Jerel McNeal #22

Position: Guard
Height: 6'3”
Weight: 195 lbs.
Born: June 1, 1987
Hometown: Chicago, IL
High School: Hillcrest H.S.

High School Career

Jerel led Hillcrest to the sectional final during his senior season by averaging 20 points, nine rebounds, six steals and four assists. He was ranked as the state of Illinois' top senior by the Illinois Prep Bullseye and played for the East Squad in the 2005 Roundball Classic held at the United Center in Chicago.

Accolades

2005 Parade All-American, Third Team
2005 AP All-State, First Team
2005 Chicago Tribune All-State, First Team
2005 Chicago Sun-Times All-State, First Team

Marquette Career

season	GP-GS	Min	Avg	FG-A	FG%	3FG-A	3P%	FT-A	FT%	OR	DR	Reb	avg	Ast	avg	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	Pts	Avg
2005-06	31-31	853	27.5	138-312	.442	13- 46	.283	54- 72	.750	40	100	140	4.5	85	2.7	64	14	117	77	343	11.1
2006-07	29-29	876	30.2	154-369	.417	30- 96	.313	88-129	.682	50	88	138	4.8	109	3.8	76	16	118	102	426	14.7
2007-08	35-35	1056	30.2	198-434	.456	35-115	.304	92-131	.702	56	115	171	4.9	124	3.5	76	15	98	109	523	14.9
Totals	95-95	2785	29.3	490-1115	.439	78-257	.304	234-332	.705	146	303	449	4.7	318	3.3	216	45	333	288	1292	13.6

2005-06

Jerel was one of three Marquette players to start in every game this season, averaging 11.1 points per game, good for third on the team. He was second on the team in rebounding with 4.5 boards per game. McNeal led the team in steals with 64 and passed Doc Rivers for the freshman season steals record. When McNeal scored 10 or more points, Marquette was 14-7. He scored 14 points in collegiate debut, shooting 5-of-7 from the floor against Rice on November 18th. He also grabbed 10 rebounds in the first two games to lead the team in that category. He scored 30 points, including 15 points against Eastern Washington on November 23rd and 12 rebounds in three games in the Great Alaskan Shootout. Jerel converted all nine of his free throw attempts in three games. He was perfect from the free throw line for the fourth consecutive game making all five of his attepmts at Nebraska on November 30th.

Jerel scored a team-high 12 points against Valparaiso on December 7th, his first double-figure scoring performance since Eastern Washington and he topped his previous career best of 15 points with 18 against Oakland on December 19th. He scored 14 of his 18 points in the first half, setting a season best for a Marquette individual. Jerel also grabbed seven rebounds and dished five assists in that contest. He was one of three players to score in double figures contributing 10 points against Delaware State on December 22nd and scored in double figures for the fourth consecutive game with 11 points against Lewis on December 28th.

McNeal recorded a career night against #2 Connecticut on January 3rd, with his first career double double, topping his previous career highs with 19 points and 12 rebounds (eight of those boards came in the first half). He also topped his career-high field goal attempts against Connecticut with 22. Jerel contributed 16 points against Cincinnati on January 7th and played a season-high 37 minutes at Seton Hall on January 11th. He was one of four Marquette players to score in double figures, posting 11 points at DePaul on January 17th. He topped his career high of five assists with seven in that game. He accounted for three of Marquette's season-high 10 blocks against Notre Dame on January 20th. That was a career-high, as were his five steals, topping his previous mark of four against South Dakota State.

Jerel led Marquette in rebounding against DePaul on January 25th, grabbing seven boards. He also attempted 15 shots from the field, for his third time of the season to record 15 or more shots. After a three-game drought of not converting from the charity stripe, he sunk 3-of-4 free throws against Saint John's and led MU's rebounding effort with eight (his most in nine games) at Villanova on February 4th. He was perfect from the free throw line for the eighth time this season, making all five of his attempts at Rutgers on February 12th. he was one of three MU players to score in double figures in four consecutive games (Saint John's, Villanova, Rutgers, and Georgetown) and was one of four Marquette players to score in double figures at Louisville on March 1st, contributing 10 points. He made five of six free throws against Providence on March 4th, his first trip to the charity stripe in two games. He was one of three MU players to score in double figures against Georgetown on March 9th, adding 10 points. He averaged 10.8 points in the last four games of the season.

2006-07

Jerel played 35 minutes, making 7 of 22 field goal attempts and 5 of 7 free throws, for a team-high 19 points against Hillsdale on November 10th (he also grabbed a team-high seven boards). McNeal set a CBE Classic record with six steals against Idaho State on November 13th, a record he later tied against Duke on November 21st. He scored 19 points against Texas Tech and 17 against Duke and was named the BIG EAST Player of the Week for those efforts. He tallied 10 points in victory over Valparaiso on November 27th and had 13 points against Northwestern State on Decemberr 1st. He scored a team-high 16 points, going 8 for 17 from the field, and set a career-high with seven steals vs. North Dakota State on December 2nd. He scored a game-high 16 points, had four assists and four steals in win over Delaware State on December 5th. He went 6 for 11 from the field and connected on 4 of 6 shots from the line for 16 points, five rebounds and a team-best four assists vs. UW-Madison on December 9th.

McNeal scored 15 points, including a career-best nine from beyond the arc, vs. UMBC on December 16th. He was six of nine from the floor, five of seven from the line and scored 17 points along with six steals, five rebounds and four assists against Oakland on December 19th. He scored a career-high 25 points and had seven assists against Morgan State on December 22nd and after missing one game with a concussion, he returned to lead the team with 16 points and five steals vs. Syracuse on January 7th. he connected on nine of 13 attempts from the free throw line en route to scoring a team-high 19 points at Connecticut on January 10th and in 25 minutes vs. West Virginia on January 13th, he scored 11 points, grabbed nine rebounds and had seven assists. McNeal had seven assists and scored 15 points against Louisville on January 15th and recorded his first double-double of the season, tallying a career-high 10 assists while scoring 22 points against Seton Hall on January 24th (he also grabbed seven rebounds and had four steals).

Jerel tallied 13 points, including a game-winning layup with no time remaining on the clock against USF on January 28th and recorded his second double-double of his career, scoring 18 points and matching a career-high with 12 rebounds against Providence on February 3rd. He scored 16 points at DePaul on February 14th and tallied a game-high 18 points (matching a career-high for threes made in a game (3) and minutes played (37) against Louisville on February 17th. McNeal scored 15 points and had seven rebounds against Villanova on February 19th and went 8 for 11 from the free throw line, scoring 16 points against Notre Dame on February 24th.