Hoosiers Now

Indiana Transfer Portal Target Sean McNeil Chooses Ohio State

Mike Woodson wanted to add a shooter to Indiana's 2022-2023 roster, but West Virginia transfer Sean McNeil chose the Big Ten foe Buckeyes instead. Indiana's roster is full as it currently stands, but Woodson might not be done yet.

Jack Ankony

USA Today Network

Indiana missed out on its first target in the transfer portal when West Virginia sharpshooter Sean McNeil announced his commitment to Ohio State on Sunday. 

Indiana hosted an official visit for McNeil over the weekend, but McNeil will instead use his final year of eligibility to play in Columbus, Ohio for head coach Chris Holtmann. McNeil began his collegiate career at Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio where he averaged 29.7 points per game while shooting 43 percent from 3.

And now he'll get a chance to end his career in Ohio after playing three seasons for coach Bob Huggins at West Virginia. A 6-foot-3, 210-pound shooting guard from Union, Ky, McNeil averaged 12.2 points per game during his sophomore and junior seasons while connecting on 36.8 percent of his three-point attempts across three years. 

Indiana landing McNeil through the portal would have added a big-time shooting boost from a player who has started 55 games in the Big 12. But it still appears that Woodson has enough depth at the guard position, especially with Jalen Hood-Schifino and C.J. Gunn as incoming freshmen.

The transfer portal has created an era of college basketball where teams are less focused on the long term and more concerned with creating the best team possible on a year-to-year basis. McNeil would have helped Indiana in the short term, but now Woodson will shift his focus to Wichita State transfer Dexter Dennis, who visited Bloomington early last week

Dennis fills a different role than McNeil – he was the American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 2022 – but with 94 starts under his belt, he could provide a similar level of experience. Dennis shot 34.4 percent from three-point range during four seasons at Wichita State and recently posted a video of his 17-point performance in the Shockers' 73-63 win over Indiana in the 2019 NIT at Assembly Hall.

Related stories on Indiana basketball

  • McNEIL TRANSFERS TO OHIO STATE: McNeil becomes the second player to join the Buckeyes through the transfer portal this offseason. CLICK HERE
  • GERONIMO ANNOUNCES RETURN: Jordan Geronimo showed a lot of improvement during his second season at Indiana, and he announced on social media on Sunday that he will indeed be back in Bloomington for the 2022-23 season. CLICK HERE
  • THREE HOOSIERS HONORED: Three Indiana basketball signees made the final list of Sports Illustrated's top 99 players this week. Jalen Hood-Schifino, Malik Reneau and Kaleb Banks are were on the ''SI99'' list. CLICK HERE
  • RENEAU COMMITS TO INDIANA: Indiana signee Jalen Hood-Schifino wore a different hat this weekend, as chief recruiter for Montverde Academy teammate Malik Reneau, who was on his official visit to Bloomington. It worked. Reneau committed to Indiana Monday afternoon. CLICK HERE
  • PORTAL UPDATES: Dexter Dennis visits Indiana and former Hoosier Rob Phinisee commits to Cincinnati. Here's the latest comings and goings in the transfer portal as it relates to Indiana. CLICK HERE
  • THOMPSON RETURNS: Indiana forward Race Thompson, who has started 62 consecutive games at Indiana, announced Thursday night that he is returning to Bloomington for a sixth season. It's a big get for coach Mike Woodson, who doesn't have much depth along the front line on his roster right now. CLICK HERE
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Jack Ankony
JACK ANKONY

Jack Ankony is a Sports Illustrated/FanNation writer for HoosiersNow.com. He graduated from Indiana University's Media School with a degree in journalism. Follow on Twitter @ankony_jack.

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