Troy University Athletics
Troy Signs Former UTSA Guard Darius McNeill
5/24/2022 12:00:00 PM | Basketball (M)
TROY, Ala. – Troy men's basketball adds former 4-star recruit Darius McNeill, from UTSA, head coach Scott Cross announced Tuesday afternoon.
"We are extremely excited about the addition of Darius McNeill to our basketball program," Cross said. "Darius brings a ton of experience as he has started in 81 of his 104 Division-I basketball games, averaging 9.4 points per game, while shooting 34 percent from behind the arc. Darius is a proven playmaker and scorer that will give us a ton of experience at the guard position."
Last season, the former four-star recruit averaged 6.4 points on 41.8 percent shooting from the field in 29 games played for the Roadrunners– started 22 games. McNeill scored his season-high against UTEP with a 20-point performance on a 7-of-15 shooting split.
Standing at 6-3, McNeill demonstrates elite passing abilities, coming off a season where he had the second-most assists at 55 for an average of 1.8. The senior posted three or more assists in nine games last season, including a season-high of six against Trinity and Western Kentucky.
"Darius is a high-level athlete that can really finish in transition and is a great on-ball defender," Cross added. "Coach Mangrum and I have been following his progress very closely over the years and remember watching him play almost every single AAU game during the summer of 2017. Trojan fans are going to love watching Darius play this season."
The Texan sat high amongst the C-USA conference in steals with one steal per game, which ranked second on the UTSA roster and 13th in the league. In addition, the Houston native crashed the boards, averaging 2.5 rebounds per game.
Before UTSA, McNeill played one season with SMU, leading the American Athletic Conference in 3-point percentage at 45 percent. The Westfield High School graduate was ranked 21st in Texas for his class, being named District MVP after leading his team to a bi-district championship in his junior season. From Westfield, McNeill initially committed to Cal, where he averaged 11.4 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists in his two years.
McNeill joins Aamer Muhammad (Lubbock Christian) as the second signee from the transfer portal.
"We are extremely excited about the addition of Darius McNeill to our basketball program," Cross said. "Darius brings a ton of experience as he has started in 81 of his 104 Division-I basketball games, averaging 9.4 points per game, while shooting 34 percent from behind the arc. Darius is a proven playmaker and scorer that will give us a ton of experience at the guard position."
Last season, the former four-star recruit averaged 6.4 points on 41.8 percent shooting from the field in 29 games played for the Roadrunners– started 22 games. McNeill scored his season-high against UTEP with a 20-point performance on a 7-of-15 shooting split.
Standing at 6-3, McNeill demonstrates elite passing abilities, coming off a season where he had the second-most assists at 55 for an average of 1.8. The senior posted three or more assists in nine games last season, including a season-high of six against Trinity and Western Kentucky.
"Darius is a high-level athlete that can really finish in transition and is a great on-ball defender," Cross added. "Coach Mangrum and I have been following his progress very closely over the years and remember watching him play almost every single AAU game during the summer of 2017. Trojan fans are going to love watching Darius play this season."
The Texan sat high amongst the C-USA conference in steals with one steal per game, which ranked second on the UTSA roster and 13th in the league. In addition, the Houston native crashed the boards, averaging 2.5 rebounds per game.
Before UTSA, McNeill played one season with SMU, leading the American Athletic Conference in 3-point percentage at 45 percent. The Westfield High School graduate was ranked 21st in Texas for his class, being named District MVP after leading his team to a bi-district championship in his junior season. From Westfield, McNeill initially committed to Cal, where he averaged 11.4 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists in his two years.
McNeill joins Aamer Muhammad (Lubbock Christian) as the second signee from the transfer portal.
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