Ronnie Harrell (#4 / G / 6-7 / 180 lbs / Fr.)
Hailing from East High School in Denver, Colo., Ronnie Harrell is a combo guard in a small forward’s body. An ESPN Top 100 recruit, Harrell gave fans a weekly glimpse of his talent on the court during the Metro Summer League. Often operating as his team’s primary ball handler, Ronnie showed he is a very strong with the ball even when he went up against older, more physically mature defender like James Parrott and former Creighton Bluejay Justin Carter.
Perhaps the most interesting part of his game was his play in the most important moments of each game. Being a top 100 player his talent his obvious. However, being on a team that often struggle and found itself facing 20-point deficits on multiple occasions gave Harrell the chance to show what he could do when faced with adversity on the court. Several times in the second half of games he led his team back from games that seemed over at halftime, even hitting a few game-tying shots in the final minute.
The big plays in big moments, for summer league anyway, combined with his raw talent and size for a guy with his skills have Creighton fans excited about what Harrell might accomplish in a Bluejay uniform. Like his freshman counterpart Leon Gilmore III he’ll have to get stronger in order to deal with the more experienced athletes he’ll face in the Big East.
Photo Gallery (here) and slideshow (below) of Ronnie Harrell:
High School Stats
Junior – 13.0 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 2.1 spg
Senior – 16.5 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 2.3 apg
Head Coach Greg McDermott on Harrell
“Like Leon, his head is spinning as well. Ronnie missed six days with an ankle injury, so he’s really only practiced a few times. He’s behind in terms of understanding some of our offensive spacing and sets, and some of the defensive rotations just because he hasn’t had the reps. He has a ton of ability. He’s 6-7/6-8, he’s long. He can handle the ball, he can pass the ball. We’re reworking his shot so that’s taken a little bit of time for him to adjust to it. As he adds strength he’s going to be a really good player for us.”
5-0n-5 with Ronnie Harrell
Q: What were some of the main factors in your decision to attend Creighton?
A: “The style of play and the pace all fit what I wanted to do. The move to the Big East helped; playing against great competition night in and night out. Also the chemistry with the coaches. They knew what they were talking about, and it was all a good fit.”
Q: How do you think you can help right away?
A: “Just give 100% every day. Sometimes you can’t control whether the ball goes in, or whether you or someone else can catch a pass, but you can control that you’re giving 100% every day. That’s nobody but you.”
Q: What is the one area of your game that needs to improve the most?
A: “I’d probably say getting stronger. That’s the one area I need to work on the most. Also slowing things down a little bit. When you’re playing so hard you’re going 100 miles per hour, and if you slow it down it makes it better. Coaches have been telling me that slow is the new fast, so that’s something to work on.”
Q: How have practices and preseason workouts gone for you so far?
A: “They’ve been going pretty well. It was unfortunate spraining my ankle the first practice. Everything up to that was pretty good. That workouts have been going pretty well and getting back on the court felt nice. Having the Championship Center has helped a lot, especially when I sprained my ankle. I could just go right in on the water treadmill and have everyone here taking care of you. Everything you want to do is under one roof. I know last year some of the guys had to go downtown to use a water treadmill, so it’s pretty good.”
Q: What are your goals for your college career?
A: “Individually, just get better every day and see where that takes me. I can’t really promise myself anything, so just work hard and see where that goes. Kind of the same thing as a team. Just put in the work and let everything else come to us. If we’re working every day then when we get to the games we’ll be prepared and confident. If we do that we’ll be able to compete for Big East championships.”