Liam McNeeley

Liam McNeeley
No. 30 – UConn Huskies
PositionSmall forward
LeagueBig East Conference
Personal information
Born (2005-10-10) October 10, 2005 (age 19)
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegeUConn (2024–present)
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Men's basketball
FIBA Americas Under-16 Championship
Gold medal – first place 2021 Mexico Team

Liam T. McNeeley (born October 10, 2005) is an American basketball player for the UConn Huskies of the Big East Conference.

Early life and high school

McNeeley grew up in Richardson, Texas and initially attended J. J. Pearce High School. He transferred to John Paul II High School in Plano, Texas after his freshman year.[1] McNeeley averaged 17 points, nine rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks per game as a sophomore.[2] After the season, McNeeley transferred a second time to Montverde Academy in Montverde, Florida.[3] He averaged 13.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.2 steals in National Interscholastic Basketball Conference (NIBC) competition in his first season at Montverde.[4] McNeeley averaged 12.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game for his senior year. McNeeley was selected to play in the 2024 McDonald's All-American Boys Game during his senior year.[5]

Recruiting

McNeeley is a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2024 class, according to major recruiting services.[6] He committed to play college basketball at Indiana after considering offers from Kansas and Texas.[7][8] McNeeley signed a National Letter of Intent (NLI) to play for the Hoosiers on November 8, 2023, during the early signing period.[9] However, he requested a release from his NLI on March 7, 2024, shortly after Indiana announced that they would retain head coach Mike Woodson.[10] McNeeley committed to UConn on April 26, 2024.[11]

College career

McNeeley enrolled at the University of Connecticut in June 2024 in order to take part in the Huskies' summer practices.[12]

National team career

McNeeley played for the United States national under-16 team at the 2021 FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship.[13] He averaged 5.7 points and 5.0 rebounds per game as the United States won the gold medal.[14]

Personal life

McNeeley's great-grandfather, grandfather, mother, and two of his uncles played college basketball.[15]

References

  1. ^ McFarland, Shawn (November 24, 2021). "John Paul II's Liam McNeeley shows why he's a five-star recruit at Dallas Mavericks Fall Classic". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  2. ^ Rabjohns, Jeff (October 10, 2023). "5-star forward Liam McNeeley will announce on Sunday". 247Sports.com. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  3. ^ "John Paul II five-star recruit Liam McNeeley transfers to Montverde Academy (Fla.)". The Dallas Morning News. June 2, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  4. ^ "KU basketball recruiting: Liam McNeeley will visit Jayhawks". The Kansas City Star. August 29, 2023. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  5. ^ "Tre Johnson, Liam McNeeley make 2024 McDonald's All American game". The Dallas Morning News. January 23, 2024. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  6. ^ Bedore, Gary (September 6, 2023). "Here's a recruiting update on three high school prospects who visited KU last weekend". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  7. ^ Borzello, Jeff; Biancardi, Paul (October 15, 2023). "Indiana lands commitment from 5-star forward Liam McNeeley". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  8. ^ dvorak, jt (October 15, 2023). "What Liam McNeeley IU commitment says about J.T Dvorak in recruiting". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  9. ^ "Indiana signs Liam McNeely, fourth-highest recruit in program history". The Herald-Times. November 8, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  10. ^ Vecenie, Sam; Rosenstein, Greg; Bass, Tobias (March 7, 2024). "Five-star recruit Liam McNeeley decommits from Indiana, per sources: Why this is disastrous for Hoosiers". The Athletic. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  11. ^ "Hurley, UConn land No. 9 overall recruit McNeeley". ESPN.com. 2024-04-26. Retrieved 2024-04-27.
  12. ^ "Dan Hurley says UConn's Liam McNeeley can be one of nation's top freshmen, and he'll make it known". Hartford Courant. July 10, 2024. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  13. ^ "Duncanville's Ron Holland, John Paul II's Liam McNeeley named to USA Basketball U16 national team". The Dallas Morning News. August 16, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  14. ^ Fowler, Chapel (April 2, 2022). "5-star recruits who Duke basketball Jon Scheyer are targeting for 2024". The Fayetteville Observer. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  15. ^ Simon, Bryce (July 24, 2023). "Liam McNeeley Looks to Take Family Legacy to Even Greater Heights". SI.com. Retrieved November 12, 2023.