• Had six points, three assists and two rebounds in just 10 minutes of work vs. Butler (March 11) in BIG EAST Tournament quarterfinals.
• Grabbed career-high eight rebounds in just 10 minutes of BIG EAST Tournament semifinal win vs. Connecticut (March 12).
• Scored 11 points in a season-high 21 minutes off the bench in BIG EAST Tournament title game vs. Georgetown (March 13).
2019-20: Junior at Duke
• Appeared in 29 games with six starts during his junior season at Duke, averaging career-highs with 5.2 points and 2.2 rebounds per game.
• Notched a career-high three steals to go with nine points in the win over No. 3 Kansas (Nov. 5).
• Shot 3-of-6 from three-point range and finished with 14 points and a season-high six rebounds against Colorado State (Nov. 8).
• Netted seven points and grabbed five boards in the ACC opener at Virginia Tech (Dec. 6).
• Scored 14 points, including 12 on 4-of-5 shooting in the second half, and added four rebounds against Brown (Dec. 28).
• Scored nine points on 4-of-6 shooting at Georgia Tech (Jan. 8).
• Contributed 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting with three assists in 15 minutes off the bench at Syracuse (Feb. 1).
• Went 5-of-12 from the field for 12 points to go with five rebounds and a career high-tying three assists against Notre Dame (Feb. 15).
2018-19: Sophomore at Duke
• Played in 36 games and made seven starts, averaging 14.0 minutes per game overall.
• Averaged 4.4 points and 1.9 rebounds per game while shooting 44.7 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from downtown.
• Scored nine points on 3-of-4 shooting from three-point range with three rebounds in a Champions Classic win over No. 2 Kentucky (Nov. 6).
• Logged eight points, three boards and three steals in 21 minutes against Eastern Michigan (Nov. 14).
• Recorded his first of five double-digit scoring efforts for the season with 13 points in the Stetson win (Dec. 1).
• Played 34 minutes against Syracuse at Cameron Indoor (Jan. 14) with 16 points, three assists, three boards and two steals – his performance came with Cam Reddish out and Tre Jones injured in the opening minutes.
• Earned his first of five consecutive starts – in the absence of National Player of the Year Zion Williamson – in a key road win at Syracuse (Feb. 23) with a career-high 20 points and five rebounds on 5-of-8 shooting from three-point range.
• Played 30 minutes in Miami win (March 2) with 11 points on 5-of-8 from the field and four rebounds.
• Scored seven points with a pair of rebounds in win over North Dakota State (March 22) in the NCAA First Round.
• Learned he would start just minutes before win over No. 16 Virginia Tech (March 29) in the Sweet 16 with Reddish out and delivered a career-high 35 minutes with four points, two assists and a career high seven boards.
• Also started Duke’s Elite Eight game vs. Michigan State (March 31).
Summer 2018: Canada Trip with Duke
• Suffered an eye injury in the opening game of the Duke Canada Tour and missed the remainder of the tour.
2017-18: Freshman at Duke
• Averaged 3.3 points and 1.4 rebounds, while playing 10.4 minutes per contest.
• Played in 36 games and earned his first career start late in the season at Georgia Tech (Feb. 11).
• Made 22 of his 45 attempts from three-point range, which equated to a team-best 48.9 percent.
• Played 13 minutes in his Duke debut against Elon in the season opener (Nov. 10), scoring eight points and making both of his three-point attempts.
• Scored 10 points, which included 4-of-5 from the field and 2-of-3 from three-point range against Furman (Nov. 20).
• Followed that with nine points against Portland State in the opening round of the PK80 in Portland (Nov. 23).
• Played 29 minutes against Texas in the PK80 (Nov. 24) and posted six rebounds.
• Notched 13 points in 15 minutes of action against Wake Forest (Jan. 13).
• Followed that 10 days later at Wake Forest (Jan. 23) by hitting 3-of-3 from the field for seven points and two steals.
• Poured in 11 points on 4-of-8 from the field and 3-of-5 from distance at North Carolina (Feb. 8).
• Made his first career start at Georgia Tech (Feb. 11), playing 22 minutes with three points, four rebounds, two assists and one blocked shot.
Milton High School
• Ranked No. 85 overall and No. 20 among shooting guards in the 2017 high school class by ESPN.
• Rated No. 55 overall by Rivals.com and No. 66 by Scout.com.
• Named Atlanta/North Fulton Player of the Year and Class 7A Region 5 Player of the Year as a senior in 2017.
• Claimed Second Team All-Metro Atlanta and Second Team Class 7A All-State accolades following his senior season Earned All-Class 7A South honors and was named to the North Senior Boys All-Star Team by the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association in 2017.
• Invited to the 2016 NBPA Top 100 Camp, where he averaged
9.5 points per game.
• Averaged 14.1 points per game for Team United on the EYBL circuit in 2016.
• Scored 22.1 points per game for Milton on his way to Georgia Class 6A All-State honors as a junior in 2016.
• High school coach was Matt Kramer.
Year Senior
Position Guard
Height 6-6
Weight 185
Wingspan 6’4”
Max Vertical 41”
Major Sociology
Instagram @Alex_OC15
Twitter @Alex_OC11
Awards & Honors
2020-21 BIG EAST All-Academic Team
Personal
• Son of David and Crystal O’Connell.
• Father played basketball at Duke from 1973-76.
• Has two brothers, Shawn and Brady.
• Brother Shawn played basketball at Georgia Southern and UNC Wilmington, while Brady plays for Old Dominion.
• Nicknames are AO or AOC.
• Favorite BIG EAST city is New York City.
• Non-BIG EAST team he’d like to play is Duke.
• Loves the BIG EAST because of the great competition and high-level players.
• Favorite meal is fried chicken with mac & cheese with candied yams.
• Dream dinner guests would be Kobe Bryant, Larry Bird and Michael Jackson.
• Lists the Atlanta Hawks as his favorite pro team.
• Favorite board game as a kid was Candy Land.
• If he could live anywhere, he’d choose to be on a private island.
• Favorite thing to do with dad is talk basketball.
• Biggest sports thrill he’s participated in are the NCAA Tournament and Duke/UNC games.
2021-22: Senior at Creighton
• Larry V. and Linda J. Pearson Family Starting Guard Endowed Scholarship recipient
• Fourth man ever to participate in both the College Slam Dunk Contest and 3-Point Shootout at the Final Four, joining Milt Newton (Kansas, 1989), Kendall Gill (Illinois, 1990) and Larry Davis (South Carolina 1997).
• Owned 21 dunks as a senior and boasts a max vertical jump of 41 inches.
• Creighton’s second College Slam dunk contestant ever, joining Rodney Buford in 1999.
• Creighton’s sixth 3-Point contestant ever, joining men’s participants Marcus Foster (2018), Ethan Wragge (2014), Booker Woodfox (2009), Kyle Korver (2003) and women’s winner Kathy Halligan (1992).
• Fifth-year senior who played his first three seasons at Duke (2017-20) before transferring to Creighton prior to last season.
• Helped Creighton to Sweet 16 last season and Second Round this year.
• BIG EAST ranks: 10th in 3FG/game; 15th in defensive rebounds/game; 22nd in points/game.
• Ranked eighth in the BIG EAST in three-pointers per game during league contests.
• Had 7 or more points in 3-of-24 games played last year, but did it in 29-of-35 games this senior.
• Scored in double-figures 23 times this year after doing so just 16 times (in 125 games) in his first four years of college.
• Owned 11 or more points in seven straight games from Dec. 11-Jan. 19.
• Scored 17 of his 20 points after halftime in season-opening win vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Nov. 9), including his first three dunks as a Bluejay.
• Also led CU in scoring with 13 points vs. Kennesaw State (Nov. 11).
• Had 13 points in win at Nebraska (Nov. 16) while grabbing nine rebounds in 36 minutes.
• Scored 15 points in neutral site win vs. No. 24 BYU (Dec. 11).
• Had 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting in 79-59 win vs. No. 9 Villanova (Dec. 17).
• Scored 17 points in win at Marquette (Jan. 1), including buzzer-beating three-pointer to force double-overtime.
• Led CU with 13 points at No. 19 Villanova (Jan. 5).
• Scored then-career-high 22 points on 7-of-10 FG at No. 17 Xavier (Jan. 15).
• Had career-high 28 points, including 6-9 three-pointers, in win vs. St. John’s (Jan. 19).
• Scored 19 of 27 points in first half vs. Georgetown (Feb. 14), matching his career-high with five assists.
• Scored 13 points and tied career-high with five assists despite missing finish of win vs. Marquette due to injury (Feb. 20).
• Collected nine rebounds and had team-high four assists in win vs. No. 18 UConn (March 2).
• Owned nine points and nine rebounds in BIG EAST Tournament quarterfinal round win vs. Marquette (March 10).
• Led CU with 18 points, including 4-of-6 from three-point range, in 85-58 win vs. No. 11 Providence in BIG EAST Tournament semifinals (March 11).
• Closed his career with 15 points and eight rebounds vs. San Diego State (March 17) before pumping in 16 points vs. No. 3 Kansas (March 19).
• Averaged 3.4 points and 2.2 rebounds in 9.7 minutes per game in 24 appearances off the bench last season.
• Made 14 starts in three seasons at Duke, including five starts when Zion Williamson was hurt in 2018-19 and later in the season in the 2019 Elite Eight and Sweet 16.
• Was the No. 55 recruit per Rivals coming out of high school.
2020-21: Senior at Creighton
• Averaged 3.4 points and 2.2 rebounds while playing 9.7 minutes per contest in 24 games off the bench.
• An NCAA vote on Dec. 16 made him eligible immediately, and he would generate six points and two rebounds in his Bluejay debut a day later vs. St. John’s (Dec. 17).
• Creighton was 18-7 after he became eligible, including one game he missed due to injury.
• Had breakout game vs. St. John’s (Jan. 9), making 6-of-7 shots to score 16 points after entering the contest with 18 points in his first five games as a Bluejay.
• Had four points and five rebounds in win vs. No. 22 Xavier (Dec. 23).
• Scored six points in 13 minutes vs. Seton Hall (Jan. 6).
• Made back-to-back three-pointers to start 13-2 run to end first half of road win at Marquette (Feb. 6).
• Contributed 10 points in 13 minutes of win vs. DePaul, making 4-of-6 shots.
• Had six points, three assists and two rebounds in just 10 minutes of work vs. Butler (March 11) in BIG EAST Tournament quarterfinals.
• Grabbed career-high eight rebounds in just 10 minutes of BIG EAST Tournament semifinal win vs. Connecticut (March 12).
• Scored 11 points in a season-high 21 minutes off the bench in BIG EAST Tournament title game vs. Georgetown (March 13).
2019-20: Junior at Duke
• Appeared in 29 games with six starts during his junior season at Duke, averaging career-highs with 5.2 points and 2.2 rebounds per game.
• Notched a career-high three steals to go with nine points in the win over No. 3 Kansas (Nov. 5).
• Shot 3-of-6 from three-point range and finished with 14 points and a season-high six rebounds against Colorado State (Nov. 8).
• Netted seven points and grabbed five boards in the ACC opener at Virginia Tech (Dec. 6).
• Scored 14 points, including 12 on 4-of-5 shooting in the second half, and added four rebounds against Brown (Dec. 28).
• Scored nine points on 4-of-6 shooting at Georgia Tech (Jan. 8).
• Contributed 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting with three assists in 15 minutes off the bench at Syracuse (Feb. 1).
• Went 5-of-12 from the field for 12 points to go with five rebounds and a career high-tying three assists against Notre Dame (Feb. 15).
2018-19: Sophomore at Duke
• Played in 36 games and made seven starts, averaging 14.0 minutes per game overall.
• Averaged 4.4 points and 1.9 rebounds per game while shooting 44.7 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from downtown.
• Scored nine points on 3-of-4 shooting from three-point range with three rebounds in a Champions Classic win over No. 2 Kentucky (Nov. 6).
• Logged eight points, three boards and three steals in 21 minutes against Eastern Michigan (Nov. 14).
• Recorded his first of five double-digit scoring efforts for the season with 13 points in the Stetson win (Dec. 1).
• Played 34 minutes against Syracuse at Cameron Indoor (Jan. 14) with 16 points, three assists, three boards and two steals – his performance came with Cam Reddish out and Tre Jones injured in the opening minutes.
• Earned his first of five consecutive starts – in the absence of National Player of the Year Zion Williamson – in a key road win at Syracuse (Feb. 23) with a career-high 20 points and five rebounds on 5-of-8 shooting from three-point range.
• Played 30 minutes in Miami win (March 2) with 11 points on 5-of-8 from the field and four rebounds.
• Scored seven points with a pair of rebounds in win over North Dakota State (March 22) in the NCAA First Round.
• Learned he would start just minutes before win over No. 16 Virginia Tech (March 29) in the Sweet 16 with Reddish out and delivered a career-high 35 minutes with four points, two assists and a career high seven boards.
• Also started Duke’s Elite Eight game vs. Michigan State (March 31).
Summer 2018: Canada Trip with Duke
• Suffered an eye injury in the opening game of the Duke Canada Tour and missed the remainder of the tour.
2017-18: Freshman at Duke
• Averaged 3.3 points and 1.4 rebounds, while playing 10.4 minutes per contest.
• Played in 36 games and earned his first career start late in the season at Georgia Tech (Feb. 11).
• Made 22 of his 45 attempts from three-point range, which equated to a team-best 48.9 percent.
• Played 13 minutes in his Duke debut against Elon in the season opener (Nov. 10), scoring eight points and making both of his three-point attempts.
• Scored 10 points, which included 4-of-5 from the field and 2-of-3 from three-point range against Furman (Nov. 20).
• Followed that with nine points against Portland State in the opening round of the PK80 in Portland (Nov. 23).
• Played 29 minutes against Texas in the PK80 (Nov. 24) and posted six rebounds.
• Notched 13 points in 15 minutes of action against Wake Forest (Jan. 13).
• Followed that 10 days later at Wake Forest (Jan. 23) by hitting 3-of-3 from the field for seven points and two steals.
• Poured in 11 points on 4-of-8 from the field and 3-of-5 from distance at North Carolina (Feb. 8).
• Made his first career start at Georgia Tech (Feb. 11), playing 22 minutes with three points, four rebounds, two assists and one blocked shot.
Milton High School
• Ranked No. 85 overall and No. 20 among shooting guards in the 2017 high school class by ESPN.
• Rated No. 55 overall by Rivals.com and No. 66 by Scout.com.
• Named Atlanta/North Fulton Player of the Year and Class 7A Region 5 Player of the Year as a senior in 2017.
• Claimed Second Team All-Metro Atlanta and Second Team Class 7A All-State accolades following his senior season Earned All-Class 7A South honors and was named to the North Senior Boys All-Star Team by the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association in 2017.
• Invited to the 2016 NBPA Top 100 Camp, where he averaged
9.5 points per game.
• Averaged 14.1 points per game for Team United on the EYBL circuit in 2016.
• Scored 22.1 points per game for Milton on his way to Georgia Class 6A All-State honors as a junior in 2016.
• High school coach was Matt Kramer.
Year Senior
Position Guard
Height 6-6
Weight 185
Wingspan 6’4”
Max Vertical 41”
Major Sociology
Instagram @Alex_OC15
Twitter @Alex_OC11
Awards & Honors
2020-21 BIG EAST All-Academic Team
Personal
• Son of David and Crystal O’Connell.
• Father played basketball at Duke from 1973-76.
• Has two brothers, Shawn and Brady.
• Brother Shawn played basketball at Georgia Southern and UNC Wilmington, while Brady plays for Old Dominion.
• Nicknames are AO or AOC.
• Favorite BIG EAST city is New York City.
• Non-BIG EAST team he’d like to play is Duke.
• Loves the BIG EAST because of the great competition and high-level players.
• Favorite meal is fried chicken with mac & cheese with candied yams.
• Dream dinner guests would be Kobe Bryant, Larry Bird and Michael Jackson.
• Lists the Atlanta Hawks as his favorite pro team.
• Favorite board game as a kid was Candy Land.
• If he could live anywhere, he’d choose to be on a private island.
• Favorite thing to do with dad is talk basketball.
• Biggest sports thrill he’s participated in are the NCAA Tournament and Duke/UNC games.
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