Stanford transfer Michael O’Connell’s lacrosse background pays off in basketball

Coming out of Blair Academy (N.J.), point guard Michael O’Connell made history: he was the first prospect to be rated a top-100 recruit in both basketball (No. 100) and lacrosse (No. 81). 

O’Connell was a decorated athlete in both sports. He was a three-time Under Armour Underclass Lacrosse All-American, while he racked up 1,700 career points as a prep basketball player. 

That left him with an interesting decision, either play high-level college basketball or lacrosse. At first, O’Connell picked the latter and committed to Maryland, where his older brother, Thomas, won a national championship. 

But with the COVID-19 pandemic allowing an extra year of eligibility for the class ahead of him, playing time on the lacrosse field would have been scarce. That, paired with the opportunity to go to Stanford, led O’Connell to choosing the hardwood. 

“Sadly sports do end one day,” O’Connell said last week. “Your degree, education and relationships you build can carry on forever. … It wasn’t that four-year decision or five-year decision, but 40 years in the future.”

After starting 76 games and averaging 6.3 points with 3.2 assists with the Cardinal across three seasons, O’Connell entered the transfer portal in the offseason. Soon after that, he landed at NC State. 

O’Connell is one of seven transfers that joined the Wolfpack this offseason as coach Kevin Keatts reloaded his roster for the 2023 campaign. 

NC State’s squad is veteran laden, and it only signed one freshman for this season. The entire team has a special connection to basketball, and any time someone wants to play in the gym, there’s usually more than a handful of players that tag along.

“The love of the game the guys have,” O’Connell said. “Every guy on this team honestly is always in the gym. Whenever we get guys for pickup, even if it’s 2-on-2, 3-on-3, guys are willing to play. I think that’s been something really interesting about this group so far.”

But O’Connell’s lacrosse background sets him apart from the rest of the newcomers. And as a point guard, it’s paid dividends — especially since he’s running an offense with nine others on the court rather than 20 total players on the lacrosse field.

“I think playing lacrosse, especially being at the midfield position where I was at, it really helps you see the whole floor, especially at the point guard position,” O’Connell said. “You have to be able to see the whole field, see different slides, different reads. Either make the right pass or take the shot. I think it’s been really helpful, especially since there’s more guys on the field, less guys on the court.”

While O’Connell is a proven collegiate point guard, and has enjoyed his decision to play college basketball, there’s one part of lacrosse that is still ingrained in his mind: its physicality. 

“It’s definitely something I’ve had to adjust to sometimes on the court,” O’Connell said with a smile. “Sometimes I’ll realize, ‘Oh, I can’t be hitting guys like that.’ Stuff like that, or bumping them in the lane, but it’s definitely a perk to playing lacrosse — you definitely got to show your strength off a little more or be a little more aggressive.”

His path to college basketball was slightly unique compared to the rest of his teammates, but O’Connell is excited for his fresh start with the Wolfpack. Raleigh is a new experience for O’Connell, who grew up in New York and played for three seasons with the Cardinal in Palo Alto, Cailf. 

But he’s enjoyed every minute so far. Though that’s the case, the best part about his move back to the east coast hasn’t happened yet: his friends and family can attend more of his games. 

“I think my favorite part is going to be that my friends and family will be able to come to the games more often,” O’Connell said. “At Stanford, my family wasn’t able to get out there as much. … But now, traveling up and down the east coast, there’s people that I grew up with who will be able to come to games and support me. To have familiar faces in the crowd will be really cool.”

Those familiar faces will be seen soon, but for now, O’Connell and the Wolfpack are spending most of their time in the practice gym working towards the season opener against The Citadel on Nov. 6 — the very place they ran together for much of the summer trying to build chemistry.