Jermaine O'Neal Jr., the son of six-time NBA All-Star Jermaine O'Neal, will play for the SMU Mustangs next season. The 6-foot-5 small forward is happy about the UConn Huskies guard Liam McNeeley going as the 29th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.The news was shared by the UConn Men's Basketball Instagram page on Wednesday and subsequently reshared by O'Neal Jr. on Instagram story, accompanied by a reaction."congrats brudda prouda u," O'Neal Jr. captioned his story with a fingers crossed and a red heart emoji and tagged McNeeley.4-star prospect Jermaine O'Neal Jr. shares 4-word reaction as former UConn hooper becomes No. 29th pick in 2025 NBA draft (Image via Instagram @jermaineonealjr)Check out the original post by UConn Men's Basketball."Charlotte got a good one 🫡 Liam McNeeley is headed to the Hornets ➡️," the post was captioned. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostIn his only season at UConn, McNeeley averaged 14.5 points on 38.1% shooting, including 31.7% from behind the arc and 86.6% from the free-throw line. He also grabbed 6.0 rebounds, dished out 2.3 assists, stole the ball 0.6 times and recorded 0.2 blocks per game in 27 games.However, his former coach Dan Hurley said that he was expecting McNeeley to be drafted earlier."It's probably a longer wait than we were expecting or Liam was expecting, based on a number of factors," Hurley said. "But, obviously, it makes it even a sweeter moment when you have to sit there and wait a little bit longer."Hurley also said the 6-foot-7 guard will be a "great pro.""It's an up-and-coming organization, especially the last couple of years," Hurley noted. "Being a first-round pick gives you a commitment from an organization that's going to give you a great chance. I think Liam's going to be a great pro."A look at the SMU Mustangs heading into the next season. Jermaine O'Neal Jr.In the 2024-25 ACC Standings, the Mustangs finished with a 13-7 conference and a 24-11 overall record. However, coach Andy Enfield made some strong additions to his roster from the Class of 2025.SMU signed three four-star recruits, namely Jaden Toombs and Jermaine O'Neal Jr. from Dynamic Prep, and Nigel Walls from St. Francis Episcopal High School. They also received a hard commitment from BJ Davis-Ray from JSerra Catholic.In the transfer portal, they acquired Sam Walters from Michigan, Jaron Pierre from Jacksonville and Corey Washington from Wichita State.