Liam McNeeley’s decision narrows Indiana’s path to success next season

  • Mar 7, 2024 9:14 pm in

On Wednesday afternoon, Indiana issued a press release with the headline: “(Liam) McNeeley named high school All-American.”

In a season full of not-so-good news for the program, sharing a forward-looking, positive story about the program’s lone signee in the class of 2024 made perfect sense.

With its head coach under pressure amidst an underwhelming season, Indiana saw an opportunity to highlight how things could get better next winter by pointing to the future with a McDonald’s All-American in McNeeley, who is having one of the best seasons of any high school player.

A little more than a day later – after news broke that Mike Woodson would be back for a fourth season – McNeeley asked for his release from his National Letter of Intent.

It’s not unreasonable to conclude Indiana didn’t see this news coming.

If they had, it’s unlikely McNeeley’s stats this season – 12.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.1 steals per game and 46 percent 3-point shooting for the nation’s best high school team – would have been shared in a release touting his selection as a Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy High School All American.

McNeeley’s decision to go elsewhere is a significant blow. He’s one of the nation’s premier shooters and shooting has long been a deficiency and sore spot for the fanbase under Woodson. Indiana now needs to hit multiple home runs in the portal this spring if the Hoosiers have any chance of turning things around next season.

With McNeeley’s choosing Thursday not to come to Bloomington, it’s fair to be concerned about IU’s recruiting strategy. Other than Mackenzie Mgbako in the spring of 2023, Indiana has not landed a commitment from a high school player in nearly two years. This season’s freshmen, Gabe Cupps and Jakai Newton, committed to the Hoosiers in the fall of 2021. Prior to Mgbako, Indiana’s last commitment from a high school recruit was Malik Reneau in the spring of 2022. There have been plenty of swings and misses, particularly in the 2024 recruiting cycle when Indiana aimed for the nation’s top prospects and repeatedly missed.

And it’s more complex than finding success in the portal for Woodson, who now doesn’t have a single recruit signed in the class of 2024. The Hoosiers will be under tremendous pressure to retain several key pieces from this season’s roster. Not only does Woodson need to hit on multiple high-impact players in the transfer portal, but he also must retain the best of his current players that choose to remain in college. That’s no slam dunk.

Indiana has shown an ability to thrive in such situations under Woodson, but this challenge looks far more daunting than any that have come before it.

Before coaching a game for the Hoosiers, Woodson convinced Trayce Jackson-Davis to return to Bloomington for a third season. Indiana has also landed several highly touted signees – Tamar Bates, Reneau and Mgbako – in the spring period.

This spring, however, the stakes are higher.

The athletic department has already voiced its intention to bring Woodson back for a fourth season. News of Woodson’s return has met significant headwinds from a fanbase displeased with the program’s trajectory.

It’s not hard to understand the timing of the news to bring Woodson back, though.

As rumors about Woodson’s future swirled on message boards, social media, and private Discord servers, Indiana had to attempt to steady the ship or the noise would have grown even louder with less than two weeks until the transfer portal opens.

Indiana’s endorsement of Woodson for a fourth season didn’t resonate enough with McNeeley, who asked out of his National Letter of Intent less than 24 hours after.

Wednesday’s win against Minnesota — Indiana’s third straight victory — should have excited the fanbase, as the Hoosiers appear to be hitting their stride as the regular season concludes. A fourth straight win, attainable this weekend against Michigan State, could draw the Hoosiers back to .500 in Big Ten play and improve their seeding for next week’s Big Ten tournament.

But the good vibes from Wednesday’s blowout win were short-lived. On Thursday, McNeeley decided to reopen his recruitment. With McNeeley’s decision to spurn the Hoosiers, Indiana’s path to success next season became even narrower.

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