Liam McNeley was delighted for his high school friends and teammates, Cooper Flagg, Derik Queen and Asa Newell, who were drafted.
But he continued to wait for his turn. He was after 11 p.m., and the Connecticut star still hadn’t heard his name called.
With the 29th selection in the first round of the NBA recovery on Wednesday, the 6 -foot 7 inch wing was out of the table.
He was taken by the Suns, but the choice would have been treated to the Hornets.
“I have been dreaming of that moment since the age of five,” said McNeeley shortly after crossing the front of the Barclays scene and trembling the hand of the NBA commissioner Adam Silver. “That’s all I always wanted, and that’s where work really starts. So, just all the memories and the people who helped me arrive where I am, this is where tears come.
“It takes so much sacrifice, dedication and passion. I missed many places of meeting with my friends, a lot of time with my family. But all of this is worth it. I love basketball. “
McNeeley took advantage of a solitary season outside the university with Uconn.
He collected an average of 14.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists, helping the Huskies win an NCAA tournament match for the third consecutive season.
It has become the fifth choice of first round of Connecticut in the past five years.
There were questions about his ability to defend at the next level, as well as his percentage of 3 points of 31.7.
In the end, these problems contributed to the fall of Texan to the bottom of the first round.
But McNeeley insisted that he was not upset later. He was more relieved.
“You know, there is no reason to disappoint,” said McNeeley. “I just wrote to play in the NBA.”
McNeley was one of the two Big East players written in the first round.
Thomas Sorber from Georgetown was the other.
He was taken 15th by the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
Asked which players he impatiently expected to face the League, McNeley immediately thought of his former Montverde Academy (Florida) Flagg, Queen and Newell.
“Going to play against them will be incredible,” he said.
