UConn HC Dan Hurley shares heartfelt message for former star Liam McNeeley following NBA draft selection

Former UConn Huskies forward Liam McNeeley was selected No. 29 overall by the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday. McNeeley became the No. 24 first-round and No. 52 pick in the NBA draft in UConn's history.

After the draft night, the ever-supportive UConn coach Dan Hurley tweeted a heartfelt message aimed at McNeeley showcasing his picture on UConn's wall of first-round picks.

"Exclusive Club…On the Wall…This guy is special and will have a big time NBA career!" Hurley tweeted.

Dan Hurley also attended the draft event at Barclays Center in Brooklyn alongside McNeeley's family.

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Liam McNeeley draft slide defended by Dan Hurley

The highly-regarded Liam McNeeley was projected as a lottery pick in several mock drafts including by ESPN and CBS Sports but he was one of the biggest sliders on draft night almost falling out of the first round.

After McNeeley was picked No. 29 by the Charlotte Hornets, the charismatic Dan Hurley defended McNeeley's slide tabbing him to succeed in the NBA in the future despite his shooting woes in college basketball last season (38.1% from the field and 31.7% from beyond the arc).

“Some of those numbers are based on the team dynamics and having to take harder shots because we weren’t as good a team,” Hurley said. “Part of it was the injury, part of it, I think, Liam puts a lot of pressure on himself because he wants it so bad, he’s an intense guy. So being able to channel that going forward, he’s got some of that Cam Spencer crazy competitiveness.

"He’s got to learn to channel it like Cam, go from cursing and slamming the ball to getting back on task quicker. But yeah, I mean, sometimes you’re better off going 29th to a certain organization where you’re gonna have more of an opportunity than being picked 15th to a bad organization where there’s not a lot of opportunity at your position.”

In 27 games played for the Huskies, McNeeley averaged 14.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 32.1 minutes per game as he led the Huskies to the semifinals of the Big East tournament and the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament where they lost narrowly to the eventual champions, the Florida Gators.

Liam McNeeley sustained an ankle injury in January which caused him to miss eight games and last week he admitted that he returned early despite not regaining full fitness to help the UConn Huskies whose season was in danger of derailing.