Liam McNeeley is a highly touted Montverde prospect who is one of the best shooters in the Class of 2024. His recruitment is now re-opened after requesting a release of his National Letter of Intent from Indiana. This comes on the heels of Mike Woodson reportedly being safe with the Hoosiers following a disappointing season.
For Indiana, McNeeley was their prize possession. He was lobbying hard to get his high school teammate Derik Queen to join the Hoosiers with him. Queen ultimately chose Maryland and now the Hoosiers miss out on McNeeley too.
Liam McNeeley Likely to Join Blue Blood
High School Career
McNeeley is currently ranked 16th in the nation on 247sports. He is part of the undefeated Montverde team that is heavily favored to win Chipotle Nationals. McNeeley is most known for his clutch shooting ability. Anyone who tunes into Montverde games knows that when they need a bucket, it’ll likely be a deep wing three by McNeeley.
He is a bigger-bodied wing who can really play the three or four at the college level. He is listed at 6’7 210 pounds and is solidly built. McNeeley is currently averaging 12.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.9 assists on 51/46/80 shooting splits. Shooting 46% from deep on a high volume is a highly coveted ability.
McNeeley’s Options
Prior to signing with Indiana, McNeeley was considering Kansas, Texas, Alabama, and Arkansas. He only took official visits to Kansas, Texas, and Indiana.
Liam is from Richardson, Texas so starting there, that seems to give Texas a shot. The Longhorns recruiting class is mainly comprised of top 10 player Tre Johnson. If McNeeley joined Johnson, the Longhorns would have a heck of a class. McNeeley would start right away and be one of the leading scorers for the Longhorns.
The other team that really caught McNeeley’s eye is the Kansas Jayhawks. Certainly, Bill Self is historically one of the strongest recruiters and is known for swooping in to steal players. Sorry, Hoosier fans.
Kansas is actually an interesting/surprising spot. The Jayhawks have three guys signed for next season; most notably, Flory Bidunga, one of the top bigs in the class. Joining Bidunga are Rakease Passmore and Labaron Philon who will likely take up some backcourt minutes. The interesting piece is Kansas has a very small returning roster. Obviously, Hunter Dickinson, Kevin McCullar, Dajuan Harris, and Nick Timberlake are all moving on. Additionally, Johnny Furphy has taken Big 12 play by storm and may have played himself into a first-round draft pick. Removing those five players leaves KJ Adams and Elmarko Jackson on the roster.
All that is to say, Liam McNeeley could easily be the best player on the Jayhawks next year. Certainly, the transfer portal is going to frequently receive calls from the Lawrence, Kansas area code as well.
Liam McNeeley, Welcome to Lawrence
For all the college basketball fans out there, Trilly Donovan has been a popular Twitter follow. Following McNeeley’s surprise decommittment, Trilly went to Twitter.
Bill Self is a f***ing gangster.
— Trilly Donovan (@trillydonovan) March 8, 2024
So, safe to say, Jayhawk fans can expect a new player to be announced in the near future.
