O'Connell found belief in his game and took hold of a chance
Michael O'Connell has known for a long time that he was good enough to be a Division I athlete. But until a year ago he thought he would be playing lacrosse for Maryland, where his brother, Thomas, won a national championship in 2017.
Michael is a top-100 lacrosse recruit and has been committed to Terrapins lacrosse since ninth grade, but O'Connell's college plans were dramatically changed when Stanford head coach Jerod Haase offered him a scholarship May 26 after he was accepted into the university. He committed to the Cardinal June 1 and is signed on as the fifth member of the No. 11 ranked overall 2020 class.
"The more I got to know Michael and his family, the more excited I became," Haase said in a press release. "He is invested, tough, and selfless. He is a winner, and will immediately come in and improve our program.
"Michael is a born leader and proven competitor - the type of person that will thrive in our culture. His success playing a variety of sports at such a high level proves how special of an athlete he is, and he will only continue to improve on the basketball court over his career at Stanford."
The opportunity to play basketball at Stanford was one that O'Connell said he couldn't pass up.
It was a chance he created for himself when he took full advantage of an eye-opening transfer to powerhouse Blair Academy in New Jersey.
He arrived at the boarding school that is a factory of Division I athletes in every sport before his senior season and made an important discovery: He was as good as his teammates who were four star recruits.
“If they can play college basketball, I definitely can," O'Connell told Cardinal Sports Report in a recent interview. "Then I started really chasing it from there.”
O'Connell's basketball development leapt forward after three years trying to play basketball and lacrosse both as full-time sports at Chaminade High.
While playing for head coach Bob Paul at Chaminade he was successful on the court (2018-2019 player of the year in the Nassau Suffolk Catholic High School Athletic Association), but he and his coaches felt like his growth in the sport was slowed by his dedication to lacrosse.
Dan Gimpel is the executive director of Rising Stars and has coached O'Connell since he joined the program's travel team in the fifth grade.
“That was a huge, huge turning point for him (to transfer to Blair)," Gimpel said. "Coach (Joe) Mantegna, I’ve known for over 20 years. Before Mike came to Blair I was the one who recommended he go there. He (Mantegna) said, ‘Tell me about him’.
"All I said you’re going to get a kid who you will love, who is a winner and he probably is going to be one of the toughest players on the team. You're just going to say ‘Thank you’ at the end of it because I just know Mike from a young age. He’s a pleasure to coach and to have that full year to concentrate on hoops, … and playing at that elite level with Division I kids, he stepped up and showed what he’s capable of. I believe he is going to put a footprint on Stanford. That kid has figured it out wherever he has gone. He wins wherever he goes.”
The plan was to play both sports again at Blair, but COVID-19 suddenly ended O'Connell's high school athletic career and it seemed to be just a waiting game to get to Maryland.
But then Stanford stepped in with an offer. Spurred on by point guard Tyrell Terry's decision to enter the NBA Draft process -- and it seems likely he will go pro -- Haase and his staff were looking for a point guard.
They already knew about O'Connell because they offered a four star 2021 teammate, Jaylen Blakes. When Stanford scouted Blakes they also took note of how well O'Connell played but didn't start building a relationship with him at the time because he was still committed to play lacrosse.
O'Connell was already getting attention during the spring from a number of schools and for obvious reasons. He averaged almost 18 points a game and led Blair against elite competition. He also measured his success by how well he practiced against his roommate, Jabri Abdur-Rahim -- the No. 43 overall 2020 recruit committed to Virginia.
Mantegna told O'Connell that schools such as Cal, UCLA and Georgia were asking about him and he had offers from Ivies, UC Santa Barbara, Marist and other mid-majors, but he had his hopes on one school coming through.
“Once I heard Stanford, that was a school I set my mind on because obviously it’s one of the best schools in the world and it’s a top basketball program," he said.
O'Connell committed to Stanford without ever stepping foot on the campus. He did a virtual tour and talked with coaches and current players to get a feel for the program. The power of a degree from Stanford was the most significant reason that he committed, but he also found a great deal of comfort in how similar Haase is to Mantegna.
“Head coach Jerod Haase reminds me a lot of my high school coach at Blair Academy. They’re both super supportive and they want what’s best for you and the program. Off the court they’re your friend and on the court they’re all business.
"It doesn’t matter who you are, where you’re from, what you look like, it’s all basketball. That really caught my eye. All I want to do is win. I don’t care how we win or who is on the court. I just want to win as a program.
“All the other coaches reached out to me and we would talk for 30 minutes or an hour to introduce themselves and talk about the school. Also, some of the players have reached out in FaceTime calls and Zoom calls to get to know everyone.”
O'Connell played with Bryce Wills when he was "eight or nine" and has stayed in touch from time to time since then. O'Connell would watch Stanford games when he could last season to see his friend take on a key role for the team.
It is uncertain what O'Connell's role will be next season. His skill set is developing rapidl and Stanford may or may not have a major need for a point guard.
Gimpel didn't hesitate when asked to evaluate where O'Connell improved his game the most at Blair: "Scoring the ball and being more assertive". To his former coach's eyes, O'Connell is no longer second guessing his shots and is a better ball handler. He could always pass, defend and rebound at a high level.
O'Connell's character is the X-factor. His work ethic and genuine desire to see his team succeed above all else will quickly make him a leader and undoubtedly contributes to how well coaches speak of him.
Paul at Chaminade encouraged O'Connell to go to Blair when that chance was given to him, even if it meant losing his best player. Maryland lacrosse head coach John Tillman told O'Connell that he should go to Stanford and, according to O'Connell, went out of his way to make it an easy call for the young man when the coach could have been forgiven to be disappointed to lose a top recruit.
“If I had a son, Michael O’Connell would be the son I want to have," Gimpel said. "He’s the most respectful kid. He’s a leader. The younger kids in our program look up to him. He does not have a chip on his shoulder. He’s very humble and he is very comfortable in his own skin. It’s always ‘We’. I think having that selfless attitude has made him into the young man he is today.”