Recruiting Report: Jaylen O’Conner (2019)
Jaylen O’Conner, a 6-foot-3 wing out of Edmond Santa Fe High School, is the no. 19 player in the Oklahoma class of 2019. O’Conner has an all-around skill set and is able to make impacts on both ends of the floor.
O’Conner spent his senior summer with Pro Skills Oklahoma.
“My goals for the summer were to become a better leader on the court and getting my teammates involved in the game,” says O’Conner. “Also motivating them.”
O’Conner has received attention from The University of Central Oklahoma (Edmond, Okla.) and East Central University (Ada, Okla.). He has not, however, made a decision yet.
O’Conner is a workhorse on the court. He is an adamant defender and a productive scorer.
O’Conner is quick and a shifty player to guard. He has good footwork and can blow by defenders with his ability to accelerate on the offensive end. This allows him to create more opportunities to shoot the ball. He is, additionally, a talented finisher at the rim.
O’Conner can rebound well on the offensive end and is not afraid to crash into the lane to meet a falling ball to get a put-back. This aggressive mentality on the floor not only helps him in pulling down boards, but also adds to his defensive menace.
“I believe the best part of my game is defense and hitting open shots,” O’Conner says. “Also getting to the basket.”
In the offseason, O’Conner hopes to become an ever greater threat on the offensive end by becoming a more lethal shooter. He also believes that he needs to shoot the ball more frequently in 2019.
“I’m working on my ball handling, shooting off the dribble and creating my own shot,” O’Conner says. “I don’t really believe there is a worse part in my game.”
O’Conner hopes to lead Santa Fe to another State Tournament birth, after being eliminated in the 2018 OSSAA State Championship game at the hands of Putnam City North.
You may not know that O’Conner’s first sport was not basketball growing up.
“Growing up I wanted to be a football player instead of a basketball player,” says O’Conner.
For more information, email Matt@prephoops.com