Ronnie Harrell Jr. (#4 | 6-7 | 190 | G | RFr.)
There is no greater example on Creighton’s current roster of why the recruiting junkies provide quite a bit of unintentional humor. In that world newer is always better, and once a player sends in his letter of intent, they are officially old news and it’s on to the next set of prospects who might be considering a fan’s favorite school. The majority of the questions folks had this summer centered around Creighton’s incoming class: Top 50 talent Justin Patton, local product Khyri Thomas, Marlon Stewart, and the International Man of Mystery Martin Krampelj. Very few asked about the development of redshirt freshman Ronnie Harrell Jr.; you could say he was almost a forgotten man during offseason chatter on social media and message boards.
The 6-foot-7 guard — yes, guard — out of Denver, Colorado sat out last season along with transfers Maurice Watson Jr. and Cole Huff, and worked on getting stronger and developing his game in order to contribute at the Big East level. He’s saying and doing all of the things that indicate he’s just as hungry as Watson and Huff to get on the floor and show everyone what’s he got. Those skills include a great ability to handle the basketball and make plays for others in the transition game, especially for someone his size. He can make plays in the open floor, hit open shots from the perimeter, and crash the glass. During practices leading up to the team’s exhibition against Upper Iowa he was Creighton’s top rebounder in 5-on-5 situations.
Check out our Ronnie Harrell Jr. photo collection!
With the team getting creative and implementing a 3/4 court press with the shot clock now at 30 seconds, Harrell and his impressive wingspan has been a disruptive force at the front of the press, and in passing lanes when the Bluejays switch from their usual man-to-man defense and throw a zone at opposing offenses. While he is nowhere near a superstar yet, and certainly hasn’t done anything to be considered a possible all-league performer, the tools are there for Harrell to be an impact player sooner rather than later for Creighton if he keeps working hard and performs consistently on the court when his number is called.
East High School (Denver, Colorado)
- ranked No. 71 on ESPN’s Top 100 recruits list coming out of high school
- averaged 16.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game as a senior
- averaged 13.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.1 steals per game as a junior
Head Coach Greg McDermott on Harrell:
“The last week he’s practiced the best. He’s been very active on the glass, which has been good to see. He’s disruptive defensively with his length, and he’s shot the ball better the last week or so. Hopefully that continues, but he’ll be a rotational player for us as long as his improvement continues.”
5-on-5 with Ronnie Harrell Jr.
Q: It’s been a long wait for you having to sit out last season. How does it feel with the regular season coming up knowing you’re going to be eligible this time?
A: “It feels incredible. I remember when I first made the decision to redshirt, I was thinking, man I have to sit out a whole year and I’m not hurt or anything. As the year went on I started to believe that I was getting better, and I just kept the faith that this November would come. It’s finally here, so it feels like I’m waking up out of some bad dream or something.”
Q: What was the year off like for you from a developmental standpoint? What did you focus on to make sure you were ready for when this season started?
A: “I think a lot of it was just getting bigger and stronger in the weight room. On the court, just developing the skills that I already had, and being able to translate them from high school level skills to good college basketball skills — being able to dribble and shoot at the college level.”
Q: As far defining roles on this team, what do you think you can bring to this year’s team that will help them succeed?
A: “I feel like I can do a little bit of everything like starting the break and I’ve been doing a pretty good job rebounding, so when I get the rebound I can just start the break and look for open guys, or knock down open shots if needed. I want to be able to develop my defense to a point where Coach can throw me on somebody that is a good scorer on the other team, and I can shut them down. I really feel like I could be able to do it all.”
Q: The team was picked ninth in the preseason poll, how did you feel about that selection, and what are your expectations for what you guys can do this season?
A: “In high school we had a lot of that stuff with rankings and politics, so I just try to tune it out, and focus on what’s being done in here. I know the team feels like that’s disrespectful, and we’re definitely going to come out with a chip on our shoulder. We’ve been working hard since the summer and it’s finally here. We’re ready to just put it in the bright lights now.”
Q: Even though you’ve been in the program for a year I’ll ask you this because you’re a freshman, when your time at Creighton is over what will you have hoped to accomplish in your career as a Bluejay?
A: “I definitely want to win the Big East Championship. I want to be able to say I played in the Final Four, and be able to put Creighton and the city of Omaha up there with the Kentucky’s, Duke’s, Florida’s, all the big level schools. I feel like people might know of Creighton, but not a lot of people know what it’s about when they hear Creighton. When we leave, I want to be able to say I went to Creighton and have people know what that means.”