Dana O’Neil is an ESPN college basketball writer and Penn State graduate. I have always really enjoyed her feature stories, because I think she does a great job finding the human element in sports and writing a story that appeals to a broader audience. There are some incredible stories in college basketball, and I feel that O’Neil has a knack for seeking them out and giving each project its due diligence during her reporting.
My favorite Dana O’Neil story, and one of my favorite features of all time, is this piece on Michigan’s Austin Hatch. (Seriously, this story is unbelievable.) Hatch survived TWO plane crashes during his childhood and lost almost every member of his immediate family in these accidents. Prior to the second crash, Hatch committed to play basketball for the University of Michigan. Despite severe injuries and cognitive delays, the Wolverines honored their commitment to Hatch and he overcame incredible obstacles to play.
This feature is long, and at times it is difficult to read. But, I think that’s how it should be. O’Neil clearly spent weeks with Hatch and his loved ones, listening and learning about the family he lost. This story is about basketball on the surface, but it is much more than that and shows me Dana O’Neil is a beautiful writer and dedicated journalist.
I also loved this piece on NBA prospect Thon Maker. I like O’Neil opens this feature and explains Maker’s unconventional and controversial path to the NBA Draft. With a coach/guardian moving him across borders and to various schools and academies, Maker is largely unknown to NBA scouts because he is skipping collegiate and developmental basketball before declaring for the draft, thanks to a loophole in the age rules.
Once again, I think this story shows the reader how much time O’Neil spends researching and talking to every source she can find before writing. She contacted someone who was ‘formerly involved with an obscure Australian youth basketball academy.’ I admire the tenacity she has to go out and find these people to get the opinions of every relevant party. I also think O’Neil does a nice job of protecting her sources’ privacy without sacrificing the credibility of their word. Although one coach requested to remain unnamed, his quote combined with the words of other coaches and O’Neil’s description of a person create a very complete image of an important character. This is a balance I’m hoping to one day find in my writing, as well.