By SAM LANCE & ADAM ZAGORIA
Five-star small forward Liam McNeeley has officially signed with two-time NCAA champion UConn after committing last Friday.
“Liam is one of the best players in high school basketball, and we are tremendously excited to add him to our UConn family,” head coach Dan Hurley said. “He is blessed with elite skill and positional size, along with the championship pedigree that we so value at Connecticut. Liam has the potential to be a star here.”
McNeeley, the 6-foot-7, 210-pound wing from Montverde Academy (FL), was one of two available five-star recruits in the 2024 class. He has since been joined by Saint Mary’s transfer guard Aidan Mahaney, who committed Monday.
“It felt like a perfect fit,” McNeeley told ESPN.com. “There’s no reason we can’t contend for a three-peat.”
“Liam is a born leader, communicator, and winner,” Montverde assistant coach Kevin Boyle Jr. told ZAGSBLOG. “He is known for his pure shooting ability but he’s also very capable driving to score at the rim coming off screens and dribble hand offs. Most plays that weren’t run for him here we used him as the passer because he’s got a great ability to connect with open teammates and feed the post.”
McNeeley could bring an Alex Karaban-type game to UConn with his toughness and long-range shooting ability. Karaban is testing the NBA waters, while retaining his college eligibility. UConn is losing freshman guard Steph Castle and sophomore big man Donovan Clingan to the NBA Draft, but has Michigan transfer forward Tarris Reed Jr. coming in to help offset the loss of Clingan. McNeeley is the No. 16 prospect in the country per 247Sports. He averaged 16.8 points and 5.1 rebounds per game in 17 games on the EYBL circuit and was also named a McDonald’s All-American and won Chipotle Nationals with Montverde. “He rebounds and competes on the glass,” Boyle Jr. added. “Most notably he plays his best in big games. Every game we had against a major opponent this season he was the best or second best player on the court.” With McNeeley off the board some of the top high school prospects remaining include five-star center Jayden Quaintance and four-star guard Labaron Philon, who requested his NLI release from Kansas. Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter Follow ZAGSBLOGHoops on Instagram And Like ZAGS on FacebookThat Montverde connection 💥
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Liam McNeeley and Cooper Flagg connect for the alley-oop jam!
Watch @JordanClassic on the NBA App: https://t.co/nEfAkhCtXB pic.twitter.com/Acjz6wXGfc
