Former Cooper, West Virginia And Ohio State Guard Sean McNeil’s stint as an assistant basketball coach at his alma mater did not final lengthy.
McNeil heads in the direction of the NBA G Leaguethe NBA minor league. He was signal Saturday on the Cleveland Conflict, which is an affiliate of the Cleveland Cavaliers and a stone’s throw from the NBA.
At Cooper, McNeil helped the Jaguars advance to the state finals in 2017, averaging 17 factors and 6.3 rebounds per recreation. He graduated from Cooper second in profession factors with 1,265. He went to Bellarmine, a Division II program on the time, however left the varsity earlier than the season began. After a yr away from the sport, he went to Sinclair Group Faculty in Dayton, the place he averaged 29.7 factors per recreation and was a first-team All-American.
He then spent three years at West Virginia, averaging 12 factors in his remaining two years there. As one of many prime transfers within the portal forward of the 2022-23 season, he dedicated to Ohio State, the place he averaged 9.7 factors per recreation and helped the top-seeded Buckeyes No. 13. go for a run to the semifinals of the Large 10 event.
Final season, he performed with Nevėžis Kėdainiai in Lithuania’s prime skilled basketball league, averaging 13.2 factors per recreation on 41.7% 3-point taking pictures. This yr, he signed to turn out to be an assistant coach at Cooper earlier than skilled basketball returns once more.
With McNeil dedicated to taking part in within the G League, The researcher I assumed this might be an excellent time to critique different space athletes taking part in within the NBA or NBA G-League. Right here they’re:
Darius Bazley, Delaware Blue Coats
Bazley, a 6-foot-9 ahead, was a consensus five-star prospect and Ohio’s prime recruit for the category of 2018 out of Princeton Excessive Faculty. (He additionally performed two years at Finneytown.) As a senior at Princeton, he averaged 15.4 factors, 10.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists and a couple of.0 blocks per recreation. He initially dedicated to Syracuse however as an alternative determined to practice independently within the yr main as much as the 2019 NBA Draft, the place he was chosen twenty third general by the Utah Jazz. Earlier than the beginning of the next season, he was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies and later to the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder.
He began his profession robust and averaged over 27 minutes per recreation for the Thunder in his second and third seasons. He injured his knee late in his third season, 2021-22, and since then he has performed in 52 NBA video games with 4 totally different groups. He performed in 10 video games earlier this season with the Guangdong Tigers of the Chinese language Basketball Affiliation, however now performs for the Delaware Blue Coats of the G League, the Philadelphia 76ers’ affiliate. This season, he’s averaging 18.3 factors and 9.6 rebounds in 10 video games.
Jarron Cumberland, Delaware Bluecoats
Cumberland averaged 29.6 factors, 7.4 rebounds, 3.6 steals and three.2 assists per recreation, taking pictures 57.4 p.c from the sphere as a senior at Wilmington. That yr, the Hurricane completed 27-2 and reached the OHSAA Division I semifinals. He then went to play at UC, the place he was twice named to the all-conference first workforce and, in 2019, gained the American Athletic Convention Participant of the Yr with a mean of 18.8 factors, 4.4 rebounds and three.6 assists per recreation.
He went undrafted within the 2020 NBA Draft, however rapidly joined a G League workforce for the next season. He performed in three video games for the Portland Path Blazers through the 2021-22 season, his solely cup of espresso thus far within the NBA. This season with the Blue Coats, he’s averaging 7.1 factors, 3.1 rebounds and three.0 assists per recreation.
Jaxson Hayes, Los Angeles Lakers
Hayes, who averaged 12.2 factors and seven.1 rebounds as a senior at Moeller earlier than taking part in at Texas, is at the moment teammates with LeBron James and Anthony Davis on the Los Angeles Lakers. He was drafted No. 8 general by the Atlanta Hawks within the 2019 NBA Draft after one season at Texas when he gained Large 12 Freshman of the Yr.
The Hawks traded the 7-foot middle to the New Orleans Pelicans earlier than he performed an NBA recreation. He was a key reserve for 4 seasons with New Orleans, along with his finest season coming in 2021-22 averaging 20 minutes, 9.3 factors and 4.5 rebounds per recreation. Earlier than final season, he signed a two-year, $4.6 million contract with Los Angeles. Final yr, he averaged 12.5 minutes and 4.3 factors per recreation. This season he’s averaging 17.5 minutes and 6.4 factors, however is at the moment sidelined with an ankle harm.
Luke Kennard, Memphis Grizzlies
A 6-5 sharpshooting guard from Middletown and graduate of Franklin Excessive Faculty, Kennard is the world’s most veteran native within the NBA. He’s nonetheless second in Ohio historical past (three spots forward of LeBron James) with 2,977 profession highschool factors. After graduating from Franklin, he performed at Duke beneath legendary head coach Mike Krzyzewski, incomes All-ACC and All-American honors in 2017.
The Detroit Pistons drafted him twelfth general in 2017, and within the 2019-20 season he was a starter for Detroit, averaging 32.9 minutes, 15.8 factors, 4.1 assists and three.5 rebounds per recreation. Since then, he has spent components of three seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers and is at the moment in his third season with the Memphis Grizzlies. He has primarily been in an performing function since his senior yr in Detroit. Kennard’s 43.8 p.c 3-point taking pictures proportion would rank third in NBA historical past, greater than a proportion level above Steph Curry, if his profession ended at the moment.
Miles McBride, New York Knicks
Miles “Deuce” McBride, a 6-2 guard, was teammates of Hayes at Moeller from 2015 to 2018. He additionally performed quarterback on the Crusaders soccer workforce, throwing 17 touchdowns to 2 interceptions. in 2017.
He performed his faculty ball at West Virginia, the place he earned All-Large 12 honors in his remaining season, 2020-21. The New York Knicks, the place he nonetheless performs, chosen him thirty sixth general within the 2021 NBA Draft. The Knicks signed McBride to a three-year, $13 million contract extension through the offseason. Each season he spends with the Knicks, his utilization and effectivity have elevated. This season, he’s averaging 25.7 minutes, 11.1 factors, 2.7 assists and a couple of.6 rebounds per recreation for the 14-9 Knicks whereas taking pictures higher than 42% from 3-point vary.
Do you see anybody we missed? E-mail [email protected]
This text initially appeared on the Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati NBA Gamers: A take a look at the area’s skilled gamers
