Hoosier State of Mind
Fansided

Indiana 5-Star Recruit Liam McNeely requests release from his National Letter of Intent.

If Indiana loses out on McNeely, that would be the second blue chip recruit the Woodson staff has missed out on.

By Dante Pryor

Liam McNeely of Montverde Academy drains a three during the championship game of the City of Palms.
Liam McNeely of Montverde Academy drains a three during the championship game of the City of Palms. / Andrew West/The News-Press / USA TODAY
facebooktwitterreddit

McNeely re-opens recruitment

Five-star small forward and Montverde Academy product Liam McNeely officially requested to be released from his National Letter of Intent and re-open his recruitment. The Texas native initially chose Indiana over Kansas, Texas, Alabama, Oklahoma, and others. He signed with IU in October.

On3 has McNeely as the 14th-rated prospect, 6th-rated small forward, and 3rd-rated prospect out of Florida. 247sports has McNeely as the 15th-rated prospect, fourth-rated small forward, and third-rated prospect out of Florida. On3 has McNeely as a four-star recruit, while 247sports has him as a five-star.

He can do it all

“Liam McNeeley can shoot the basketball. That is probably his feature tool, but he is more than just a shooter. With good positional size, 6-foot-7, he can straight-direct a sloppy close-out, knock down a one, and two-dribble pull-up, and is a smart off-ball cutter. McNeeley is a good team defender; he understands footwork and angles well.

He also rotates appropriately and is not afraid to step in and take a charge. While there will be on-the-ball questions, he is good with deflections and defending off the ball. His hips appear a little stiff, which comes into play with some change of direction situations. Mom played D-1 basketball, and so did two uncles and grandfather.” – On3’s Jamie Shaw

Woodson misses...Again

McNeely's decision to open his recruitment again comes after it was announced that head coach Mike Woodson would return for a fourth season. It also puts the Hoosiers in quite a bind for next season. They lost out on center Derik Queen -- a teammate of McNeely -- to Maryland after a nearly two-year courtship.

Trey Galloway and Xavier Johnson are out of eligibility after this season, and center Kel'el Ware and forward Mackenzie Mgbako could be one-and-done in Bloomington. Losing out on McNeely and Queen gives Indiana no recruits in this cycle. The possibility of losing four players with no recruits means Woodson and his staff must look to the transfer portal to fill the roster next year.

Home/basketball recruiting