BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – On Sunday, Indiana landed a commitment from Liam McNeeley, the No. 13 overall prospect in the 2024 class according to the Rivals150.
McNeeley is the Hoosiers' first commitment in the class of 2024. Mike Woodson has now received a commitment from top-20 recruits in three consecutive seasons to begin his tenure at Indiana.
Since taking over the head coaching gig at Indiana, Woodson has developed a strong relationship with the Montverde program. Jalen Hood-Schifino and Malik Reneau were both former five-star recruits out of Montverde.
McNeeley, a 6-foot-8 and 210 pound forward hails from Richardson, Texas.
The most obvious thing about McNeeley's game when you watch him is his incredible shooting ability. McNeeley shot nearly identical percentages from the field and from behind the 3-point line during his junior season with Montverde in the NIBC (National Interscholastic Basketball Conference). McNeeley shot 48% from the field and a staggering 45% from downtown. Simply put, when he's open, it's going in.
What separates McNeeley from other elite shooters at the high school level is his ability to knock down jumpers in multiple different situations. He's a knock down catch and shoot guy, that's clear. But his ability to hit hit shots off the bounce or coming around screens is what makes him a rare shooter for a high schooler.
During McNeeley's junior season with Montverde, the top-15 recruit averaged 13.7 points per game.
During the summer McNeeley played for the Florida Rebels on the Nike EYBL circuit. In 17 games with the Rebels, McNeeley put up nearly 17 points to go along with five rebounds and two assists per game.
There isn't much McNeeley can't do on the offensive side of the floor. Besides his 3-point shooting ability, McNeeley is an excellent driver, he can create for his teammates and he's a solid offensive rebounder as well.
McNeeley's 3-point shooting ability naturally draws a lot of attention from opposing players. He uses that threat to knock down threes from all over the court to put the ball on the floor and attack close outs. Close out too hard on McNeeley and he'll take it right around you where he's a threat to take it all the way to the rack -- where he can finish over, through, or around defenders -- pull-up from the free throw line, or find an open teammate.
McNeeley doesn't look like a high schooler when you watch him play. He rarely gets sped up with the ball in his hands and more often than not, he makes the right play on the offensive end of the floor.
At his size, McNeeley is strong and knows how to use his big frame to his advantage. That helps him on the defensive side of the floor where he's best described as an aggressive pest.
McNeeley has never been labeled as a freak athlete, but that doesn't mean he isn't. He's not the quickest player laterally and he likely won't be tasked with defending small, quick guards at the collegiate level, but McNeeley's a smart defender who seems to be in the right spot more often than not.
It's wingspan that really limits McNeely defensively. McNeeley's 6-foot-7 wingspan is best described as average. His relatively shorter arms hinder his ability to be an effective rim protector and limits his effectiveness at jumping passing lanes.
Because of his wingspan and lack of elite explosiveness, McNeeley has a hard time recovering if he's beaten off the dribble. It's more likely that McNeeley 'guards-up' at the collegiate level than it is that he's into situations where he's the point-of-attack defender.
With the commitment of McNeeley, Indiana has themselves one of the top players in the 2024 class who possesses elite offensive abilities, including a shooting touch that the Hoosiers have lacked for quite some time.
Defensively, McNeeley is not a liability, but he's likely not going to be competing for Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors during his time in Bloomington. Woodson's speciality as a head coach is defense and he has a track record of turning average defenders into lock down defenders.
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