Isaac McKneely remains focused on eight finalists

Isaac McKneely moved up 37 spots to No. 57 in this week's 2022 Rivals150 update. This currently makes him the No. 12 ranked shooting guard in the class.

In November, McKneely slowed his recruiting process down a little as he narrowed his list from 25-plus offers, down to eight finalists: Kentucky, West Virginia, Illinois, Louisville, North Carolina, Purdue and Indiana.

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2021 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position

2022 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position

2023 Rankings: Top 30

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Kentucky: “Kentucky is only about two and a half hours from home, so that’s a plus. I also really like their coaches, and they’re a big-time basketball school who continues to put people in the NBA.”

West Virginia: “It’s my home state. The coaches have preached to me that there is nothing like playing in front of your home state. They’ve been recruiting me for a very long time, and they’re always a really good team.”

Illinois: “They have recruited me really hard. They call me all the time and check up on me. I really like the way they play. They play fast and shoot a lot of threes, so I think I could do really well in their system.”

Louisville: “I really like the coaching staff. They’ve been great through the whole process of recruiting me. The way Louisville plays is great, they use a lot of ball screens and utilize their guards really well.”

North Carolina: "I have built a good relationship with one of the assistants. I am good friends with Puff Johnson who is currently on the roster and he’s told me great things. UNC is a great school on and off the court. I also think I could do really well playing for Coach (Roy) Williams.

Purdue: “Coach (Matt) Painter has been there for a while and has built a really good program. They send me clips of the way they’d use me in their sets, and it all looked really good. They run a lot of good stuff for guys like me.”

Indiana: “The coaching staff has really recruited me hard. Indiana is a big-time school. They’ve shown me ways I could be really good there, and I can see it. I think this would be a great fit for me on and off the court.”

Virginia: “Virginia is a great basketball school, but also known as a great academic school, that is very important to me. Coach (Tony) Bennett has been very honest and upfront with me this whole process. I have a good feel for a lot of what they do there, and it would be a really good fit for me."

While the time frame of a commitment is a little up in the air, McKneely knows the process he wants to go about to help reach his final decision.

“I plan to take visits before I make a commitment. I want to commit sometime before my senior year and sign early. I am not sure if I am going to narrow my list again, prior to committing, maybe. I just don’t know 100 percent what I want to do yet.”

McKneely is very self-aware of who he is as a player and what he brings to the table.

“I’m a combo guard. I’m good at getting to my spots off the dribble and shooting off the catch. I love to get my teammates involved, and I am continuing to work to become a great defender. I’ve heard I play like Tyler Herro the most, also Jamal Murray.”

The last time McKneely stepped on the floor for his high school was on March 6, 2020. It was then he led all scorers with 16 points in a thrilling triple overtime win in the Sectional Championships. Six days later, West Virginia Governor Jim Justice shut basketball down in the state.

“It has really sucked not getting to play, but in some ways it’s benefited me. It’s given me time to really work on myself. I’ve spent a lot of time working out and getting stronger. I’ve gained about 15-20 pounds since the end of the season and I’ve also just gotten so much better in every aspect of my game. I’ve had access to a gym this whole time, so I’m still getting work in every single day.”

Earlier this week, the Governor announced the state of West Virginia can start playing games again, on March 3, almost one year later. Practices will be able to begin on Feb. 15. However, McKneely knows there is business left to be tended to.

“I’m honestly not sure how our season will work exactly, but the goal for our team this year is just like every other year, win a state championship. I think our team had a chance to win it all last year, and it sucks that our season was cut short, but I really like our team this year. We return a lot of our core guys and me and all my teammates have worked our butts off. So I think we have a really good shot at bringing the state championship back to Poca.”

McKneely plays with a swagger, one of those confidences that many refer to as the “it" factor. He has all the tools you want out of a guard with his ability to shoot, get to his scoring spots and the bounce and strength to finish at the rim. He put in a lot of work during this year off, added some good weight and tightened up some loose ends, while expanding others. Now that the state of West Virginia has announced they will be playing, it will be good to see him back on the court and see how the off-season training translates to the court.