Recruiting Spotlight: DJ McNeal
Agua Fria High School has made the state tournament the last 2 years. One of the two years resulted in the group making it to the state title and last year they lost in the Sweet 16. A huge part of the team’s success has been NCAA Division I bound Bryce Fowler. However, Fowler has had a supporting cast that is capable of carrying the torch even after his departure.
DJ McNeal and Daniel Foster will largely be looked to as a means of continuing the recent success of Agua Fria. In addition to being asked to win without Fowler, they will have to do it with a new coach. It is safe to say that leadership will be needed in a huge way. Insert DJ McNeal, a 6’0 2018 PG.
About DJ McNeal
High School
McNeal is one of the most efficient scorers in the state. He averaged a little over 12 points per game while shooting the basketball over 40% from 3. He did this while making a little over one three pointer per game. In addition to being a knock down shooter from deep, he led the team in assists. He was the primary ball handler for the group. He was responsible for putting the team in a position to be successful and for generating for himself and his teammates.
McNeal has good change of pace and change of direction when he makes a move. Moreover, he is capable of stopping on a dime and hitting a mid-range jumper with consistency. Defensively, he is a solid on-ball defender. Further, he can guard a lot of 1s and 2s due to his strength and quickness.
As far as his goals for next season, he hopes to help Agua Fria make it back to the state tournament and make a deep run. On a personal note, he would like to be voted all-conference. In order for Agua Fria to maximize their potential, those two goals most likely go hand in hand. In order for them to have the type of success McNeal wants them to have, he will need to take up a lot of the slack left from Fowler’s departure.
College Interest
Despite having a lot of success at Agua Fria and for AZ Venom, McNeal does not have any offers. As far as interest is concerned, he stated that he has been contacted by a couple of different schools. His list includes “Point Loma, Buena Vista, Mesa Community College, and Eastern New Mexico”. In addition to demonstrating on the court that he is a next level talent, he has done his job in the classroom. He takes with him a 3.5 GPA into his senior season.
He mentioned that he has been in collaboration with Buena Vista and plans to visit them in September. As far as what he brings to a college program, he mentioned that he is a “good leader”. Moreover, he is willing to “do anything to help a team win, and [he] loves playing defense.”
McNeal has loved his time with AZ Venom and hopes to win a tournament during his last year with the team. His talent has aided the team greatly and made them a force to be reckoned with. Look for him to continue to make noise the rest of this live period and for his recruiting interest to pick up steam.
Projection
McNeal projects as a mid to high level NAIA Division I or NCAA Division II prospect. He has a high basketball IQ, can shoot it from anywhere, and does a lot of little things to help his team be successful. Some of the question marks at the next level include his ability to guard quicker and longer guards.
In addition, many wonder if he will be able to attack the paint as well at the athletic level that comes next. I firmly believe he can play this game at a high level at the collegiate level. He loves the game and is a fierce competitor. He might be the most under-rated and unknown prospect in the class of 2018.
Here is a link to McNeal’s stats from this past year. He was a 2nd team All-Region selection.