By Sam Vecenie, Greg Rosenstein and Tobias Bass
Five-star forward Liam McNeeley has requested a release from his letter of intent to Indiana, sources close to the situation told The Athletic on Thursday. McNeeley is a McDonald’s All-American ranked No. 16 overall in the 2024 class, according to 247 Sports.
The news comes one day after multiple sources confirmed Hoosiers coach Mike Woodson would return next year despite a lackluster 2023-24 season. Indiana is 17-13 overall, 9-10 in the Big Ten and barring a late run will not make the NCAA Tournament.
McNeeley, who plays at Montverde Academy in Florida, chose the Hoosiers in October over Kansas.
He is Indiana’s only recruit signed for next season’s class.
How big of a deal is this?
McNeeley originally chose the Hoosiers over Kansas but also considered Alabama, Texas, Michigan and Oklahoma.
With this decommitment, there are now three McDonald’s All-Americans available including No. 19 Karter Knox, No. 26 Bryson Tucker and now McNeeley.
I don’t expect the 6-foot-7 forward to be available too long, but for now McNeeley is kickstarting the spring cycle that should filled with major coaching changes and transfer portal additions.
This move comes late, but a year ago Ron Holland, Chris Johnson, Silar Demary Jr. and a few others found new homes in the spring and summer. McNeeley will be one of the most sought after prospects via the portal or uncommitted 2024 recruits. — Tobias Bass, basketball recruiting writer
Why is McNeeley so sought-after as a recruit?
McNeeley is rated as a five-star player by most recruiting services, and that is a fair assessment of his game. The 6-foot-7 wing, originally from Richardson, Texas, is seen as arguably the best shooter in the 2024 class. He has real size to shoot over the top of defenders closing out and pristine mechanics with very little wasted motion. His shot prep is terrific, his release is compact and his follow through is pure. He also has the results to back it up. In 23 tracked games this season per Synergy, McNeeley hit 50.8 percent of his 118 3s at Florida powerhouse Montverde. In 20 tracked games last season, he hit 47.8 percent.
Beyond that, McNeeley’s feel for the game is outstanding. He moves exceptionally well without the ball and knows how to come off of screens to create open looks across all three levels depending on how the defense plays him. He’s a sharp passer within the flow of the offense even if he’s not a particularly adept shot creator on his own off the bounce. I also think he’s fairly underrated on defense, where his general basketball IQ and willingness to be physical allow him to play above his physical athletic tools, which aren’t incredible.
He’ll need to shoot the lights out next year to do it and keep working on his overall quickness athletically, but he is seen as a potential one-and-done in the 2025 NBA Draft because of his long-distance marksmanship. — Sam Vecenie, NBA Draft writer
What does this mean for Indiana?
Well, let’s not sugarcoat this. It’s pretty disastrous. The Hoosiers have a very real case as the worst 3-point shooting team at the high-major level in 2023-24. The team does not generate easy looks, and only has one player on the team who has taken at least 30 3-point attempts and made at least 35 percent of them. Simply put, they just don’t space the floor well, and that’s a significant problem given that Mike Woodson has been clear about wanting to play through the post. To do that effectively, the post players need room in the middle of the court. The easiest way to do that is to surround them with real shooters. McNeeley would have provided an excellent one that defenders have to pay attention to. To lose him isn’t just bad optically, it’s a significant loss in terms of what the Hoosiers need to turn around the program.
Speaking of Woodson and optics, it’s impossible not to at least recognize the timing of this decision. It was confirmed yesterday that Woodson would return for the 2024-25 season, a choice that seems to have frustrated an Indiana fanbase that has been forced to watch an offense that resembles someone attempting to flush a clogged toilet repeatedly all season.
And frankly, given that context, it’s hard to blame McNeeley for choosing to re-open his recruitment. This is a player that thrives running off of screens and creating 3-point chances. As much as the Hoosiers need McNeeley, McNeeley doesn’t necessarily need them. And nothing about the Indiana offense this season has seemed to foster a situation that would allow him to achieve his best potential. — Vecenie
Where could McNeeley end up next?
McNeeley’s original recruitment was seen at the end as a two-horse race between Kansas and Indiana. And if you’re looking at this from McNeeley’s perspective, Kansas just makes a lot more sense for him. The team just had Gradey Dick, a similar floor-spacer with size, get drafted in the lottery last season by the Toronto Raptors. This season, 6-foot-9 wing Johnny Furphy, another tall shooter, is seen as a potential one-and-done first-round pick. The Kansas program has done a great job of evaluating and developing players like this in recent years. And beyond that, the offense fits McNeeley’s game like a glove. It would make all the sense in the world for McNeeley to end up committing to Kansas.
Beyond Kansas, Texas was also involved, as was Arkansas, Florida and a few other high-major schools.
McNeeley immediately becomes the highest-rated uncommitted recruit in the 2024 recruiting class, so expect a significant number of schools to reach out.
Required reading
(Photo: John Jones / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
