NC State SG Paul McNeil to withdraw from transfer portal, return to Wolfpack

After entering the transfer portal following Will Wade’s departure this offseason — and mulling interest from North Carolina — rising junior shooting guard Paul McNeil isn’t going anywhere.

McNeil, the prolific 3-point shooter, announced his return to NC State via social media. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining, and will play for his third coach in as many years with the Wolfpack, starting with Kevin Keatts and is set to continue with Justin Gainey this season.

The Rockingham, N.C., native is coming off a breakout second collegiate campaign after he posted 13.8 points with 3.6 rebounds on an eye-popping 42.7 percent 3-point shooting clip. McNeil, who knocked down 105 total triples, tied the Wolfpack’s single-season record for such mark, while he became just the fourth player in program history to eclipse the century mark.

McNeil provided instant offense to NC State’s unit when he was on the floor as a wing. He logged 23 double-figure scoring efforts in his 34 total appearances (32 starts), including a career-high 47 points with 11 made 3-pointers in the Pack’s 108-72 win over Texas Southern inside Reynolds Coliseum on Dec. 17. 

The electric scoring night, one filled with an almost automatic McNeil from beyond the arc, marked the highest-scoring performance by any ACC player since Rodney Monroe accounted for 48 points against Georgia Tech on Jan. 13, 1991.

McNeil’s breakout season, one filled with historic efforts, wasn’t a fluke. Though he didn’t play much as a freshman — posting more DNPs than double-digit scoring performances — a self-described gym rat used an uncommon work ethic to tap into his full potential as a sophomore. 

“I don’t like to miss. I put too much work in,” McNeil told TheWolfpacker.com. “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.”

His jump in production had several around the NC State program believing that McNeil was the best at what he does around the country.

“He believes he’s the best shooter in the country, and I talked to him like he’s the best shooter in the country,” former NC State Director of Player Development Joseph 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.”

And instead of lacing up for a different program for the first time in his collegiate career, McNeil will continue to star at NC State in front of his home state’s raucous crowds inside Lenovo Center.