Liam McNeeley Looks to Take Family Legacy to Even Greater Heights
“Basketball has always been a part of my life and part of my family's life, we've always been around it and one of those things we 100% know,” Liam McNeeley told Draft Digest in an exclusive interview.
A mother who played Division I basketball? Check.
A grandfather who played Division I basketball? Check.
A great grandfather who played Division I basketball? Check.
Two uncles who also played Division I basketball? Check and check.
It might be two years before you hear Liam McNeeley’s name on the night of the 2025 NBA Draft, but it’s a name that high school, college and NBA fans should get very familiar with.
The 6-foot-8 McNeeley is currently ranked No. 8 overall in the 2024 college recruiting class by 247sports.com and No. 7 in their composite rankings.
After a summer dominating the EYBL circuit for the Florida Rebels, trying out for the USA U19 FIBA team, and an impressive performance at the NBPA Top 100 Camp, it would come as no surprise if he continues to climb in those rankings.
Nobody describes his game better than McNeeley himself.
“I try to be a very versatile player that can play many positions within different sets and systems. I work to be a great teammate and super positive player, the type of player who is going to try and make the right play every time.”
The do-it-all combo forward put this on full display at the Top 100 Camp in early July where he finished in the top 20 in points, rebounds, assists and steals while also getting to the free throw line over five times per game (30-of-34 for 88%).
The soon-to-be senior put up impressive numbers throughout the entirety of the EYBL season but had his best weekend during session four in Memphis with scoring outputs of 30, 28, 25 and 20 points while shooting 50% from beyond the 3-point line.
In totality, minus Peach Jam, McNeely averaged over 15 points on 45-42-83 shooting splits to go along with over four rebounds and just under two assists.
His mother, Ashley Elsey, described his game for us and highlighted the variety of ways in which he can get his buckets, along with a continued emphasis on the multitude of ways he can impact a game.
“He wants to make winning plays and be a great teammate. He has a million different ways to score and when you absolutely need a rebound and the game is on the line he will come down with it," she said.
McNeeley is truly a complete scorer that can play with his back to the basket, operate ball screens and draw fouls, but it is his all around value on the floor that makes him the unquestioned best player in the family.
“No question, hands down” from Ashley Elsey, and “He’s the best one” from grandfather, Chuck Elsey.
This is high praise coming from a family where the talent runs so deep that McNeeley will become a fourth generation NCAA Division I basketball player in the fall of 2024.
The tradition started in the late 1940s with McNeeley’s great grandfather, Gordon Elsey, playing at the University of Tulsa.
As Chuck Elsey explained to us, his father would only play two years at Tulsa before leaving because he knew he was going to get drafted into the military and therefore joined the Air Force so he could make the decision on which branch of the military he would serve.
Unfortunately, Chuck Elsey’s own college career was cut short for reasons outside of his control as well.
“I went to four high schools in four years. I started varsity as a freshman at JJ Pearce High School in Richardson, TX, before going to Bixby, OK as a sophomore where I played with Butch Davis. My junior year we moved to Anchorage, AK and this is where I met my eventual wife, Lori. I then finished my high school career in Louisiana,” Chuck Elsey outlined to Draft Digest.
Chuck Elsey (#42) and brother, Neil (#40), at Dimond HS in Anchorage, AK.
It was during that senior year in Louisiana when Chuck Elsey tore his ACL returning a punt in football. ACL reconstruction was not nearly as progressive as what we have now which led to him playing his entire freshman season at TCU with it torn.
At the time freshman still only played on freshman teams, and Chuck Elsey made the most of it, averaging 23 points and 14 rebounds including a 40-point single game performance vs Baylor.
While McNeeley was hesitant to agree, his mother Ashley Elsey may be the most athletic of the group. Basketball may not have been the love of her life as early but it did become a major priority for her as she was about to enter high school.
“I didn’t start taking basketball seriously until 8th grade. I was on JV my freshman year at Marcus High School in Sugar Land, TX and then varsity as a sophomore. We ended up being 31-3 my senior year and the first team from our school to make the playoffs. I was not heavily recruited but did have some opportunities and ultimately chose to play on scholarship at Rice because of their academics.”
Ashley Elsey’s accomplishments have continued beyond her playing days. She is a successful single mother of two, Ava (21 in October) studies psychology at the University of Texas, and has built her own business. Minerva Consulting is a communications consulting firm that just celebrated its 20th anniversary. She has developed the business from three people to over 20 and works with anyone from Southwest Airlines to nonprofits that focus on trafficking and homelessness.
The list of DI hoopers doesn’t stop there.
Ashley Elsey’s brother, Chad Elsey, was a two time all-state player in high school before continuing his playing career at SMU and Baylor. His roommate at SMU was another uncle to McNeeley - Josh Ihde, married to Ashley Elsey’s sister, Jesse - that played on the Mustangs basketball team.
(Left to Right): Chad Elsey, Josh Ihde, David Elsey (nephew), Eli Ihde (nephew), Liam McNeeley, Chuck Elsey
The basketball influences on McNeeley continue outside of his immediate family, though.
“My early basketball career Jimmy Emmers coached me from 3rd grade to 10th grade. We formed a really close relationship, he helped me get out of my shell and forced me to be a more confident and better leader and I'll always thank him for that.”
Liam McNeeley and Jimmy Emmers
Growing up McNeeley played multiple sports including flag football, baseball, soccer and track. But he fell in love with the game of basketball at age three. Many people may think he was forced into it based on the family history and culture, but he was quick to push back.
“I fell in love with it on my own, basketball is the only thing I can think about since I was three years old. I love it to this day just as much,” McNeeley said.
McNeeley attended JJ Pearce HS his freshman season, just like his grandfather, and then had a successful sophomore season at John Paul II in Plano, TX that resulted in a state championship. At this point the NIBC schools had already started calling and Ashley Elsey explains how quickly Montverde Academy rose to the top of the list.
“He had done well after sophomore year and he wanted the next challenge, prep schools had been reaching out and we explored a couple. Liam got on the Zoom with Montverde coaches and they were geeking out together about basketball so it felt like a great fit for him.”
The day in and day out intensity of high level basketball was the most intriguing aspect of the transfer for McNeeley.
“The Montverde decision was a really good decision, Coach Boyle does a great job,” said Chuck Elsey about making the call to transfer.
Kevin Boyle is the Head Boys basketball coach at Montverde Academy and another person that McNeeley wanted to give credit to for his development.
“Coach Boyle, he's pushed me so hard, I've learned so much from him and he’s helped make me better.”
McNeeley lives off campus, with his mom, where his daily routine involves eating breakfast at home before going to class from 7:45 to 1:30 and then upwards of four hours of basketball practice in the afternoon.
“He is so happy, the happiest he has ever been,” Ashley Elsey explained to us when talking about McNeeley’s time at Montverde.
Being his last year at Montverde, McNeeley has high expectations for himself and the team this season.
“I want to be a really good leader this next season at Montverde. We fell short at GEICO last year and I don’t want to see that happening again,” he told Draft Digest.
Helping him reach those individual and team goals this summer are his basketball trainer, the highly touted Tyler Relph, and his strength trainer, Amoila Caesar, who is the personal trainer for New York Knicks forward, Julius Randle, as well as Sanders Fit in Dallas.
Relph has helped McNeeley take great strides in becoming that all around offensive player and the youngster knows how important his strength training is to his basketball development and overall athleticism. That athleticism is one thing his mother believes to be undervalued by some.
“He’s sneaky athletic, the next thing you know he's swatting someone off the backboard or getting a dunk.”
He’s also much more than just a 3-point shooter, which was something he got pegged as earlier in his high school career.
“One of the things he showed in spades this summer is that he is not just a 3-point shooter. He can take anybody to the rim and can do that with a quick first step and physically his lower body is so strong. I hope any coaches that think he was just a 3-point shooter are re-thinking that at this point in time,” Chuck Elsey explains.
McNeeley is a truly do-it-all type of player who can just as easily burn you by knocking down five 3-pointers in a game as getting to the free throw line 10 times or dishing out six assists. He also does the “dirty work” defensively, on the boards, and puts his body on the line to take charges or dive for a loose ball.
Oh, and he is an incredible leader and great teammate which is something he takes great pride in.
“Liam tries to figure out how to be the best possible piece to help the team win,” Ashley Elsey says.
With all of this being true you can imagine the amount of attention he is getting on the recruiting trail. McNeeley recently narrowed his list to six schools: Texas, Indiana, Kansas, Oklahoma, Michigan and Alabama.
He has already taken official visits to Texas and Indiana and has plans to be visiting those schools again this fall with the Indiana visit scheduled for September 8.
“My college decision will happen by the end of the calendar year. I am looking forward to seeing how teams play this upcoming year,” he told Draft Digest when asked when he is hoping to have this decision made.
It was easy to figure out during the interview that relationships would be a key factor in this decision.
“The further you get into the process, the more you get to know the coaches and coaching staff, and the relationships they form with Liam is really important,” said Chuck Elsey.
McNeeley knows what his ultimate goal is though, and he was also quick to point out that being a factor in his overall decision.
“Connecting with the staff is important to me, as is fit and style of play. I would like to be a part of an NBA-style offense that uses me in a way that helps my team win and also prepares me for the next level.”
Much like his mother and grandfather - owner of a successful law firm - McNeeley will bring great value off the floor to his college of choice and eventual NBA organization.
“Liam is a straight A student. He loves little kids and is always up for holding a baby. For fun, he likes to be with his friends, loves to be on a boat with family, and to fish with my dad and brother,” Ashley Elsey told Draft Digest.
(Left to Right): Liam McNeeley, Eli Ihde (nephew), Josh Ihde, Chuck Elsey
While an excellent student in the classroom, McNeeley is also a student of the game - and unselfish as they come when looking at elite high school recruits - which he displayed when asked what his go to move would be if the game was on the line and the ball was in his hands.
Initially, he asked “Am I the one to shoot it…?” which highlights that unselfish nature. However, with that understanding, he showcased his knowledge of the situation.
“I would use a ball screen, attack and get downhill to the rim. A lot of teams and players play timid on the last possession of the game because they don’t want to foul,” McNeeley answered, displaying his understanding of time, score, the moment and players tendencies.
This youngster is school and basketball smart while being talented, skilled, hard working, selfless, a leader, a good teammate and a great young man on and off the court. Backed by a family rich in basketball history that supports him every step of the way, his journey will be one to keep a close eye on.
“It’s a great accomplishment to play in college and I will be the fourth generation to do so. I am working hard to be the best player I can be, to make it to the NBA and carry on our legacy,” McNeeley said.
Not only is Liam McNeeley going to carry that family legacy, he’s going to take it to even greater heights.
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