Growing a consistent bench is key to the Duke basketball team accomplishing its ultimate goal, and the continued growth in confidence of one bouncy shooter would tremendously help with that task.
Duke basketball sophomore Alex O’Connell has never scored more than 13 points in a college game. He’s never played more than 30 minutes. Although he’s had a few highlight performances, he’s never been the Blue Devils’ undeniable hero.
And just as the 6-foot-6, 185-pound shooting guard from Roswell, Ga., has never seemed able to commit to a length or style for his hair, he also seems to have never committed to playing defense at the level that head coach Mike Krzyzewski expects.
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Maybe commitment isn’t the problem, though. Maybe it’s just a confidence issue. Maybe it’s his questioning of where he fits in on a No. 1 Duke team that sports an 11-1 record and the greatest freshmen class in the history of the sport.
Maybe all he needs is one breakout game.
As soon as O’Connell does manage to gain more confidence in his game and in his role, Coach K is likely to gain more confidence in playing him more often (last season, his playing time took a nosedive in late February through March after a promising stretch that started about this same time last year; this season, he is averaging just 13.3 minutes).
And an increase in minutes from a more confident O’Connell could end up being exactly what the Blue Devils need to finish the regular season first in the ACC for the first time since 2010. After all, it’s no secret that one of the Blue Devils’ most glaring weaknesses, which could spell doom against a well-trained zone such as that of Virginia, is outside shooting — the one thing O’Connell does best.
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O’Connell is 34-for-77 from beyond the arc since arriving in Durham. That’s 44.2 percent (37.5 this season). And that’s leaps and bounds better than this team’s 32.4 clip at the moment.
Along with freshman forward Cam Reddish, who is shooting 35.6 percent from long distance, and junior co-captain Jack White, who is sitting at 37.8 percent, O’Connell has a smooth stroke from deep that naturally gives fans a sense of confidence when the ball leaves his hand.
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O’Connell also has tremendous hops. Ideal speed. A quick, high release. A seemingly positive attitude. And, possibly most important of all, a lifelong fandom for all things Duke basketball (his dad, Dave, was a Blue Devil during the mid-70s).
Add to the equation a hypothetical 25-point game that includes 7-for-10 shooting from downtown, a couple of steals, and a couple of clutch free throws down the stretch — don’t be surprised if such a game arrives this month or even as soon as the end of this week — and a whole new O’Connell may consistently shine for the rest of his stay in Durham.
Maybe such a game would even trigger his decision to stick with one hairdo.
O’Connell and the Blue Devils, who haven’t played since a 69-58 win against Texas Tech in Madison Square on Dec. 20, lace ’em up again on Saturday at 8 p.m. (on ESPN) when the Clemson Tigers roll into Cameron Indoor Stadium.