By Nick Pantages
@nick_pantages22
When Montverde guard Liam McNeeley suits up in the iconic red and white jerseys donned by the Indiana Hoosiers next fall, it will be the next chapter of a four generation basketball dynasty that has nothing to do with their five NCAA national titles.
McNeeley’s mother’s side, the Elsey family, accounts for most of this basketball prowess. It began with Gordon, who played two years at Tulsa University in the late 1940s, before getting drafted to the US Air Force. Chuck Elsey was the next in line, as he suited up for the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs in a two year career, ultimately having his career derailed by an ACL tear.
Two of Chuck’s children, Ashley Elsey and Chad Elsey continued the Texas college tradition. Ashley, McNeeley’s mother, suited up for Rice from 1994-1996, while his uncle Chad went to Southern Methodist in Dallas, and later transferred to Baylor in a career spanning from 1997-2001.
After initially including the University of Texas in his top six, McNeeley decided against continuing the Texas tradition, choosing Indiana over Kansas in Oct. of last year. Basketball is engraved in the family’s history, and McNeeley is next in line to continue that.
“Basketball is such a huge part of my family, it always has been and it always will be,” McNeeley said. “Just carrying on that legacy means a lot to me. It’s what I love to do and what my family loves to do.”
Although he is the first one to leave Texas for collegiate basketball since his great-grandfather 75 years ago, McNeeley’s family is perfectly okay with his decision to enroll at Indiana.
“[Indiana] was just the best opportunity for me,” he said. “They want me to do what’s best for me, they understand it.”
In Bloomington, the Hoosiers can expect a talented three-level scorer with great size at 6-foot-8 who can do a bit of everything.
In Saturday’s clash with Brewster Academy, McNeeley registered nine points, connecting on a three along with a couple finishes with both his left and right at the rim, the swingman making it look easy. Along with that, he registered a pair of rebounds as well as a block and a steal, but his contributions defensively were so much more than that.
His hustle was the main thing that stuck out, diving into courtside tables twice. Combined with his elite defensive instincts, and you have a player who is going to impact the game in a lot of different ways next season.
“I’m going to bring versatility, being a great teammate, shooting, just going to try to do everything I can to win,” McNeeley said.
For now though, McNeeley is just focused on helping Montverde win the national title again.
“We all have one goal, and that’s to win every game and win the national championship,” McNeeley said. “So we are all gonna do whatever it takes.”
Since head coach Kevin Boyle took over the program, the Eagles have won seven of 10 national championships, and it appears that the Eagles might just make it eight for 11. They are a perfect 17-0 this year, with just one win coming by single digits, lining them up to be one of the most dominant high school teams of all time.
Boyle possesses a stacked roster, consisting of six of the top 50 players in ESPN’s rankings. The amount of quality players also helps McNeeley and the rest of the Eagles prepare for college.
“College is obviously a step up, and everybody in college is better than everybody in high school. Just playing with that amount of talent is like playing on a college team. You have to know your role and know how to play it,” McNeeley said.
As the number 13 recruit in the ESPN top 100 for the class of 2024, McNeeley is surely going to be on the radar of a number of NBA teams for the 2025 draft, if he decides to go one-and-done. The Hoosiers have a number of very successful NBA players, including two NBA Hall-of-famers in Walt Bellamy, who was enshrined in the class of ‘93 and the great Isiah Thomas, considered one of the best collegiate and professional point guards of all time, and inducted into the class of ‘00.
The Hoosiers also have seven players currently on NBA rosters, including a pair of rookies. Coach Mike Woodson gets players to the NBA, and McNeeley is surely going to be no different.
“Coach Woody is a great coach, he’s been around the NBA for a long time, so he knows what it takes,” McNeeley said. “He’s going to push me to get there.”
The last step for McNeeley’s recruitment is to secure another commitment for the Hoosiers, one of his teammate, Derik Queen.
Queen is one of the top uncommitted players in the class of 2024, and he recently included Indiana in his top four, along with Kansas, Maryland and Houston. From the day he committed, McNeeley has been campaigning for his best friend Queen to join him in college and play at Assembly Hall, saying on the ESPN broadcast during his announcement, “My first call will be to the man right here, Derik Queen. We need Derik Queen to come be a Hoosier.”
McNeeley and Queen’s relationship is strong on and off the court, giving just another reason for McNeeley’s desire for the duo to link up again in college.
“He’s a great teammate, he’s my best friend and he’s my brother. But he’s the most dominant player in high school basketball when he gets in the post. So people will have to double him and leave me open in the corner,” McNeeley said.
If the two reconnect at Indiana, the Hoosiers will likely become the team to beat in the Big Ten conference for the 24-25 season, allowing McNeeley to continue his family’s collegiate basketball legacy.
Photo by Liam Reilly/The Student