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Marquette's McNeal intent on taking his shot at NBA
If NBA doesn't work out, he's still set on Marquette
By Shannon Ryan
Tribune reporter
9:20 PM CDT, May 19, 2008
Under rafters decorated with faded purple banners in the dimly lit Thornton High School gym, Jerel McNeal sprints furiously down the court, slicing to the basket as sweat drips onto his gray No. 22 Marquette practice jersey.
Near the end of more than two hours of training with five players from McNeal's former Chicago AAU team, Mean Streets coach Carlton DuBose yells to McNeal during a three-point drill, "When you're in the league, 'Rel, you're going to have to catch and release. Catch and release."
The league to which DuBose refers, of course, is the NBA. Just when McNeal enters that league is what is at stake as he squares his Kobe Bryant sneakers toward the basket and pops in a shot.
McNeal, a Hillcrest High graduate from Country Club Hills who finished his junior year at Marquette two months ago, is dipping his toes in the NBA draft waters.
Taking that plunge has him caught between two worlds.
One minute he speaks passionately about winning a national championship at Marquette. The next he discusses feeling a jolt of inspiration watching the NBA playoffs. "I know I can play," he said, "and I know I can compete with the best players in the world."
A tight inner circle of family and friends is encouraging McNeal to view the experience as a stress-free endeavor because he has the option to withdraw his name and retain his college eligibility.
"My advice was to get a feel for what's going on," said Edward McNeal, Jerel's father. "Compete and see what's going on out there. You have nothing to lose."
Like many of the 68 other early entrants in this year's draft, the decision is not entirely up to McNeal. He won't be a lottery pick, assured of a lucrative contract.
Instead, he will need to prove himself worthy, something to which McNeal says he is accustomed.
"I can go out there and change a lot of people's opinions about me," he said, "and I can change a lot of people's opinions about other guys."
No tipping point
McNeal's stock has never been higher as a pro prospect, but no single factor tips the scales on his lengthy pros-and-cons list.
A 6-foot-3-inch shooting guard, he has always been known as a gritty defender, admired for his swift hands and all-out style of play. And in his junior year, McNeal legitimized himself as an offensive threat.
He led Marquette with nearly 15 points per game, helping the Golden Eagles to a 25-10 record, a third consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament and their first tournament victory since 2003.
In Marquette's second-round loss to Stanford, McNeal enhanced his portfolio, scoring 30 points and hitting three clutch three-pointers in overtime.
Considering that résumé, this seems an ideal time for McNeal to enter the draft.
"What better way to prove [myself] than to take that next step?" he asks.
But also in McNeal's mind is Marquette's future.
The team was shaken and angry when coach Tom Crean, who had recruited them all, suddenly left for Indiana after nine years in Milwaukee. (McNeal said he and Crean made amends when Crean called him a few weeks after changing jobs.)
Even if Crean had stayed, McNeal said he "most definitely" would have entered his name in the draft, perhaps sooner. He said he waited to announce his decision so as not to add to the tsunami of uncertainty.
But McNeal's presence could ensure a smooth transition for new coach Buzz Williams, a former Marquette assistant who has only one year of head-coaching experience.
"Jerel is an integral part of our team," Williams said in a phone interview. "I'd love to coach him. He's just gathering information. I don't have a problem with that."
To-do list
Making this spring count for more than research will take some doing.
The draft class is packed with talented guards such as Memphis freshman Derrick Rose, another Chicago native, as well as USC's O.J. Mayo, Arizona's Jerryd Bayless, Indiana's Eric Gordon and Texas' DJ Augustin.
"I'm getting so much of people saying, 'Wait till next year,' " McNeal said. "I think, 'But how many of [the early entrants] are better players than me?' If you keep waiting, you never know what's going to happen. Who knows where I'll be a year from now?"
Who knows where he'll be in a few weeks?
McNeal first must find a letter in his mailbox inviting him to Orlando for the NBA's pre-draft camp May 27-30. He is currently an alternate, but spaces often open when surefire lottery picks decide to pull out.
He then needs to impress with his ball-handling and decision-making even though he'll be playing out of position at point guard; McNeal's size and inconsistent outside shooting hurt his chances of playing shooting guard in the pros. Finally, a team executive must assure McNeal he'll be taken in the first round or early second round of the June 26 draft. Otherwise he said he will withdraw his name by June 16, the deadline for early entrants as long as they do not hire an agent, which McNeal does not intend to do.
As of now, his name is absent from mock draft lists.
One NBA scout, who asked to remain anonymous, said McNeal would likely be a late second-rounder or go undrafted unless he has a head-turning workout with a team.
"My initial reaction would be it's best for him to go back to school," the scout said. "He's a high-energy guy, but he's a streaky shooter. He's caught in that he's not a point guard and not a 'two' guard. He's that 'three' guard who's emerging in the league, but that's going to limit him because a lot of teams are still traditional. He'll have to become more savvy."
McNeal has workouts scheduled in June with the Denver Nuggets and the Portland Trail Blazers.
NBA teams are now permitted to pay for college players' workouts. They also can work out six players, up from four, so McNeal might receive additional invitations.
"Even if I wasn't to enter the draft, I'm still working on my game," McNeal said. "I'm not losing anything. I'm not worrying about anything. It's an opportunity to showcase my skills and ability."
A driving motivation
Marquette experienced this up-in-the-air feeling last year.
Dominic James, McNeal's three-year partner in the Golden Eagles' backcourt, checked his NBA qualifications last summer, utilizing the one opportunity allotted to underclassmen to test the waters without risking the loss of eligibility. He worked out at the pre-draft camp, performed poorly, withdrew his name and returned for his junior season.
At a spring team banquet, James vowed he also would return next season.
So if anyone understands McNeal's fix, it's James.
"It was a humbling experience," James said. "You have to be very honest with yourself. It's going to be a tough decision. It'll weigh heavily."
As much as James would like to team with McNeal for another season, he sees a bright future for his backcourt buddy if he's invited to Orlando.
"I'd be scared to see Jerel McNeal in that setting," James said. "It's a dog-eat-dog environment. People are playing for a paycheck and pride. I don't know too many people hungrier than Jerel McNeal."
While the NBA is his dream job, McNeal's motivation also comes from a desire to help family and friends, though no one, he said, is putting undue pressure on him.
In the last two years, two of his childhood friends met violent deaths. Others have been arrested.
"There are things going on in the city of Chicago that I don't want my family to be around," McNeal said. "Every time I get a phone call, you never know what it's going to be. I want to put them in a situation that's stress-free. It's a driving motivation."
So McNeal heads nightly to a dimly lit gym to work on his hazy future.
"I'm in the best situation I can possibly be in," he said. "I can come back to a great coach and great program … or I have the chance to go fulfill one of my lifelong dreams. I'm still chasing the dream."
sryan@tribune.com
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