How Paul McNeil’s uncommon work ethic put him on the brink of setting NC State’s new three-pointer record

By Noah Fleischman

DAYTON, Ohio — Paul McNeil was angry. He spent the 165-mile bus ride from the Spectrum Center in Uptown Charlotte to the Dail Basketball Center in Raleigh stewing in his frustration from missing five three-pointers in NC State’s seven-point loss to Virginia in the ACC Tournament quarterfinal last Thursday afternoon.

To him, it didn’t matter that he knocked down a half dozen triples en route to 26 points, his highest output in both departments in more than a month. The loss stung. And the missed shots did too. 

So instead of getting off the bus and heading back to his apartment, McNeil did the only thing he could think to do: Get shots up on the Wolfpack’s practice floor.

The sophomore guard, still in his white Adidas travel zip-up hoodie with the Tuffy logo affixed on the front to go with the matching sweatpants and white sneakers, was the only player standing on the hardwood. He was accompanied by a student manager in a similar outfit, while Director of Player Development Joseph Anderson was nearby. 

A photo of McNeil working on his game, just hours after being eliminated in the ACC Tournament, picked up traction on social media. Anderson initially posted it on his Instagram story before it landed on X, formerly known as Twitter, where NC State fans got a glimpse of what drives the Pack’s elite three-point shooter. 

While this seemed to be a one-off, one born from the team’s season nearing an end with the postseason on the horizon, it wasn’t. McNeil is in the gym nearly every day, whether he’s playing well or not, to continue working on his craft. Just this session was a way for him to work through his frustration of falling short of a chance to play for a title in the Queen City.

“I was in my head about wanting to win,” McNeil told TheWolfpacker.com. “I ain’t won a championship in a long time. That’s something I take personally. Being in the gym is like my relief.”

McNeil, a self-described “gym rat,” made history in NC State’s First Four matchup with Texas on Tuesday night at Dayton’s UD Arena. His three three-pointers tied him with DJ Horne for the program’s single-season record for triples at 105. Horne did it in 40 games during the Wolfpack’s Final Four run two years ago, while McNeil achieved the feat in 34 games this season. 

For a player that posted more “did not play — coach’s decisions” than double-figure scoring efforts as a freshman under Kevin Keatts a year ago, how did McNeil position himself to break out with a chance to rewrite the record book? His constant desire to improve with a unique work ethic is the key.

‘He certainly doesn’t just talk about it, he shows it’

The time of day doesn’t scare McNeil away from his individual workouts. He tends to show up at the Dail Basketball Center around 10 p.m. to begin his one-on-one routine with Anderson, but if the team has an early morning travel day, McNeil has been known to arrive at 6 a.m. to make sure he does what he needs to do. 

It doesn’t matter to McNeil as to what he’s missing in a social circle. He’s so focused on becoming the best version of himself that not attending a preseason NBA YoungBoy concert at the Lenovo Center with the rest of the team wasn’t out of the ordinary. 

A basketball court is where he feels the most at home.

“It’s a natural feeling,” McNeil said. “It’s not nothing like, ‘ugh, I’ve got to go to the gym.’ I don’t really know how to even feel about it because it’s so natural. It’s second nature to me.”

When he arrives at the gym, usually with a couple managers and Anderson in tow, McNeil is focused on one thing: Making shots. He doesn’t count how many attempts he takes in a given workout, rather his sole mindset is to watch the ball fall through the net with ease. 

Anderson, who previously played at Albany, Northern Arizona and Nevada before linking up onto Will Wade’s McNeese staff in 2024 and following him to NC State this past offseason, likes to make McNeil’s workouts resemble as much of a game as possible. They’re efficiency based, usually requiring him to make five in a row from a particular spot before moving all around the floor to the next location. 

That intentional approach requires just as much buy-in from McNeil as it does planning by Anderson, and the two have formed a team that has led to immense success beyond the three-point line. 

McNeil, who is just one of four players in program history to eclipse 100 made triples in a single season, was disciplined in the way he followed Anderson’s plan for him. Looking back on it now, Anderson lights up with joy. 

“The jump was what it needed to be. I do think if he would have played more last year, it’s there,” Anderson told TheWolfpacker.com Monday night in Dayton. “But if you look at the detailed stuff and some of his shots from last year to this year, it’s two different players. 

“I think the most important thing, regardless of his game, is his mind. People that make the jumps in life are not really freaks of nature, but freaks of nurture. What we feed that kid’s mind every day is you have to really be intentional about it. Just feeding his mind confidence.”

McNeil’s self-belief is at an all-time high. He fought his own confidence, at times, last season with his up-and-down playing time. But he was able to keep himself ready for the moment, which led to a 24-point signature performance against Wake Forest a year ago. 

That was a rare outcome for McNeil as a freshman. But as a sophomore? It’s nothing new. McNeil has scored at least 15 points in 13 of his 33 games this year while knocking down three-pointers at a 42.9 percent clip — the best in the ACC. 

Oh, and he had a 47-point explosion with a program-record 11 made three-pointers to beat Texas Southern Dec. 17.

McNeil’s perimeter success is a result of the individualized workouts with Anderson. He’s been able to help McNeil channel his constant hunger for wanting to improve, and the byproduct has been critical for NC State’s chances of winning each and every night. 

Each time McNeil rises to fire a three, no matter how many defenders may be in his face, he believes it’s going in. The misses don’t bother him in the moment, but they do tend to eat at him afterwards, leading to another trip to the practice gym to get that right before moving on past the outcome, whether it was a win or a loss.

“I don’t like to miss. I put too much work in,” McNeil said. “When a miss happens, the outlet is ‘I guess it’s basketball. You can’t make all of them.’ But my mindset is I can make all of them, and when I don’t, it’s hard.”

That’s what makes McNeil different. It’s what has allowed him to realize his NBA dreams are closer to reality than some may think. And it’s all because he constantly lives in the gym with an attitude of wanting to take his game to another level each and every day.

For Wade, who has seen plenty of elite shooters in his two-decade coaching career, McNeil has set himself apart from the rest.

“He’s got a desire and a work ethic that really shows he wants to make it, and he wants to do everything he can to make it,” Wade told TheWolfpacker.com in the locker room hallway at UD Arena. “He certainly doesn’t just talk about it, he shows it.”

Chasing the record

After McNeil nailed six three-pointers in the ACC Tournament loss to Virginia last Thursday, he wasn’t even aware he was close to setting a new program record. He, too, didn’t know he’d hit more than 100 treys with 102 on the year to put himself in rare air, joining Horne (105, 2023-24 season), Scott Wood (104, 2013-14) and Rodney Monroe (104, 1990-91) as the only ones to do so in an NC State uniform.

But as he learned the news, one could see a glimmer in his eye. McNeil, who holds the North Carolina high school single-game scoring record with a 71-point performance as a senior at Richmond (N.C.) Rockingham High, quickly became determined to beat the mark. 

It’s not something he set out to do before the season, but as he’s become the Wolfpack’s go-to three-point specialist, it’s become well within reach to break. 

And it’s not a surprise to those around him. 

“He’s the best shooter in the country, he really is. He proves it day in and day out,” freshman guard Matt Able said. “I know what type of guy he is, and I know we both love to stay in the gym, so it’s just amazing playing with him. He’s a great player.”

Added Wade: “He’s a hard worker. You like to see your hardest workers see that pay off in the games, and see that pay off with them having success. Certainly it’s really good that Paul has been able to have success and show that hard work does pay off.”

Anderson, however, took it one step further. He’s been there for nearly every workout that McNeil has put in over the past nine months to position himself to break the record. 

In all honesty, Anderson wouldn’t take anyone in the nation over McNeil.

“He believes he’s the best shooter in the country, and I talked to him like he’s the best shooter in the country,” Anderson said. “We really feel that way. If we’ve got to have a shooter, I want Paul McNeil Jr. I don’t think there’s anyone better fitting for us with what we’ve got going on than Paul.”