College basketball: Sinclair sharpshooter hopes to make immediate impact at West Virginia

»ARCHDEACON: Coaches flock to Sinclair to see McNeil

McNeil’s lone season with the Tartan Pride made him one of the nation’s most sought after recruits on National Junior College Athletic Association level. McNeil, a 6-foot-4 guard, ranked No. 1 among Division II junior colleges in scoring (29.7 points per game) and three-point field goals (132). He was named D-II first-team All-American.

West Virginia won out over McNeil's five other finalists of Dayton, Ole Miss, Oregon, Texas Tech and Western Kentucky. Toledo and Virginia also heavily recruited McNeil.

McNeil made an official visit to West Virginia last week and met with players for the first time.

“That was a big thing, getting to meet the guys I’ll be with for the next three years,” McNeil said. “We bonded well. Guys that are really similar to me, not only on the court but off the court. That stuck out to me. … I’m hoping I can come in and make an immediate impact. That’s what they’ve been telling me. It’s on me to go in there and put in the work and hopefully what I do best will be able to translate onto the floor.”

Though he never announced his top three finalists, Dayton was considered among the front runners.

“Being five minutes from UD made it really convenient to go over to practices and games so I developed a good relationship with their staff and some of their players,” McNeil said. “Some things happened that between the staff and I, we just decided it was best to go in opposite directions.”

McNeil will have three seasons of eligibility with West Virginia.

»RELATED: Sinclair duo named All-Americans

“I think it really helped the amount of work West Virginia put into Sean with Huggins coming in several times,” Price said. “I would say UD was right up there with the amount of work. We developed a really good bond and relationship with UD.”

Price said McNeil received offers from two D-II programs and from at least one school in every Power 5 Conference (Atlantic Coast, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and Southeastern). McNeil said he had interest but received no D-I scholarship offers coming out of Union High School in Kentucky. He accepted an offer from Louisville’s Bellarmine University, one of the nation’s top NCAA Division II men’s basketball programs, but left school after one week.

Sinclair became his second chance after he realized he had made a mistake.

“More than anything I’m going to miss the rest of the team and coach Price,” McNeil said. “All the accolades were nice and things like that. I made a lot of good relationships at Sinclair and I’m really grateful for the opportunity they gave me. I’m going to a great university in West Virginia and I’m really excited for that.

“I came in with the mentality I was going to do what I do best and prove everybody wrong. Scoring, rebounding, winning. Just try to improve myself. I was fortunate to come away with the accolades I did.”

»ARCHDEACON: Sinclair freshman ‘thankful’ for second chance

McNeil led the Tartan Pride in scoring, three pointers and made free throws, was second in rebounds and third in assists.

“We knew he was a pretty good player. But to his credit he worked on his game,” Price said. “He really put in the time in the gym. He worked really hard with assistant coach Jason Williams and did individual work. He worked hard with team chemistry and it all feel into place for him.”

Price said McNeil is the first Sinclair player to transfer to a Power 5 Conference program and is the first D-I recruit since Kent State University’s Akiean Frederick two seasons ago.

Though no longer at Sinclair, McNeil will remain part of the Tartan Pride’s recruiting campaign. Visits by coaches like Virginia’s Tony Bennett and Texas Tech’s Chris Beard – whose programs met for the NCAA Division I national title on April 8 – increased Sinclair’s national profile, as did McNeil’s commitment to West Virginia.

“The environment that we have and the culture that we have, it sells itself. Getting that little extra boost is tremendous,” Price said. “We’re going to put it on our recruiting brochures, absolutely.

“He did community service, was really good in the classroom and being able to get a scholarship and move on to the next level is something we are very proud of. We wish him all the best. We actually thank him for choosing Sinclair.”