Five-star wing Liam McNeeley, the highest-ranked uncommitted player in the 2024 recruiting class, has committed to Connecticut, he announced on social media Friday.
I’m dialed in from Storrs‼️@UConnMBB pic.twitter.com/y7hDGTHpWl
— liammcneeley (@liammcneeley30) April 26, 2024
McNeeley — the No. 18 player in the class, per the 247Sports Composite — previously decommitted from Indiana in March. With Friday’s announcement, he becomes UConn’s third commit in the 2024 class, joining four-star combo guard Ahmad Nowell (No. 31 overall) and four-star wing Isaiah Abraham (No. 82 overall).
The back-to-back national champions are losing at least four starters from this season’s title team, and possibly all five if redshirt sophomore wing Alex Karaban opts to remain in the NBA Draft. McNeeley, though, represents an instant-impact piece for coach Dan Hurley to rebuild his roster with.
At 6 foot 7 and 210 pounds, McNeeley has the size to immediately slot into UConn’s starting lineup — and given his reputation as one of the best shooters in America, that might not be a bad idea. McNeeley was one of six rotating starters this season for Montverde Academy, which won the national high school championship and went undefeated. That Montverde team, whose six starters are all high-major commits, has an argument as the best high school team ever assembled. Along with McNeeley, Montverde had:
- Forward Cooper Flagg, the No. 1 overall recruit in the country, who is committed to Duke;
- Forward Asa Newell, the No. 11 recruit, who is committed to Georgia;
- Center Derik Queen, the No. 13 recruit, who is committed to Maryland;
- Guard Rob Wright, the No. 28 recruit, who is committed to Baylor;
- And guard Curtis Givens, the No. 63 recruit, who is committed to LSU.
McNeeley was third on that team in scoring with 12.5 points per game, to go along with his 3.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. Importantly, McNeeley also made 44 percent of his team-high 155 3-point attempts, cementing his reputation as one of the best long-range shooters in high school hoops.
But McNeeley is more than just a shooter. He has great feel for the game and fit well in Montverde’s college-like system, and he should be able to do the same in UConn’s complex offense. He was one of three Montverde players named a McDonald’s All-American earlier this spring, and he also participated in the Jordan Brand Classic featuring the best NBA prospects in America.
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(Photo: John Jones/ Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
