Alex O'Connell (basketball)

Alex David O'Connell (born June 2, 1999) is an American professional basketball player who last played for Umana Reyer Venezia of the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). He played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils and Creighton Blue Jays.

Alex O'Connell
O'Connell with the Duke Blue Devils in 2019.
Free agent
PositionShooting guard
Personal information
Born (1999-06-02) June 2, 1999 (age 25)
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High schoolMilton
(Milton, Georgia)
College
NBA draft2022: undrafted
Playing career2022–present
Career history
2022–2023Stockton Kings
2023–2024Umana Reyer Venezia
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

High School career

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O'Connell attended Milton High School in Milton, Georgia 30 miles north of Atlanta. As a junior, he averaged 22.1 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game earning Georgia Class 6A All-State honors.[1]

Recruiting

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O'Connell was rated as four-star recruit in the class of 2017.[2][3][4] On August 26, 2016, O'Connell committed to Duke, over other offers from Louisville, Syracuse, and UCLA.[5][6]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Alex O'Connell
SG
Milton, GA Milton High School 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Aug 26, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 83
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 58  247Sports: 65  ESPN: 87
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Duke 2017 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  • "2017 Duke Blue Devils Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  • "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved March 9, 2021.

College career

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Duke (2017–2020)

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In his freshman season at Duke, O'Connell averaged 3.3 points and 1.4 rebounds per game playing behind Grayson Allen.[7] As a sophomore, O'Connell saw more minutes and became a key reserve player for the 2018-19 team where he averaged 5.9 points and 2.3 rebounds per game.[8] In his Junior season, O'Connell appeared in 29 games averaging 5.2 points, 2.2 rebounds while shooting 40% from the field and 27% from 3-point range.[9]

Creighton (2021–2022)

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On April 8, 2020, O'Connell transferred to Creighton.[10][11] On January 19, 2022, O'Connell scored 28 points and 7 rebounds in a 87–64 win against St. John's.[12] On February 14, 2022, O'Connell scored 27 points and 3 rebounds in a 88–77 victory over Georgetown.[13]

Professional career

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Stockton Kings (2023–2024)

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After going undrafted in the 2022 NBA draft, O'Connell signed with the Sacramento Kings on October 14, 2022,[14] but was waived the next day.[15] On October 24, he joined the Stockton Kings.[16]

Umana Reyer Venezia (2023–2024)

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On July 20, 2023, O'Connell signed with Umana Reyer Venezia of the Lega Basket Serie A.[17]

On October 2, 2024, O'Connell signed with the New York Knicks,[18] but was waived on October 9.[19]

Personal life

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O'Connell's father David also played college basketball at Duke from 1973 to 1976.[20]

References

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  1. ^ Howe, Rob (July 19, 2016). "4-Star GA SG Alex O'Connell Picks Up Iowa Offer, Expects to Visit". Hawkeye Nation. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  2. ^ "Alex O'Connell – Basketball Recruiting – Player Profiles". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  3. ^ "Alex O'Connell, 2017 Shooting Guard". Rivals.com. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  4. ^ "Alex O'Connell, Milton HS, Shooting Guard". 247Sports. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  5. ^ Ramkumar, Amrith (August 26, 2016). "Four-star shooting guard Alex O'Connell becomes first Class of 2017 prospect to commit to Duke men's basketball". Duke Chronicle. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  6. ^ Chippin, Alex (August 26, 2016). "Duke lands 4-star guard Alex O'Connell". TheScore.com. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  7. ^ Leonard, Ben (April 1, 2018). "Duke men's basketball 2017-18 player review: Alex O'Connell". Duke Chronicle. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  8. ^ Saul, Derek (April 9, 2019). "Duke men's basketball 2018-19 player review: Alex O'Connell". Duke Chronicle. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  9. ^ Connelly, Kevin (March 22, 2020). "Duke Basketball Player Review: Alex O'Connell's inconsistencies hurt him". Ball Durham. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  10. ^ Decock, Luke (April 8, 2020). "Duke basketball guard Alex O'Connell is transferring to Creighton". The News & Observer. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  11. ^ Schinzel, Gene (March 4, 2022). "Alex O'Connell's path of growth and leadership paying off for Creighton". Omaha World-Herald.
  12. ^ "O'Connell's 28 points lifts Creighton past St. John's 87-64". ESPN.com. January 19, 2022. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  13. ^ "O'Connell lifts Creighton past Georgetown 88-77". ESPN.com. February 14, 2022. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  14. ^ "Kings Sign Jeriah Horne And Alex O'Connell". NBA.com. October 14, 2022. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  15. ^ Adams, Luke (October 15, 2022). "Kings Waive Sam Merrill, Set Roster For Season". HoopsRumors.com. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  16. ^ "Stockton Kings Announce 2022-23 Training Camp Roster". NBA.com. October 24, 2022. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  17. ^ "Venezia signs Alex O'Connell". Eurobasket.com. July 20, 2023. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  18. ^ NY_KnicksPR [@NY_KnicksPR] (October 2, 2024). ".@nyknicks Sign Alex O'Connell to an Exhibit 10 Contract" (Tweet). Retrieved October 3, 2024 – via Twitter.
  19. ^ NY_KnicksPR [@NY_KnicksPR] (October 9, 2024). ".@nyknicks Waive Damion Baugh and Alex O'Connell" (Tweet). Retrieved October 9, 2024 – via Twitter.
  20. ^ "Alex O'Connell Bio – Duke University". GoDuke.com. Duke Blue Devils. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
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