If there was anyone chomping at the bit for the first day of basketball practice, it was Cullen Neal. After all, the sharpshooter missed most of last season.
Neal received a medical hardship redshirt year after injuring his ankle in the third game of the 2014-15 season. He returned to the court as the Lobos opened practice Friday and was a full-go participant in 5-on-5 drills.
“I was itching all day,” he said before taking the Rudy Davalos Basketball Center practice floor. “I was like, ‘Can I go to the gym now? Can I go to the gym now?’ It was like 8 a.m., and I wanted to go to the gym already.”
Considered one of the best long-range shooters on the roster, Neal’s presence a year ago was certainly missed. He had been hitting 50 percent of his 3-point attempts, dropping eight of 16 shots from beyond the arc prior to the injury. He also had a 24.5 point-per-game average in the season’s first two games.
With Neal, the Lobos won their first two games over Idaho State and Cal State Fullerton. Without Neal, the Lobos lost three of their next four and went 13-16 for the remainder of the season.
Although he was sidelined, Neal said he found positives in the experience because he was able to see the game from a different perspective.
“I got to get better,” he said. “I got to mature, but it was hard because I wasn’t able to help my teammates on the floor. That was probably the most difficult part.”
When first asked about how he felt coming back after the injury, his response was quick: “I’m good. Feeling much better, thank you.” It was the first question posed to Neal at Friday’s press conference.
When a reporter asked Neal to elaborate, Neal said he doesn’t even think about the ankle anymore.
“I don’t even notice it,” he said. “There’s no pain, no nothing, so I’m past that part.”
Neal’s return should take some pressure off his teammates, guard/forward Sam Logwood said. He praised Neal for his leadership and shooting abilities. Having an outside shot frees the post players to do their jobs as well, Logwood said.
“He helps us out by opening up things in the middle,” he said. “If we throw it out to him, he’ll knock it down a good percent of the time. If we throw it inside, it’s easier for the bigs to score, so he helps us open things up.”
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Craig Neal, the Lobos’ head coach and Cullen Neal’s dad, said his son has some scar tissue in his ankle, which is normal. The shooter had added some strength in the weight room and weighed in at nearly 200 pounds. The coaching staff will keep an eye on Cullen Neal because the team will need his minutes during games, the head coach said.
Cullen Neal won’t necessarily be the only threat from the outside, either. UNM brought in two other strong shooters in guards Anthony Mathis, a freshman, and Elijah Brown, who is now eligible after transferring last year from Butler.
Mathis may be the best shooter among the newcomers, Craig Neal said; he might, in fact, be the best shooter on the roster.
“That’s disrespectful,” Cullen Neal said jokingly. “I don’t think I’ve ever lost to Anthony in a shooting contest. I mean, all of us can really shoot the ball, so I don’t know who the best shooter is. I guess we’ll have to play the numbers when the year starts.”
J.R. Oppenheim is the managing editor for the Daily Lobo. Contact him at managingeditor@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @DailyLobo.
