Ohio State Graduate guard and West Virginia transfer Sean McNeil (4), is poised for a breakout season in his first year with Ohio State. Credit: Zachary Rilley | Photo Editor
Former West Virginia guard Sean McNeil exited Ohio State men’s basketball head coach Chris Holtmann’s office on the final day of his recruiting visit April 24 without an agreement in place.
McNeil noticed what seemed to be a look of disappointment on his younger brother, Chris McNeil’s, face.
“My brother looked at me, and he just started shaking his head, and I started shaking my head,” Sean McNeil said.
The future Buckeye took this exchange with his brother to heart, and Sean McNeil walked back into Holtmann’s office, requesting the Buckeyes’ coach lend him a pen to confirm his commitment to the Ohio State men’s basketball program.
“I couldn’t leave here without accepting to come here,” Sean McNeil said. “I instantly felt it was a family atmosphere here.”
Now a graduate guard on the Buckeyes roster, Sean McNeil is poised to bring his veteran leadership and offensive skill set to a new-look Ohio State team.
A Union, Kentucky, native, Sean McNeil enters Holtmann’s program with a variety of collegiate experience.
The 6-foot-4 guard began his collegiate career with Sinclair Community College, a Division II National Junior College Athletic Association program in Dayton, Ohio. In just one season, Sean McNeil emerged as the nation’s top scorer, leading the JUCO Division II ranks with 29.7 points and over four 3-point field goals per game.
After a short stint with Sinclair, Sean McNeil took his talents to Morgantown, West Virginia, where he spent three seasons under the newly crowned Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer, Bob Huggins.
Appearing in 89 total games with the Mountaineers, Sean McNeil averaged 10.1 points per game and finished with 155 career 3-point field goals — the 12th most in program history.
Although he excelled as a 3-point specialist at Sinclair and West Virginia, Sean McNeil said he hopes to take on a larger role in the Buckeyes’ offense by expanding his skill set and becoming a more seasoned playmaker.
“God gave me the ability to shoot the ball, that’s obviously my thing that I do well,” Sean McNeil said. “But I think it can be developed, for sure. One thing I focused on this summer is being able to be more aggressive off the dribble, off the bounce.”
Entering a 2022-23 season with less than half of last year’s roster — including New Orleans Pelicans forward E.J. Liddell and San Antonio Spurs guard Malaki Branham — Holtmann said Sean McNeil will help lead a new-look Buckeyes’ offense behind his ability to command the attention of opposing defenses.
“He’s a different player than the guys we’ve had,” Holtmann said. “I think he’s looking to expand part of his game, but he also understands his greatest strength is going to be the fact that he has to be guarded almost all over the floor.”
Joining a backcourt that includes fellow graduate transfer guards Isaac Likekele and senior Tanner Holden — who come from Oklahoma State and Wright State, respectively — Sean McNeil said he is looking forward to playing with a new group of teammates, as they help create a free-flowing and fast-paced offense that is conducive to his playing style.
“Just being around everybody, everybody plays off each other, that’s one thing I’ve noticed so well,” Sean McNeil said. “Bruce [Thornton] is a pass-first point guard that will do anything to win. [Likekele] is a pass-first point guard that will play one through four and do anything to win. I can just go on and on about every teammate. We all do certain things that can contribute to help us win.”
While the graduate guard looks to excel in Ohio State’s offense, Sean McNeil also hopes to serve as one of the key leaders on a team welcoming six true freshmen.
Despite being one of the most experienced players on the roster, Sean McNeil said he hesitated to assume a leadership role when he first joined the team this summer, as he felt that he had not yet gained the respect of the locker room.
“It was tough in the beginning, for sure,” Sean McNeil said. “I didn’t want to come in here and just start speaking to everybody, and they’re like, ‘Who’s this guy, he just came in?’ So, what I wanted to do from the jump is earn everybody’s respect.”
After spending the summer with his teammates — highlighted by a five-day trip to Paradise Island, Bahamas, in early August — Sean McNeil said he has grown more comfortable around the program.
“I just kind of watched myself over these last two or three months just slowly get more comfortable and get more confident,” Sean McNeil said. “I don’t feel like a newcomer anymore.”
Freshman guard Bowen Hardman, who pairs with McNeil on a number of shooting drills during offseason practices, said he admires his graduate teammate’s leadership ability — something he observed while watching McNeil relentlessly attack each drill during practice.
“Figuring out what he does well, and then bringing that onto me, just shows what type of a leader and the type of guy he is,” Hardman said. “He’s just itching to get better each and every day, and for him to just be able to work with me and learn from me, and me learning from him, it’s something very special.”
While McNeil continues to emerge as an offensive threat and locker room leader, he said his ultimate focus is to guide Ohio State to a deep NCAA Tournament run and earn a championship trophy.
“At the end of the day, it’s about winning,” McNeil said. “I think that’s why you come to Ohio State; you don’t come here to show your personal accolades. You want to come here to win. That’s what they do here. That’s why all 14 of us are here, to win championships.”
