NC State PG Michael O’Connell leaned on being ‘consistent’ as he snapped cold spell 

Even though he’s had a rocky start from the free throw line, NC State guard Michael O’Connell was the one Wolfpack coach Kevin Keatts tabbed with taking a pair of technical attempts in the latter stages of the first half during the team’s 89-63 win over Rider on Sunday. 

O’Connell toed the Lenovo Center charity stripe, took a deep breath and converted on the pair of free throws with what looked to be ease. He didn’t seem like the player that entered the game at just 52.1% from the line this season, but in a way, that’s what Keatts was looking for.

Keatts’ confidence didn’t waver when it came to O’Connell, and it appeared the eighth-year coach sent a message to prove that against the Broncs. 

It ended up helping as he finished the game with 8 points (6-of-7 from the free throw line, a season-best mark to get to 60% on the season) with four rebounds, five assists and no turnovers. That stat line, while it’s what NC State and its fans expect from O’Connell, was a step forward for the guard. 

O’Connell’s previous four games were the opposite. He scored 14 points combined on 5-of-20 shooting from the field with eight of his 12 turnovers this season coming over that stretch. 

Keatts was looking for a way to break that down-turn in play going into the bout with Rider, a skidding squad out of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. The two had a meeting, where Keatts was honest and stressed for his main facilitator to just be himself on the court. 

“Just play. Just have fun,” Keatts recalled telling O’Connell. “This is your last year, you can start counting down the games. Stop worrying about everything. You don’t have to carry the load because the team won the ACC Tournament and went to the Final Four last year, you just gotta play. ”

O’Connell, who was the team’s March hero with the game-tying buzzer beater against Virginia in the ACC Tournament semifinals and a key assist man down the stretch, seemed to find a similar groove that he had in the postseason. The Mineola, N.Y., dished the ball with authority as he avoided any mental errors that resulted in a turnover with a newfound sense of palpable confidence against the Broncs. 

“He’s such a great kid. I don’t know if that’s what he was thinking, but just go play and have fun,” Keatts said. “Certainly, he looked like the Michael we all know and love. He did some great things tonight.”

How did O’Connell, who led the ACC in assist-to-turnover ratio (7.5) before the previous four games, find a way to turn it around? It all stemmed from leaning on what he’s always done as a point guard. 

The former Stanford transfer, who graduated from the Cardinal in three years and just finished the fall semester with a 4.0 in his MBA program, knows he is more than capable of taking care of the ball. It was all about being himself for 40 minutes every night. 

“The biggest thing for me is, no matter what happens in the past, just to stay consistent and get better every game,” O’Connell said. “For me, just going out there and doing whatever I can to help the team win is great. … Making sure I’m taking care of the ball is big, obviously. It’s one of my biggest roles while I’m on the floor for this team. It’s good to see I’m getting back to it.”

O’Connell hadn’t logged eight turnovers in a four-game regular season stretch since Feb. 9 – Feb. 18, 2023 when he had 10 in a span while he was playing with the Cardinal. He was able to push through his most recent rough stretch with a sense of confidence in himself, knowing it would eventually pass. 

Luckily for the veteran puppeteer of the offense, he  snapped his streak after an eight-day break between games with another nine-day stretch until the Wolfpack begins the heart of ACC play at Virginia on New Year’s Eve. 

“Not everything is going to be sunshine and rainbows and super easy. It’s basketball, that’s how it is,” O’Connell said. “The biggest thing for me is to have confidence and try to do my best every day — whether it’s playing hard defense or rebounding. It’s all about staying confident and consistent.”

O’Connell is an ever-confident player. He has a short memory as NC State’s go-to point guard usually wears a large grin, which likely helped end his skid. But so did Keatts’ wavering belief in O’Connell, who was sent to the free throw line to reset himself. 

It was a main selling point for O’Connell when he was in the transfer portal prior to last season. And proved to be beneficial as the guard returned to his usual form in the blowout win over Rider. 

“That’s one of the reasons why I came here because [Keatts] had a lot of confidence in my game and my ability,” O’Connell said. “It helps my confidence, for sure.”