UConn Five-Star Wing Receives Nod For Preseason Big-East Freshman Of The Year
The UConn Huskies have a Big East preseason Freshman of the Year on their hands.
This past week came the announcement of all preseason awards in the conference, with Alex Karaban receiving a first team All-Big East nod and Aidan Mahaney getting named to the third team. Huskies freshman Liam McNeeley was named preseason Big East Freshman of the Year.
McNeeley receiving the honor was not a huge surprise based on how highly-regarded he is entering Storrs. He was the No. 10 ranked player (overall) in the 2024 recruiting class (via 247Sports), making him one of Dan Hurley’s highest-ranked recruits ever.
FOX Sports’ college basketball expert John Fanta believes McNeeley could go as high as No. 5 in the upcoming NBA draft, and Hurley himself has called McNeeley the best freshman he’s ever brought into UConn.
Hurley reiterated some of his thoughts on McNeeley during Big East media day this week.
“When we get him healthy … I think you’re going to see the best-prepared freshman to start a year that we’ve had,” Hurley said.
“He’s super mature with his approach to the game. … He’s going to be able to handle the moment … third-generation college basketball player coming from a very serious family of incredible people.”
“He’s a plug-and-play player with the way we play. … His defense has got to get better, but his guy can really pass, he’s going to rebound, he’s going to score, and he just fits the way we play and our culture perfectly.”
McNeeley is currently dealing with a calf strain that might rule him out for UConn’s opener, but it’s unclear when exactly he will return.
More NCAA: NBA Season Begins With Nine Former UConn Players On Active Rosters
-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