NEW YORK — After Liam McNeeley went for a career-high 26 points on 7-of-13 shooting in UConn’s 77-71 win over Gonzaga on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden, NBA scouts were thinking the exact same thing as Huskies head coach Dan Hurley.
“UConn is a better fit for him than Indiana,” one scout told NJ Advance Media in the aftermath of the game, referencing McNeeley’s decision to flip from Indiana to UConn last April.
It sure looks like it.
The 6-foot-7 freshman forward from Richardson, Texas looked right at home under the bright lights of the Garden — coming up big in front of a huge pro-UConn crowd at “Storrs South.”
“I’d never played in the Mecca before and it was a great first experience,” the 19-year-old McNeeley said.
He became the first UConn freshman to score 25 or more in a game since 2015 and the third over the last 20 years. On Monday, he was named Big East Freshman of the Week for the third time this season.
“Liam McNeeley is like born to replace Cam Spencer,” Hurley said after the Gonzaga game.
Indeed, after UConn lost four players to the NBA, including Spencer, the Rutgers transfer, McNeeley now ranks second to Alex Karaban in scoring at UConn (13.6 ppg) and second to Michigan transfer Tarris Reed in rebounding (6.1 rpg). He’s shooting 43% from the field and 34% from deep, and is considered a potential lottery pick in next summer’s NBA Draft.
ESPN college basketball analyst Fran Fraschilla, who has a home in Dallas, is very familiar with the Texas native and said McNeeley is “without a doubt” a better fit at UConn than he would’ve been at Indiana.
“With all due respect to Indiana, they haven’t accomplished what Dan Hurley’s done in the last two years,” Fraschilla said Monday by phone. “In fact, the reason he’s a better fit is because that kid probably looked at Cam Spencer in one year with Danny, and said, ‘Oh my goodness, if I could do what Cam Spencer did as a 5th-year guy, and I’m only going to be a freshman, it’s going to really help my career.’
“And no disrespect to Mike Woodson, whose track record in Indiana right now is spotty, but Liam McNeeley is the second coming of Cam Spencer and [five] years younger.”
Spencer, who recently put up 51 points for the Memphis Hustle of the NBA G League, was a huge piece to UConn’s second straight championship last season, and was an extension of Hurley on the court. He started all 40 contests and averaged 14.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game while ranking fifth in the NCAA at 44% from 3-point range.
“Liam is every bit the talent Cam was, and that’s not a knock on Cam Spencer,” Fraschilla said. “But he’s got the same type of competitive juice, and he’s just a more skilled, talented player, four or five years younger.”
McNeeley played on a loaded Montverde (FL) Academy team last season under New Jersey native and coaching legend Kevin Boyle. That team, which ranks among Boyle’s best ever, features four players now considered potential lottery picks in Cooper Flagg of Duke, the projected No. 1 pick, Asa Newell of Georgia, Derik Queen of Maryland and McNeeley. It also featured Baylor freshman guard Robert Wright III.
“To me, McNeeley is a prospect with a high floor—he will be solid at the very least,” NBA Draft analyst Matt Babcock said by phone. “Unlike guys like Flagg, [Ace] Bailey, [Dylan] Harper, and [Egor] Demin with star potential, I see McNeeley as a high-level complementary player rather than a go-to premier guy. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing—he checks a lot of boxes. I like him as a pro prospect and think he’ll have plenty of suitors come June.”
For now, McNeeley is fitting right in at UConn as the second coming of Cam Spencer.
And it sure looks like his decision to choose the Huskies was the right one.
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Adam Zagoria is a freelance reporter who covers Seton Hall and NJ college basketball for NJ Advance Media. You may follow him on Twitter @AdamZagoria and check out his Website at ZAGSBLOG.com.
