We’ve seen a lot of players come through our doors over the years, varying in appearance, skill level, and everything in between. We decided to put forth a “Getting to Know” series on some players who have attended events but still remain on the lesser-known side of things. Each of these prospects embody being a student-athlete and getting it done in the classroom as well as on the basketball court, and today’s edition will take a closer look at Lamont McNeill of Piedmont Classical and NLPB/Carolina Rising Stars.
We’ve seen McNeill numerous times over the last few months, including at our Phenom LIVE, where we stated “Uncertainty has continued to swirl throughout the last month about the possibilities surrounding an upcoming high school season, but it hasn’t seemed to affect Lamont McNeill at all. Arguably no player has kept their foot pressed on the gas quite as aggressively as the undersized, quick-as-lightning lead guard. He’s purely destructive in transition, especially with the ball in his hands, and understands how to turn transition play into easy fast break opportunities. Between his craftiness and underrated strength, McNeill actually finishes majority of his attempts around the basket. He’s also proven to be a quality three-point shooter and capable passer. However, as effective as McNeill is in all those aforementioned areas, he truly lives in the midrange. Every player has their go-to spots on the floor, and McNeill’s comes in the form of an incredibly lethal pull-up jumper from anywhere within 15-18 feet. His size, or lack thereof, actually benefits him in accessing these shots, as his balance combined with the ability to stop and rise up often leaves defenders in the dust. Additionally, McNeill draws a ridiculous number of fouls and has shown the scoring consistency to burden an efficient offensive attack. He should definitely have a variety of options at the next level.”
Anyone who has watched McNeill would be comfortable describing him as a walking bucket, given that’s what he does best. He’s cut from the unique cloth of players that can simply get out of bed and score twenty or thirty without necessarily breaking a sweat. McNeill is more of a scorer than playmaker but definitely possesses vision and the ability to create for others off the bounce. That said, the undersized lead guard is blindingly quick and displays the craftiness to generate clean looks against various types of defenders. He’s a quality penetrator and three-point shooter, but his midrange pull-up is essentially unstoppable—especially considering his ability to get defenders off-balance. Even with talented prospects like Juwelz Hargrove and Brent Randleman (among others) coming to Piedmont Classical, McNeill could legitimately end up as their leading scorer.