Oneonta High senior Dan O'Brien doesn't send a lot of signals.
For instance, defenders wouldn't have the slightest idea which hand is his dominant one on the basketball court if he didn't spot up for jumpers, since he can finish around the basket with both.
You'd be hard-pressed to figure out if OHS led or trailed by 10 points from his body language. He gives virtually no notice before snapping off no-look or behind-the-back passes. To watch his confident stroke from three-point range, you might not believe that part of his game was practically non-existent last season.
And if you're looking at his sturdy, 6-foot-4 frame during pre-game warm-ups, it's nearly impossible to tell if he's more guard or forward.
Where he'll play in college is anyone's guess. Can he play at the Division II level, or is he a non-scholarship player? O'Brien said he hasn't made a decision on his college future, and he's in no hurry to do so.
But even the stoic O'Brien can no more conceal the fact that he's a basketball player through and through than his last name can hide his Irish ancestry.
He readily admits to spending hours in a gym by himself, taking anywhere from 500 to 1,000 jumpers a day.
His seemingly scripted movements on the court are no doubt the result of all those hours of seclusion, long after many of his peers have called it a day.
"It certainly doesn't hurt that our best is player is our hardest worker, or as hard a worker as we have," said OHS coach Jerry Mackey, whose 17-4 team plays Elmira Southside at 7:45 p.m. Thursday at the Broome County Arena in the Section Four Class A Tournament championship game. "He's certainly deserved all of his individual honors _ becoming the third Oneonta player to score 1,000 points, being recognized as one of the top players in our league, section and in Class A in the state. The best part is he's done all of it within the concept of the team."
So much has changed about O'Brien's game since his freshman season.
The first memorable moment he provided in a Yellowjackets uniform got him on ESPN's SportsCenter on Feb. 19, 2005.
He had two chances to complete fourth-seeded OHS' unlikely upset of top-seeded Elmira Free Academy in a Class A semifinal at Owego. Holding a two-point lead with five seconds left, OHS inbounded to O'Brien.
He simply could have lofted a long pass to the other end of the court that might have run out the remaining seconds. Instead, O'Brien held onto the ball and drew a foul with three seconds to play.
O'Brien went to the line for a one-and-one that could have sealed it, but the left-hander's shot hit left side of the rim. EFA's Corry Brannen rebounded and quickly passed to Nick Weiermiller, who took three dribbles before hitting a contested, half-court buzzer-beater that gave the Blue Devils a 58-57 victory.
"His game has grown by leaps and bounds when you look back over the last four years," Norwich coach Mark Abbott said of O'Brien, who scored a game-high 23 points in OHS' 58-45 sectional semifinal win over visiting Norwich on Friday. "He's gone from a shy, tentative kid to a player who can do it all."
And each year, O'Brien has added layers to his game.
He emerged as a sophomore, averaging 16.6 points and 6.4 rebounds to earn a spot as a Daily Star First Team All-Star. Back then, he was basically a pure scorer, and most of his production came around the basket.
O'Brien bulked up a bit by his junior season and became one of the best passing forwards in the Southern Tier Athletic Conference. He averaged 12.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.5 steals in leading the Yellowjackets to an 18-5 record and the Section Four Class B title.
"Every year, I've tried to become a better player," said O'Brien, who earned Daily Star First Team All-Star honors last season as well. "I've tried to build another level to my game."
This season, he's become a consistent three-point shooter, something Abbott was apparently unaware of when the host Jackets beat Norwich, 47-41, on Jan. 25.
"I told Mark (Abbott) he's working off last year's scouting report," Mackey said after the win, referring to O'Brien's three three-pointers against Norwich.
Said Abbott of O'Brien's added range this season: "We've always played off Dan in the past, but now he can hurt you from 22 feet, and that makes it that much harder to guard him."
O'Brien also showed surprising athleticism in a 64-61 home loss to Owego on Jan. 31, twice dunking on back-to-back half-court sets in the second quarter against Indians standout Jack Keough. O'Brien hit four three-pointers and finished with a season-high 29 points, one better than Keough, who'll play next season at Division II St. Anselm.
"After that game, you'd have had a hard time convincing me who the better player was," Mackey said.
O'Brien's all-around play has OHS one victory from a fourth sectional title in six years. He's averaging around 15 points this season and remains a consistent rebounder and distributor for the Jackets.
And he does it all without changing his facial expression.
"You see some kids yelling at refs and getting technicals, but he plays the game the way it should be played," Mackey said. "He has the right disposition and we've benefited from Dan's leadership."
Added O'Brien, who needs 31 points to reach 1,115 and surpass 2004 graduate Mike Konstanty as OHS' all-time leading scorer: "I think a leader of a team has to keep his composure."
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Rob Centorani can be reached at rcentorani@thedailystar.com or 607-432-1000, ext. 209.
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