A STAR IS BORN: Paul McNeil Jr is next in line to lead the Pack

In the portal era, it’s rare to find game-changing talent and true loyalty wrapped up into a single player.

But Will Wade and his staff struck gold when they took over a roster that had Paul McNeil Jr sitting on it.

When Wade took over in Raleigh, he was under the impression that he might need a full roster makeover. But NC State assistant GM and analytics guru, Patrick Stacy, suggested they retain McNeil, who had amazing underlying metrics despite only playing 8 minutes per game the prior season for Kevin Keatts.

“He’s a local kid. He scored 70 points in a high school game a few years ago.” Stacy said in an interview with 247 prior to the season. “You’re looking for guys who make the team better when they’re on the floor. Paul made NC State 4.1 points better when he was on the floor last season, which was the highest of any other possible returning guys. He was Top-2 in scoring rate, which is points per 40. He was #1 3 point makes per 40. He was Top-2 in steals and offensive rebounds. He was lowest in TO rate per 40. When he was on the floor he was literally NC State’s best player from a rate standpoint.”

“Being able to retain a player that has a lot of years left and really high upside, that he could be a potential NBA player, was huge for us.” Stacy added.

McNeil is a local kid who grew up just an hour and thirty minutes down the road in Rockingham, NC. He grew up quiet and shy and it wasn’t really until his freshman season in high school did he start to understand what he was capable of. That’s when his coach, Donald Pettigrew, saw something in him and pushed him to believe in himself and master his craft. According to local legends, Pettigrew would lock McNeil in the gym with him and make him shoot until he unlocked it. And despite blowing up his (COVID-shortened) freshman season, he never let it get to his head.

“He’s so unselfish. He could go for 40 a night (in HS), but he passes it off to his guys.” said Pettrigrew. “He doesn’t make it all about him. He’s got a great heart…real coachable. Never talks back. He’s a team guy.”

And when his coach wasn’t around, the school janitor, Mr. Anthony, would unlock the doors for him to get shots up.

His work ethic and humble nature, coupled with his elite shooting stroke, came together during his junior season, and eventually everyone in North Carolina basketball circles was paying attention to Paul McNeil.

That’s when Kevin Keatts came calling.

Despite offers from schools all over the country, and despite the fact that his stock was just starting to skyrocket. McNeil didn’t draw out the process. He committed to the Pack early on, saying that ‘putting on the NC State jersey’ would be “everything he ever dreamed of.”

The commitment seemed to lift a weight off his shoulders, and his play absolutely took off. As a senior, McNeil was being talked about as one of the most elite scorers the state had ever seen. He backed those claims up with one of the most insane performances in high school history…

A 71-point outburst against Lee County on January 16, 2024.

That performance broke the NCHSAA single-game scoring record (previously 67 points, set in 1950).

But this game wasn’t a surprise to McNeil. It wasn’t him just showing up white-hot to the gym that night.

McNeil had researched what the single-game record was for North Carolina, with the intention of breaking it.

That tidbit right there is the glimpe of the fire that burns inside Paul McNeil Jr. He doesn’t wear his emotions on his sleeve, nor does do much talking on the court. But make no mistake, inside, he’s got an unwavering belief in himself and a killer’s mentality.

Want proof? How about his game-winning 3 in NC State’s exhibition game opener? On a team full of seniors, it was McNeil who had the confidence to take and make that final shot. How about the 47-point outburst where he set the school record with 11 3s in a single game (tying the ACC Record), or heck, even just Tuesday when NC State was all but eliminated before Paul hit 2 contested 3s to nearly bring them back.

This season was the coming-out party for Paul McNeil Jr, but next season is where P2 becomes a national name.

There is no doubt that he’ll be priority 1A for NC State this offseason. They don’t see him as a spot shooter. They see him as someone who is about to take the next step and become one of the nation’s elite scoring guards, and you will certainly see an offense that is built around showcasing that.

You can assume that next season’s roster will be built around Paul McNeil as a scorer, and it will be up to him to make sure he’s able to adjust as defenses build their entire scouting report around him. That will mean adding more muscle so he can absorb contact, and getting more comfortable attacking off the bounce, plus improving his defense. If he can do that, there is little doubt the NBA will come calling.

But right now, the key is retaining McNeil in the NIL era.

The market will be hot for a 14ppg, 6’6 rising junior with a 42.7 3-point percentage, and NC State will be more than ready to invest in their star. The great news, however, is that no matter where you look, the one thing every single coach or teammate says about Paul McNeil Jr is that ‘loyalty is his best quality.’

Paul grew up here. He’s a North Carolina kid through and through. In fact, prior to the season, when asked why he chose to come to (and then stay at) NC State, here is what he had to say…

“I knew I wanted to go (to State). It was close to home for my people to catch the games, because my mom never really caught any of my basketball games. I’m in college right down the road now.  I knew she could catch most of the games, so that really played a big factor in why I committed here, and the culture here. We go to the football games, basketball games, the softball games, baseball games, like the culture here was just amazing, so (when the coaching change happened) I wanted to stay.”

NC State is a unique school with a unique fan base. They value hard work and loyalty more than any other fanbase I’ve been a part of, and when a kid like Paul McNeil comes around, they gravitate towards them.

There is a certain type of player that Wolfpack fans really love.

Humble. Hard worker. Loyal. Local.

Couple that with elite statistics and the will to win, and you’ve got the recipe for an NC State legend.

This past season, McNeil put his first mark on the record books, tying the single-season 3pt record with 105, and with the staff’s plan for him (increased volume) and his emerging skillset, that won’t be the last time he puts his stamp on this program.

If McNeil sticks around all 4 years, can replicate this season over his final 2, and adds just four more 3s over those final two seasons, he will break Scott Wood’s record for most 3s over a career in NC State history (a program that has been around since 1910).

Imagine that. Paul McNeil has the opportunity to own:

• The state of NC’s high-school single-game scoring record (71)
• NC State’s all-time single-season 3-point record (105)
• NC State’s all-time career 3-point record (335?)

Paul McNeil Jr. never chased the spotlight, but it always seemed to find him. And it’s happening once again. The humble kid from Rockingham is about to be the leader of the Pack.