© Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports
Mark Pope needs to try and land this talented 2024 recruit
This recruit would be a perfect addition to Kentucky's roster.
Newly hired Kentucky basketball coach Mark Pope is looking to add talent to the 2024-25 roster, which is nearly empty aside from Collin Chandler.
Coach Pope runs a very interesting style of offense that has a lot to do with moving the basketball around, which leads to open shots. Part of this means you need to have knockdown three-point shooters, which is exactly what Coach Pope is looking to add.
One player who would make perfect sense in Pope's offense is five-star 2024 recruit Liam McNeeley, who recently was released from his NLI with Indiana.
McNeeley participated in the McDonald's All-American game and is an elite three-point shooter.
He is also a bigger wing, standing 6'7, which helps him get to the rim when he wants to put the ball on the floor.
There have been reports that Pope has been in touch with McNeeley, who would be a perfect fit. McNeeley is being pursued by some of the best schools in college hoops, so it won't be an easy battle for Coach Pope to win.
Here is Adam Finkelstein of 247Sports scouting report on McNeeley, "Liam McNeeley has one of the best combinations of skill and basketball acumen in the national class. He came up the ranks known as a shooter – and for good reason as he has clean mechanics, a compact release, and shot over 40% from behind the three-point line in both the NIBC and EYBL seasons – but he’s far more versatile than just a specialist. He’s particularly adept at coming off screens, making instinctual reads, and then attacking defenders while they are on the move. That can mean movement threes, but it can also mean curls, dribble penetration, and an ability to get downhill at times. McNeeley has a high natural feel for the game and is a good passer who can also facilitate for others around him. In fact, Montverde frequently made him the featured player of their half-court offense during his junior season and relied on his ability to make decisions with the ball in his hands, not necessarily as a primary ball-handler, but as the first domino in many of their actions. Physically, he’s not especially long or athletic, but he has legit size at over 6-foot-7 with his shoes on, a sturdy base, and increasingly strong and cut upper body. He’s made strides being able to stay in front of more athletic wings on the defensive end, in large part because he’s aware enough to be in the right spots and take the right angles. Overall, McNeeley may not have the ideal physical measurables of a prototypical five-star prospect, but he is one of the most consistently productive and reliable basketball players in the class."
