After a season, Liam McNeeley leaves UConn to enter the NBA concept of 2025, the 6-foot-7, 210 pounds announced on Tuesday. The 19-year-old is a potential lottery pick after he was named Big East First-year student of the year.
Liam McNeeley has always dreamed of playing in the NBA
In 27 games, McNeeley had an average of 14.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 32.1 minutes per match during the shooting of 38.1% out of the field, 31.7% from 3-point range and 86.6% with the free world line.
“It has been a dream of playing in the NBA,” McNeeley told Jonathan Givony of ESPN. “I have waited a long time at the moment.
“We had so much fun, and I wouldn’t exchange it for something in the world. My goal was to win a national championship. That didn’t happen, but I learned as much as a player and person during my time there.”
News: Uconn’s Liam McNeeley, the Big East Freshman of the Year and a projected lottery, will enter the NBA design of 2025, he said ESPN. pic.twitter.com/S3ZMRCHPVE
– Jonathan Givony (@draftexpress) April 1, 2025
The Texas resident was also selected in the third team All-Big East. He told Givony that playing under UConn head coach Dan Hurley “The best thing that could have happened to me.”
“He is very intense and forced me to work outside my comfort zone and to get better as a player and person,” McNeeley added. “NBA teams saw that I am a real competitor. I bring toughness. I can clean up and shoot the floor, play a little. I am a man who will have a loud nose and will do the dirty work. Someone who will do everything he can to win.”
McNeeley returned for the NCAA tournament after ankle injury
In UConn’s 70-66 Road victory on Creighton on 11 February, McNeeley registered a career-high 38 points on 12-or-22 (54.5%) shooting from the floor, 5-of-10 (50%) of deep and 9-of-10 (90%) with the fault line.
According to college basketball reference, McNeeley 14th ended up in the Big East in points per match, 12th in rebounds per match, 13th in defensive rebounds (136), second in free throw percentage, seventh in free throws made and eighth in the user percentage (25.6%).
McNeeley missed for some time because of a high ankle disease but returned on time for the NCAA tournament, where he led the huskies with 22 points in a loss of second round to Florida.
Of course McNeeley was ranked as a five -star perspective after 44% of his shots from outside the arch during his senior season at Cooper Flagg’s Montverde Academy, but he could not match his long -term accuracy at university level.
