Marquette University Athletics
Off The Court With Jerel McNeal
1/23/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 23, 2009
By Michael Wittliff
The on-court antics at the Dunkin' Donuts Center during Marquette's 91-82 victory over Providence are nothing that senior guard Jerel McNeal has not seen before. Back in McNeal's native Chicago, forays by spectators onto the court were a much too common occurrence.
"Back home, it was real crazy," said McNeal. "I've seen guys play in a game, get fouled too hard and either friends or relatives come out on the floor to attack the guy that fouled him. They had to completely shut down a game once because there was almost a riot in the gym."
McNeal's Chicago roots have greatly impacted him as a basketball player. The level of competition that he faced growing up has allowed him to develop into the player that Marquette fans see today on the Al McGuire Court.
"It influenced me an unbelievable amount because there are so many talented and great players, different personalities, that come out of the city," McNeal explained. "That is one thing that I didn't pay much attention to growing up in the area. But once I got to college I was able to sit back and look at all the guys from Chicago that I knew who are spread across the country doing their thing on the basketball court."
It is important to him that when he dons a Marquette jersey he is not only representing Marquette and Milwaukee, but Chicago as well.
"You make a great name for your city each and every time you have guys coming out and representing (Chicago) on the court. It's good to be a part of and I hope players keep emerging out of that area."
McNeal is following in the footsteps of some pretty famous former Marquette basketball players from the "Windy City." Bo Ellis, Doc Rivers and Dwyane Wade all honed their basketball skills in Chicago before enrolling at Marquette.
McNeal meanwhile recalls another player from Chicago's west side who made a large impression on him as a youth.
"Hoop Dreams was one of my favorite movies growing up," McNeal said of the 1994 documentary. "William Gates and Arthur Agee -- that was one of my favorite movies of all time, even though it was a documentary. It is so realistic and it gives you a good in-depth look at Chicago basketball. It looks at two normal guys who are student-athletes and the struggles that they had to go through, not only on the court, but off it as well.
"I did remember that (Gates) went to Marquette, and they had Bo Ellis on there when Kevin O'Neill was the head coach. That was one of the distinctive things that I did remember about the movie."
Once McNeal graduates, longtime friend Maurice Acker will be the only Golden Eagle from the state of Illinois left on the roster. With all the success that MU has had recruiting kids from that area, McNeal sees keeping a Chicago pipeline open as a vital tool for the program.
"It's going to be important over the next few years getting guys to come up here out of the Chicago area."
Chicago's professional basketball scene also left an impression on McNeal while growing up.
"I was a Bulls fan. Growing up that was right during their championship runs when the had [Michael] Jordan, Scottie Pippen, early on Horace Grant, and later [Dennis] Rodman. It was a really good experience, being able to watch those guys on TV every night."
After attempting to join the NBA after last season, McNeal has thrived since pulling his name out of last June's NBA Draft.
"The whole experience in general gave me a tremendous amount of feedback. They tell you certain things you need to work on and where you stand with people on that level. Coming back has allowed me to chase a dream and that is to win a championship and be successful with the team here."
On the court, one noticeable difference in his game this season has been his improved shooting ability. McNeal is shooting almost 50 percent from the floor, including a 45.7 clip from behind the three-point line. Currently averaging 18.8 points per game, McNeal is on pace to become Marquette's all-time leading scorer by the end of the season.
"I put an unbelievable amount of pressure on myself, being in the gym everyday doing what I need to do," McNeal said of his shooting practice. "It started to pay off in the second half of the conference season last year. I hadn't shot the ball very well prior to that, so coming out this year I had a new start. My work ethic hasn't changed at all. It feels good to see it pay off."
Adding an explosive offensive game to his already extensive repertoire is something that will suit the 2007 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year well in the future.
But when asked about the toughest opponent he has had to guard at MU, McNeal was very forthcoming with the answer.
"My freshman year Randy Foye was the hardest player that I have had to guard. He was so versatile with all the different things that he could do. He could shoot threes, shoot mid-range, shoot off the dribble, get all the way to the rim, the whole nine yards. He was a really good player and I haven't played anybody that versatile since my freshman year."
Although McNeal doesn't compare his style of play to anyone in particular, those attributes that he used to describe Foye sure sound a lot like the player that he has become.
It is also interesting that McNeal remembers Foye and that team so vividly, as many are comparing Villanova's 2005-06 team to this year's Marquette squad, with its perimeter experience and depth.
"That was a real tough game to lose, those guys were all upperclassmen when we were at Villanova, had them beat and then kind of gave it away at the end," McNeal said of MU's 72-67 loss to then-No. 4 Villanova on Feb. 4, 2006. "I wish I had another shot at them. I only got one shot and it didn't go well. That one hurt bad."
One of the motivating factors this year is also the way last season ended with the crushing overtime loss in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to No. 3-seed Stanford. In that game McNeal scored a career-high 30 points, almost single-handedly carrying MU with three 3-pointers in overtime.
"With the way it ended last year, it was a real tough one because we felt like we played well enough to be in that Sweet 16 game against Texas," McNeal recalled. "Going into that we didn't know what would have happened. I was devastated by it and I wished that we could have fast-forwarded it to the same point this year. That is something that I will use as motivation for the entire year until we get back to that point."
Although wanting another shot in the NCAA Tournament to exercise some demons keeps McNeal hungry, new head coach Buzz Williams has kept the team even keeled so far this year and focused on the tasks at hand.
"Being able to take things one day at a time, one game at a time, one practice at a time is just what this team needed to hear. It's more difficult for us older guys not to look ahead with things winding down and getting closer to the end of the year."
But looking back, McNeal feels fortunate with what he has accomplished in his four years at Marquette.
"It's been an unbelievable honor and a great experience playing with these guys, being here for four years and being part of this great tradition and university. I can't put into words how being around for another year has impacted me personally.
"It was one of the most difficult and best decisions that I have made in my life, to come back for my last year. Being able to continue this time with my teammates, looking to win more games and finishing my degree are all the things that I dreamed about doing when I first got here."
McNeal is working hard to make his own hoop dreams become reality.
