UConn Freshman Wing Becomes First Husky Since 1978 To Accomplish This Feat
UConn Huskies freshman wing Liam McNeeley is off to an excellent start to the season through two games.
Although head coach Dan Hurley will be the first to remind you that McNeeley has a lot of progress to make on defense between now and March, McNeeley’s offensive versatility and work on the boards has been stellar so far.
McNeeley finished Saturday’s victory over New Hampshire with 10 points and 11 rebounds, his second double-double in as many games in his young UConn career.
McNeeley became the first UConn player to open a season with two double-doubles since Jeff Adrien in 2006, the first Husky freshman to do so since Corny Thompson in 1978, as well as the first Big East freshman to do so since Louisville’s Chane Benahan in 2011.
Hurley recently called McNeely a “total killer,” and McNeeley has certainly backed up his coach’s endorsement as a scorer and rebounder through 80 minutes of the season.
McNeeley already looked more comfortable on the defensive end than during UConn’s season debut versus Sacred Heart. It was a difficult game to gauge the defensive value of players, considering the officiating was sub-par and fouls were either overcalled or undercalled at different segments throughout the contest.
McNeeley is also showing the ability to handle the ball in pick-and-roll situations, something that will serve him well in the NBA and could feature more heavily in UConn’s offense as the season rolls along.
Aidan Mahaney hasn’t been able to generate a ton of offense yet as a pick-and-roll ball handler. Mahaney might be better served off the ball, whereas McNeeley could probably make the team’s offense more dangerous if he spent a few more possessions per game as UConn’s de facto initiator.
There’s a lot of Gordon Hayward in McNeeley.
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-6cddf44b9a81eadb9d1a4c19c1b3db49.jpeg "Colin Keane")
Colin Keane is a contributing journalist for "UConn Huskies On SI." Born in Illinois, Colin grew up in Massachusetts as the third of four brothers. For his high school education, Colin attended St. Mark's School (Southborough, MA), where he played basketball and soccer and served as student body president. He went on to receive a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Villanova University. Colin currently resides in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "UConn Huskies On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org