Not flashy, but effective: How N.C. State point guard Michael O’Connell helps the Pack
Watch N.C. State basketball and Michael O’Connell is not the first player you’ll notice.
It could be D.J. Horne, knocking down a 3-pointer and flashing three fingers. Or D.J. Burns, backing in, backing in, spinning for that soft left-hander from the baseline. Or Ben Middlebrooks crashing through the lane or Dennis Parker Jr. with a high-rise play or …
O’Connell? He dribbles and distributes. He plays solid defense. He does all the little things Wolfpack coach Kevin Keats wants the transfer guard to do.
“I’m asking guys to buy into roles and play and take advantage of every minute that you get when you’re in the game,” Keatts said Saturday after the Pack’s 76-60 win over Virginia at PNC Arena.
In the past four games, all Wolfpack wins, O’Connell has 17 assists and zero turnovers. Against Virginia, he did not start but played 27 minutes and had six points, five assists and three rebounds against the Cavaliers, once draining a 3 from the corner while being knocked to the floor.
“The guy who loves Michael O’Connell more than anyone is D.J. Horne,” Keatts said, smiling. “Because D.J. can now slide over to the ‘2’ and score the ball.
“Michael is the closest thing I’ve had in a long time to a pure point guard. Even with Jarkel Joiner, he was a combo guard.”
Joiner teamed with Terquavion Smith last season to give the Pack a quick, flashy, dangerous backcourt. The transfer was always looking to attack the basket but also could stop and pop from 3.
O’Connell is the kind who looks to smooth things out. When there’s a frenetic pace and the Pack gets a bit sloppy with the ball, the 6-2 senior can bring a calmness to the halfcourt offense.
“He allows our other guys to make a play. He completely understands his role,” Keatts said. “He would rather lead the game with four or five assists than try to score 13 or 14 points.”
On a team where everyone seems to have a catchy nickname — “Beast Boy” Burns quickly comes to mind — O’Connell is an exception.
“Oh, I’m just ‘O.C.,’” he said Saturday after the Virginia game.
That’s all?
“Just O.C.”
O’Connell, a top-100 prep recruit in basketball and lacrosse, spent his first three college seasons at Stanford, never averaging more than 7.1 points a game or topping 30% on 3-pointers for the Cardinal. After last season, the Mineola, New York, native was looking to make a move, find a different place to play.
Wolfpack assistant coach Joel Justus had seen O’Connell at Stanford when Justus was working on Bobby Hurley’s staff at Arizona State. O’Connell, in turn, had paid attention as Keatts brought in a host of transfers last season — such as Joiner — and made the Pack an NCAA tournament team with 23 wins.
“I wanted to be a part of it, too,” O’Connell said. “I had in mind what they wanted to do on the court and I felt like I could fit the system and help the team out and help myself.
“We’ve got a lot of scorers and a lot of guys who can get going. (Keatts) wants me to be a well-rounded guard who can go out there and facilitate and see when guys are open to make the right read and keep everybody together when things are going wrong. But also always be in attack mode.”
O’Connell was 4-of-5 on 3s and had 14 points and seven assists as the Pack topped The Citadel in the season opener. But there also have been games such as Tennessee, when he was in for just four minutes in the loss to the Vols in San Antonio.
But in the past four games, O’Connell has logged 18, 26, 22 and then 27 minutes. It’s obvious Keatts feels comfortable with No. 12 in the game.
“It’s been a pretty easy transition for me and a great fit,” O’Connell said. “The thing from the beginning was that no one was guaranteed anything, that we’ve all got to be out here competing every day. It has been a battle every day and we’ve pushed each other to get better, and I think that will help us down the line.”
For the Pack “down the line” now means the next game — against North Carolina, Wednesday at PNC Arena. Both the Wolfpack and Tar Heels are 3-0 in the ACC, the Pack moving up nine spots to No. 64 in the NCAA’s NET rankings after beating the Cavaliers.
The Heels also have a Stanford transfer: Harrison Ingram.
“Great guy and it will be fun to play an old teammate,” O’Connell said, smiling.
Win or lose Wednesday, O’Connell said he expects the Pack (11-3 overall) to keep moving on, moving up, improving.
“I think we can be really great but the key is we’ve got to keep being consistent and keep getting better,” he said Saturday. “If we win this game and say ‘Ah, we’re great,’ we’re not going to win more games, especially against great talent.
“If we can keep a level head and keep doing what we’re doing I think we can be really good.”
That’s what Keatts is counting on from O’Connell: keeping a level head and keep doing what he’s doing.
This story was originally published January 8, 2024 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Not flashy, but effective: How N.C. State point guard Michael O’Connell helps the Pack."
