At any given time at a Sacred Heart Prep basketball game, one may see the name McConnell on three jerseys. One of the McConnell jerseys belongs to Cole McConnell, the No. 21 ranked player in the NorCalPreps.com 2012 boys basketball rankings. McConnell was a shooting guard last year for Sacred Heart Prep of the West Bay Athletic League. As a sophomore on the team, he was a critical sixth man of the Gators season that finished with a 23-6 record and a season ending loss of 64-47 to St. Patrick/St. Vincent (Vallejo) in the second round of the NorCal playoffs.
At 6-foot-5 and 185 pounds, McConnell considers himself to be a sharp shooter that can stretch the defense. Since he is left-handed and is an accurate outside shooter, McConnell models his game after former Golden State Warrior, Chris Mullin. For his junior season, McConnell hopes to become a first time starter, make it to an all-league team, and assist Sacred Heart Prep to make a deep run in the state playoffs with his brothers. Coach Tony Martinelli says of Cole's strengths, "Cole's strengths start with his passion for the game. Basketball is the only sport he plays, so he puts a lot of time into practicing all aspects of the game. His 3 point range and accuracy is not seen much at the high school level, so it will translate well to the collegiate game."
On the Gators roster, McConnell's twin brothers will be senior starters on the team. Reed is a 6-foot-5, 185 pound shooting guard who was named Player of the Year in the WBAL last season. Will is a 6-foot-6 and 185 pounds forward who was named to the 2nd team WBAL. Coach Martinelli says of the three brothers, "Coaching three brothers is a new experience for me, but it was important to give them a little more leniency with regards to how they settled conflicts. Many times in competitive drills, they would get on each other a little harder or be a little more physical with each other. Since they were brothers, and obviously know each other better, I would tend to let them settle things on their own, provided it did not become a distraction to the team."
When asked what it is like to play with his siblings, Cole says, "Playing with my brothers is unique. Being brothers, we argue but we normally have good chemistry on and off the court. It really helps because I know when Reed or Will is going to pass so I can get ready for the ball or when they are going to shoot and I should go crash the boards." In addition, this upcoming year may be the last time that the three brothers play on the same team.
During the summer, McConnell has been working out and playing in tournaments with his Oakland Soldiers 16U club team. "Playing with the Soldiers this summer was fun. It was crazy to see all the scouts and crowds that came to our games because we were the Soldiers," said McConnell. "In Peach Jam and in the Fab 48, we played against some of the best AAU teams and players in the nation."
McConnell works on his ball-handling because he needs to break defenders down off of the dribble. After the summer experience with the Soldiers, McConnell says, "I learned from the tournaments that I need to become a lot more athletic and work on my ball handling. Right now I am only known as a shooter and I would like to become a scorer."
McConnell has been playing basketball since he was five years old. He would like to continue playing in college for a school that has strong academic and basketball programs. He does not know what he wants to major in but his best subject is History. He has a 3.65 GPA and has not taken the SAT yet.
Watch for this sharp shooter gunning down WBAL opponents this upcoming season.
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