Liam McNeeley bringing ‘something missing that we needed’ to Indiana basketball next year

Liam McNeeley is still about six months away from arriving in Bloomington but his future head coach is already talking about what he can bring to the Indiana basketball program; shooting.

McNeeley was 52-of-116 (44.8%) from the 3-point line as a junior at Montverde (Fla.) Academy a season ago. He averaged 13.7 points and was second in the NIBC averaging 2.2 made 3s per game.

Playing for Florida Rebels on the Nike EYBL Circuit this summer, McNeeley averaged 16.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game across 17 games. He shot 37 percent from three (30-of-81).

This season, Indiana is shooting 27.2 percent from three, making just 3.4 3s per game. Indiana is getting outscored 234 – 93 on 3s by opponents. So it’s no surprise that Indiana basketball head coach Mike Woodson is excited to get his newest five-star wing on campus.

“I just think it’s going to be a major plus for our program because he can really shoot the basketball, and we don’t really have that right now,” Woodson said during his weekly radio show on Monday. “It was something missing that we needed, and we got to go out and continue to find kids who can make shots.”

McNeeley is the fourth five-star prospect to commit to Indiana under Mike Woodson. He is the second-highest prospect to commit to Indiana since 2018.

His ability to not only be college-ready mentally but also physically is going to be critical for Indiana next season and his ability to produce immediately.

“He does all the necessary things on and off the floor but I just like the fact that he competes. He likes to compete. He can shoot the ball. He can pass the ball. He handles the basketball. There’s a lot of quality things that he does on the floor and we’re fortunate enough to get him,” Woodson said. ” … I’ll put it this way, I think he’s college ready from a physical standpoint.”

Indiana held off Kansas, most notably, for the five-star talent. He also had offers from Michigan, Texas, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and numerous others.

“Their consistency has never wavered for the time that they have been recruiting me,” McNeeley told HoosierIllustrated.com this fall.

That consistency was echoed by Woodson and his key assistant coach who led the recruitment.

“Brian Walsh,” Woodson said. “He did a hell of a job recruiting him.”

Currently McNeeley is the lone commit and signee for Indiana basketball in the 2024 class.

SEE ALSO: ‘The winds have shifted towards’ Indiana basketball in recruitment of key 2024 5-star target

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