Texas Basketball: 3 elite 2024 recruits on Longhorns’ Christmas wish list

Liam McNeeley, PF

A five-star power forward on the Longhorns’ radar for the 2024 class for a good while is 6-foot-8 and 205-pound Montverde Academy standout Liam McNeeley. The Richardson, TX, native received a Texas offer way back in August 2021, so this staff was after him for more than 15 months now.

McNeeley is a lengthy and smooth forward that is an offensive threat at almost every level of the offensive halfcourt. He has a smooth stroke from beyond the arc and can create his own looks from two-point range.

What makes McNeeley really lethal, though, is the combination of his facilitating and shooting efficiency. McNeeley has tremendous court vision and is a good passer. Combine that with his polished scoring ability at all three levels, and you get a pretty formidable forward that can do a lot of damage on the offensive end.

McNeeley does still need to add some mass to his frame. At 205 pounds, he doesn’t really have the muscle mass required to compete with some of the better forwards closer to the basket.

But we should note that McNeeley looks to be on the right track in terms of bulking up in the last six or eight months. McNeeley started out in the early summer at around 190 pounds. He’s already up to 205 pounds as of the start of his junior high school hoops season.

Regardless of the coaching situation that is in flux for the Longhorns at the moment, I’d imagine that McNeeley will continue to be a priority for this staff. He is one of the earliest offers from the Longhorns for the 2024 cycle and continues to be one of the most talented prospects in this class.