O'Connell shines at Victor Oladipo Skills Academy

HYATTSVILLE, Md. – The third iteration of the Victor Oladipo Skills Academy tipped off Wednesday night as the second July live period kicked off with a number of Rivals150 prospects facing each other at DeMatha Catholic High School.

It was Team United's Alex O'Connell setting the pace on the first night with a number of head coaches in attendance. Coming off a strong NBPA Top 100 camp and Peach Invitational Tournament, O'Connell's recruitment is blowing up.

That should continue after putting on a shooting clinic Wednesday night, going 11 of 19 from the field, including five of 10 from beyond the arc to finish with 27 points in just 21 minutes. A long 6-foot-6, O'Connell is disruptive on defense and knows how to use his length to his advantage on the boards. That length along with a quick release on his jumper allow him to get off shots over smaller defenders.

He showed some explosion and the ability to run the floor in transition and finish with a dunk for good measure. Bobby Hurley, Mike Dunleavy and Billy Kennedy along with assistants from Clemson, Georgia Tech, Kansas State, Louisville, Miami and NC State, were all on hand for O'Connell's scoring outburst.

"I've got four new schools that offered me after last week," said O'Connell of his recruitment. "Miami, Louisville, NC State, Texas A&M, those are four great schools. My recruitment is wide open and I'm really looking to take some officials in August and make a decision in September."

Syracuse and Xavier are two additional schools that could offer O'Connell before long.

Team Melo's Darryl Morsell has been one of the hottest names on the AAU circuit since the start of the July live period with Maryland, Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, Kansas State and Cincinnati having all offered this month.

Morsell quickly showed why schools have become so enamored with him, aggressively attacking the basket on offense. He has a solid frame for a guard and showed some explosiveness finishing at the rim. He also showed off a high motor and was extremely active on the glass on both ends of the floor.

While Morsell is at his best going at the rim, he knows when to pick his spots shooting the ball from beyond the arc to keep defenses honest.

"I want to continue to show my whole package that I can play both guard positions," said Morsell of his game. "I want to show that I can distribute the ball because some schools are recruiting me as a point guard and I want to show my versatility and ability to defend multiple positions."

Andy Enfield, Buzz Williams, Steve Wojciechowski and Archie Miller were among the head coaches for Morsell, while Maryland and Pittsburgh each had two assistants on hand. Louisville, who had an assistant on hand, along with Marquette are the two most recent schools to reach out to Morsell.

Team Takeover 2018 wing Myles Dread looks to be another solid pickup for Penn State and head coach Patrick Chambers, who was on hand to see Dread lead his team to a blowout win. Dread, who had to play more of an inside game early in his career, has fully transitioned to the wing and showed that his game has really expanded to the perimeter. He finished with a game-high 17 points while knocking down a pair of threes. Dread also did a nice job of distributing the ball to teammates and looks like he could eventually play anywhere from the one through three as his game continues to evolve.

Rivals 150 big man Ike Obiagu showed coaches on hand once again that he's one of the premier shot blockers in the country. The 7-footer finished with six blocks including stonewalling four-star wing DJ Harvey at the cup.

PSA Cardinals power forward Hasahn French might be overshadowed by higher-ranked teammates during EYBL play, but he shined on his own during the opening night of play, scoring 17 points and ripping down eight boards. French showed he can be a defensive presence inside blocking shots while also facing up beyond the arc and knocking down shots. Hurley, Wojciechowski, Miller and Derek Kellogg were all on hand to watch French.

Owings Mills (Md.) McDonogh 2018 guard Noah Locke was a late addition to the roster and more than held his own against mostly older players. The 6-foot-2 shooting guard knocked down four triples, finishing with 14 points. While it's still early, Locke is looking like one of the top guards in the DMV in the 2018 class. USC, Cincinnati, Kansas State and Old Dominion have all offered and all had coaches on hand.

- Oklahoma State is getting a good one in Miami South Beach guard Zach Dawson. He came up clutch for his team several times, first knocking down a three as time expired to send the first game of the night into overtime and then getting in the lane and drawing a foul late in the second overtime to give his team a chance. Dawson is a solid perimeter defender and distributor. But he was at his best getting in the lane and drawing fouls.