Montverde Academy forward and top-10 prospect Liam McNeeley committed to UConn after previously de-committing from Indiana.
Top-20 2024 Recruit Commits to UConn
Liam McNeeley will join UConn in the 2024-25 season as they look to complete college basketball’s first three-peat since Bob Wooden’s legendary seven-season championship run with UCLA 57 years ago. McNeeley joins four-star guard Ahmad Nowell from Imhotep Charter (PA) and four-star wing Isaiah Abraham from Paul VI (VA).
UConn has lost much of its starpower from last season’s title-winning squad, with Donovan Clingan and Stephon Castle projected as lottery-round picks, while Alex Karaban, Tristen Newton, and Cam Spencer should all get picked up in the later stages of the draft.
It means that UConn head coach Dan Hurley could come to rely a lot on McNeeley, a 6’8″ small forward recognized for his sharp shooting and intelligent offensive play.
I’m dialed in from Storrs‼️@UConnMBB pic.twitter.com/y7hDGTHpWl
— liammcneeley (@liammcneeley30) April 26, 2024
“It felt like a perfect fit. Coach Hurley is a hard-nosed coach. That’s the kind of coach I thrive under,” McNeeley told ESPN after announcing his commitment. “The offensive system they run is perfect for my game. The culture of the team. The sets they run. They will help me get better on both sides of the ball. The whole coaching staff are good people.
“My main goal is to win a national championship,” he continued. “UConn is on a roll right now. They’ve gone back-to-back, so there’s no reason we can’t contend for a three-peat.”
His commitment to the UConn Huskies follows his de-commitment from Indiana, which McNeeley called “a business decision.”
“It was definitely difficult, but I’ve got to do what’s best for me and my family,” McNeeley told the Indiana Daily Student.
The decommitment is likely rooted in a difference in McNeeley and Hoosiers head coach Mike Woodson’s styles. McNeeley is a solid perimeter shooter who thrives off handoffs and is an elite shooter both off the dribble and off the catch. However, Woodson has prioritized landing creators and playmakers who can space the floor with their dribble and passing. McNeeley would have been Indiana’s fourth-best recruit in history.
Future Looks Exciting For UConn and McNeeley
With UConn already reloading with both their recruitment and in the transfer portal, the future looks exciting for both the storied basketball program and their star recruit McNeeley.
McNeeley is already projected as a lottery pick in early 2025 NBA mock drafts, mainly due to his offensive skills, ability to guard a variety of sizes and positions, and outstanding feel for the game. He’ll also see a lot of the ball on offense, especially with the departure of UConn’s shooting corps.
UConn is already getting active in the transfer portal after landing #9 2024 recruit McNeeley. They will reportedly host Dayton guard Koby Brea, who averaged 11.1 points per game on 51/50/88 shooting splits. Saint Mary’s guard Aidan Mahaney, averaging 13.9 points per game on 39/35/81 shooting, will also tour the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion.
“You enjoy the success, you enjoy what we’ve built and I think you do have a responsibility if right now you have a top program, we obviously have got to put ourselves out there and continue to grow our brand and make UConn basketball as big as we could possibly make it,” head coach Dan Hurley told the Hartford Courant. “In the NIL place that we’re at in this sport, I think it’s critically important that we grow everything about our program across the board.”
