BleedGopher
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per Joe:
McNeil lost both parents at age 13 but overcame those inner-city Baltimore tragedies, earning a scholarship offer from Pitino to Florida International University. When Pitino left FIU for Minnesota, McNeil joined him, averaging about 10 minutes per game as a freshman guard on the 2014 NIT championship team and endearing himself to teammates with his high-energy work ethic.
“He needed us,” Pitino said last month. “And I thought we were really helping provide that family support that he never had.”
McNeil’s promising time abruptly ended in 2014, when he was arrested early in his sophomore season for beating his girlfriend in her apartment.
By June 4, 2017, he was back in Baltimore, where, according to court records, a witness said he set fire to a house in a drug dispute. A 59-year-old man was found dead next door.
McNeil’s family is calling it a case of mistaken identity. His trial was scheduled to start last week — on the anniversary of the fire — but was postponed to Sept. 12. Charged with first-degree arson and first-degree murder, McNeil could spend the rest of his life in prison, without parole.
“It’s a sad story because he had a great story,” said McNeil’s cousin, Kenny Marks. “I used to tell him, ‘It’s unbelievable.’ Here’s a kid who grew up in the projects and worked hard and got a full scholarship to play college basketball and just … it’s just sad.”
McNeil’s father was shot and killed. Two months later, his mother succumbed to lupus. After drifting aimlessly, McNeil rediscovered his focus through basketball. He transferred to Vermont Academy, where he was a three-year starter and averaged 19 points per game as a senior.
“I recruited him at FIU and knew his back story,” Pitino said. “He was always a very, very quiet, respectful kid. When I took the Minnesota job, I thought he could play at that [Big Ten] level, I really did.”
After appearing in 30 games as a freshman, McNeil averaged 18.8 minutes, 3.2 points and 3.2 rebounds in four games as a sophomore before his arrest.
“He had a huge heart,” former teammate Joey King said. “He loved his teammates, and everyone loved him. He had a promising first year. He did the right things in practice and worked really hard. We were expecting big things from him as a sophomore.”
Pitino said he hadn’t spoken to McNeil since he left the team, noting that former Gophers assistant Kimani Young “had been in touch with him about trying to find a spot for [McNeil] to play elsewhere.”
“Then, obviously, that [arson story] popped up online one day, and I was like, ‘Oh my goodness,’ ” Pitino said. “It breaks my heart, it really does. I don’t know the whole story, but what I read, it just seems very, very tragic.”
Former Gophers guard Austin Hollins played with McNeil for only one season, but long enough to see the promise.
“It’s sad to see a kid like that make a few bad decisions (whatever the situation may be) and end up where he is now,” Hollins said via text. “… You always wonder if there was something you could’ve done to have more of an impact or to have helped them more so they don’t end up like that.”
http://www.startribune.com/former-g...ad-chapter-of-once-inspiring-story/485087261/
Go Gophers!!
McNeil lost both parents at age 13 but overcame those inner-city Baltimore tragedies, earning a scholarship offer from Pitino to Florida International University. When Pitino left FIU for Minnesota, McNeil joined him, averaging about 10 minutes per game as a freshman guard on the 2014 NIT championship team and endearing himself to teammates with his high-energy work ethic.
“He needed us,” Pitino said last month. “And I thought we were really helping provide that family support that he never had.”
McNeil’s promising time abruptly ended in 2014, when he was arrested early in his sophomore season for beating his girlfriend in her apartment.
By June 4, 2017, he was back in Baltimore, where, according to court records, a witness said he set fire to a house in a drug dispute. A 59-year-old man was found dead next door.
McNeil’s family is calling it a case of mistaken identity. His trial was scheduled to start last week — on the anniversary of the fire — but was postponed to Sept. 12. Charged with first-degree arson and first-degree murder, McNeil could spend the rest of his life in prison, without parole.
“It’s a sad story because he had a great story,” said McNeil’s cousin, Kenny Marks. “I used to tell him, ‘It’s unbelievable.’ Here’s a kid who grew up in the projects and worked hard and got a full scholarship to play college basketball and just … it’s just sad.”
McNeil’s father was shot and killed. Two months later, his mother succumbed to lupus. After drifting aimlessly, McNeil rediscovered his focus through basketball. He transferred to Vermont Academy, where he was a three-year starter and averaged 19 points per game as a senior.
“I recruited him at FIU and knew his back story,” Pitino said. “He was always a very, very quiet, respectful kid. When I took the Minnesota job, I thought he could play at that [Big Ten] level, I really did.”
After appearing in 30 games as a freshman, McNeil averaged 18.8 minutes, 3.2 points and 3.2 rebounds in four games as a sophomore before his arrest.
“He had a huge heart,” former teammate Joey King said. “He loved his teammates, and everyone loved him. He had a promising first year. He did the right things in practice and worked really hard. We were expecting big things from him as a sophomore.”
Pitino said he hadn’t spoken to McNeil since he left the team, noting that former Gophers assistant Kimani Young “had been in touch with him about trying to find a spot for [McNeil] to play elsewhere.”
“Then, obviously, that [arson story] popped up online one day, and I was like, ‘Oh my goodness,’ ” Pitino said. “It breaks my heart, it really does. I don’t know the whole story, but what I read, it just seems very, very tragic.”
Former Gophers guard Austin Hollins played with McNeil for only one season, but long enough to see the promise.
“It’s sad to see a kid like that make a few bad decisions (whatever the situation may be) and end up where he is now,” Hollins said via text. “… You always wonder if there was something you could’ve done to have more of an impact or to have helped them more so they don’t end up like that.”
http://www.startribune.com/former-g...ad-chapter-of-once-inspiring-story/485087261/
Go Gophers!!
