Soccer, Basketball
Favorite athlete: Tom Brady
Favorite team: Philadelphia Eagles
Favorite memory competing in sports: Being called up to varsity my freshman year for soccer.
Most embarrassing/funniest thing that has happened while competing in sports: Shooting on my own basket in an AAU game. Luckily, I missed.
Music on iPod: Hip Hop, Country
Future plans: Leaning towards attending West Chester University as an Education major
Words to live by: “Don’t give up, don’t ever give up.”–Jimmy V
One goal before turning 30: Establish a successful career and be coaching basketball somewhere.
One thing people don’t know about me: One of my favorite places to go is Cape Cod to go Whale Watching.
By GORDON GLANTZ
Brendan O’Donnell tries to make whale watching in Cape Cod an annual event and considers it one of his favorite hobbies when he breaks away from his athletic and academic endeavors at Upper Moreland High.
There is more than a bit of irony in this pastime.
As much as the Univest Featured Male Athlete of the Week appreciates watching the planet’s largest creatures in their natural habitat, he has no time for such admiration when it comes to competition.
As one of the smaller schools in the Suburban One League, Upper Moreland is often playing the role of David looking to slay Goliath.
While O’Donnell has been a midfielder for the varsity soccer team since his freshman year, he was a freshman call-up late in the season for the 2012-13 Class AAA District One championship basketball team.
That’s a lot of time behind the slingshot.
It is a constant source of adversity that he not only acknowledges, but has come to embrace.
“We’re a small school at Upper Moreland,” he said, pointing out that athletes at schools like Cheltenham and Plymouth Whitemarsh, among others, can focus on one sport. “We are in a league with a lot of bigger schools. That means that myself, and my teammates, always know that we have to overcome that. That means that we can’t take any time off at all, at any time.”
In many ways, O’Donnell personifies Upper Moreland. The point guard measures in at 5-8 (he is listed at 5-10), but the stat sheet reflects a big effort. He is averaging 12.5 points, 6.2 assists and 4.5 rebounds a game this year, impressive numbers by any standard.
“If you saw his size and stature, it is quite the accomplishment,” Upper Moreland coach Matt Heiland said of point guard, who was an honorable mention all-league selection last year as a junior. “He is a kid that has a ton of heart and determination.
“If you look at Brendan, he isn't the biggest, quickest, or strongest person, he is probably the smallest guard in our league. But he doesn't let that stop him. He doesn't make that an excuse. He believes he is one of the best guards in our division and I think he is as well. He never gives up, he strives to get better every day, he loves to prove people wrong and he is enjoyable to coach.”
O’Donnell mostly credits time willingly served on the practice floor and playing AAU in the summer – with many of the players he goes against during the high school season – but knows he brings a skill set to the table that makes him hard to handle his own right.
“I have a little bit of quickness,” he said, describing himself as “not a rah-rah guy” but one who leads by example. “I’m not that fast, but I’m quick. I have good court vision and can find my open teammates. I like getting my teammates involved.
“I definitely know that I have to go out and play as hard as I can. Most of the guards I face are a lot bigger than I am, but I just give my all the whole time.”
And that starts on the practice floor.
“I just try to have the attitude that my competition is also working hard, too,” said O’Donnell, who named “Most Improved Player” as a freshman and again as a sophomore. “I try to get the advantage in work ethic.
“That’s all I can ask of my teammates. I tell them that it’s OK to make mistakes, as long as they are playing as hard as they can. If they do that, I can’t get too mad at that.”
O’Donnell says he learned a lot of his work habits from being around the District One title team when he was a freshman.
“Just practicing with them was good for me,” he said. “Watching that was cool for me to experience. As a freshman, I was on the practice squad. I didn’t play at all. I sat on the bench during games. It was a good experience, and I learned a lot from a lot of those guys on that team.
“My goal every year since then is to win the District One championship.”
No one knows what makes the honors student tick more than Heiland, who has been right there for his ascension through the gauntlet of hardwood battles that either won or lost with nothing left on the court.
“I have had the pleasure of coaching Brendan on JV as a freshman and sophomore, then the last two years as the varsity head coach,” said Heiland. “From Day 1, you could see he wanted to be a player that a coach could count on. He was at every off season workout - striving to get himself to be the best player he could be.”
Having had the same coach all four years has created a symbiotic relationship that many coaches and their point guards can only envy.
“He has been coach through all four years,” said O’Donnell. “We have gotten close throughout the years. I ask his opinion, but he also asks for mine (during games).”
Aside from Heiland, O’Donnell points to his parents –Brad and Jennifer – for being in his corner.
“My parents haven’t missed one game I’ve played,” he said. “It’s awesome to have their support.”
This past season, the O’Donnells have had one more reason not to miss a game, as their middle child, Christian, is a freshman “bubble” player in the basketball program (the family’s youngest, Meghan, plays lacrosse and soccer on the middle school level).
“It’s been awesome,” said O’Donnell, of playing some minutes with his brother and sharing the same practice floor. “He has been learning a lot from me and has done a really good job on the JV team.”
Being a role model for younger players doesn’t stop there for the tri-captain, as he is the only senior on the team.
Those leadership skills have not been lost on Heiland.
“He was the only freshman on our district championship roster three years ago, where he learned a lot about what our program at Upper Moreland stands for and is about,” said the coach. “He is our only senior on the roster this year and is using his experience to try and help our younger guys out as well.
“He has been a great leader on and off the floor this year. Guys on the team look up to him and respect him. He carries himself extremely well in and out of school. I believe he volunteers his time at his church. He also has been very good for one of our freshman on our team -- his younger brother, Christian. He mentors him on how to carry himself and how he represents our program on and off the floor. Brendan is a class act and a person who will be successful in whatever it is he does in the future.”
Speaking of that future, O’Donnell weighed playing basketball in college against what West Chester University has to offer him for his long-term goal of being a teacher and a basketball coach.
“I would really like to do that,” said O’Donnell, who can be found on Sundays watching the younger kids in the nursery area of his church. “I ruled out playing, and I wanted to be in a great school, but it would be a way for me to stay in the game.
“I’m very competitive, and it would be for the competition.”
