The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1527657
32 ■ THE WOLFPACKER two weekends to reach the Final Four — didn't just happen. The Pack came together as a unit, taking ownership of a four-game losing streak to close the regular season. O'Connell, who had been mostly a lead-by-example player as a transfer, decided to use his voice. He began to lead from the front, and in turn, the Wolfpack started to rally. One day in the nation's capital, Keatts heard an unfamiliar sound as he walked into the locker room. It was O'Connell encouraging his teammates, while get- ting after some to keep striving for more during the Wolfpack's miraculous run. "I looked around and I was like, 'Hold on. Is that Michael?'" Keatts recalled. "When we became a better team is when Michael found his voice." Now, O'Connell is carrying himself with that same attitude. He's still an un- assuming person, but the floor general is comfortable being one of the go-to leaders of the team. It stems from his successful postseason run on the court. "He's booming," Keatts said. "The guy is playing at a high level. He's a really good basketball player. He's a tremen- dous person. His leadership has been really, really good. "He's got a lot of confidence, and he should. His run was incredible." O'Connell has taken Bowling Green transfer guard Marcus Hill under his wing during the preseason. Hill, who averaged 20.5 points with the Falcons last season, will be next to O'Connell on the floor as the Pack's shooting guard, though he can play point guard as well. The biggest thing he's learned from O'Connell is how to talk more — an ironic, full-circle moment considering O'Connell was in those same shoes this time last year. "I'm a quiet guy, I'm not going to lie," Hill said. "But he's teaching me how to talk more. I love playing with Mike." Although O'Connell has become a face of the Wolfpack and is comfort- able leading a team that has seven new- comers on its roster this season, he is still focused on improving himself every day. He's not worried about the glitz and the glamor of being the NC State point guard. Instead, he wants to continue to elevate his game one day at a time. An increased confidence level, however, has made things a little simpler for the March hero. "I definitely always had that confi- dence," O'Connell said. "But when the ball starts bouncing your way, it makes things a lot easier. The biggest thing for me is to be confident, but humble and trying to get better. I have a lot of things to work on, and that's my biggest focus." O'Connell is now a recognizable face around Raleigh. That was a different sensation for the guard. He spent his first three seasons as a relatively un- der-the-radar player at Stanford, but it's been hard for him to go unnoticed in recent months. "All the fans are so invested, which is unbelievable," O'Connell said. "When you're walking around town or on cam- pus, people know who you are, and they want to see you do well. … We know people have our backs." With that support, O'Connell could take his game to an even higher level this season, feeding off his final 10 games from the Wolfpack's magical season. ■ O'Connell's buzzer-beating three-pointer against Virginia sent the ACC Tournament semifinal game into overtime. The Pack ended up winning, 73-65, recording the fourth victory in what would turn out to be a nine-game postseason win streak. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS