College Commitment: Kaelan O’Neil (2020 Churchill HS)
The ice has been broken – the first member from the Class of 2020 in the state of Oregon has made a college commitment as Kaelan O’Neil made his pledge this week. The aggressive 6-foot-4, 180-pound wing from Churchill High School had been sitting on an offer from Eastern Washington for awhile and after getting an opportunity to make a visit to Cheney, he decided this week it was time to commit to head coach Shantay Legans and the Eagles.
“I decided it was the right place for me,” O’Neil said. “The coaches are great, I love the campus, and it seems like a place where I’ll be able to get better and pursue my college basketball career.”
O’Neil initially earned his offer from Eastern Washington last summer but made his commitment this week. It’s been a nice stretch for him as it comes off an opportunity to participate in the prestigious NBPA Top 100 camp last week.
“It was a really good experience with a lot of great players,” O’Neil said. “It was good to see where I am compared to them and I actually competed and played pretty good against them, so that was good.”
An aggressive wing who really looks to attack the basket and finish at the rim, O’Neil has started showing some restraint and controlling his emotions on the court this spring. Now with his college recruitment done with, he’s focused on getting stronger and tuning up his shooting and ball-handling as he rejoins the Hoop Salem Select squad this summer.
“We were winning lots of games (in the spring), it was fun, and I started grooving with my new teammates a little more,” O’Neil said. “My bounce has gotten definitely a lot better out there and I’ve been in a lot better shape. It’s nice to get in a lot of games and I’m ready to start again.”
O’Neil currently ranks as the #3 player in the PrepHoops Oregon Class of 2020 rankings.