Indiana Basketball: 5-star Liam McNeeley a massive pickup for program

If you were looking for a sign that Coach Mike Woodson has turned Indiana Basketball back into a contender, Liam McNeeley certainly would qualify.

Under head coach Mike Woodson, Indiana Basketball has gotten back into the NCAA Tournament and overall, nationally relevant. And that has had an impact on the recruiting trail, consistently back into the mix for five-star prospects. The team was able to beat out Kansas and others for former Duke commit and top-10 recruit, Mackenzie Mgbako.

The Hoosiers have been focused on multiple other five-star targets in the 2024 recruiting class. The biggest one was Liam McNeeley, a consensus top-20 prospect and 6’7 wing. He’s a great shooter and overall scorer and is fairly skilled overall. The small forward had several teams in the mix for his commitment, with Indiana and Kansas as the final contenders.

In the end, McNeeley made his decision on Sunday.

https://x.com/liammcneeley30/status/1713667612524356033?s=20

As the first commitment in the 2024 class, McNeeley is the perfect addition for the Hoosiers. The small forward position was one of need for the program in the future, assuming that Mgbako is a “one and done” player for the team. And even if Mgbako sticks around, he could simply slide over to the four-spot, allowing McNeeley to play and start on the wing.

The question now is who else will join McNeeley in the 2024 class? There are two other five-star targets to keep in mind. One is Boogie Fland, a top-20 point guard prospect that is also involved with Alabama and Kentucky. And Derik Queen is another top-20 center target, who has been linked to the Maryland Terrapins as well.

Coach Woodson now has two 5-star commits in the past few months on his resume and is looking for more. Indiana Basketball may not be fully “back” until they’re ranked in the top-10 nationally and makes a deep run in the NCAA Tournament but right now, there’s plenty of momentum they’re rolling with.