Hall of Fame
John McNeil graduated from High Point Andrews High School in 1986. McNeil was selected to play in the prestigious East-West All Star game held in the Greensboro Coliseum that same year of his high school graduation. It was there that Coach Bob Burke was convinced McNeil could become the next great “Big Guy” for the Braves at Chowan College.
“Big John” McNeil had a fabulous basketball career at Chowan.McNeil played a vital role in the Braves being nationally ranked both his first and second year at Chowan. The then-Braves had an outstanding record of 52-11 during McNeil’s two years. His sophomore season he helped lead Chowan to its second visit to Hutchinson, KS to play in the NJCAA National Tournament. He became Chowan’s first player ever to play in the NCJAA National All-Star game vs. Texas All-Stars. McNeil also was instrumental in Chowan winning the NBC Classic and the first ever Pepsi Classic in Ocala, FL.
Coach Bob Burke stated that, “Without a doubt, Johnny is truly worthy of being inducted into the Jim Garrison Chowan University Hall of Fame. He loved to practice, always gave 100% and worked hard at his craft. When I think of Johnny, I reflect on his size and strength but more importantly, I always think of his kindness and his big smile. I will always remember him scoring two points on an inbounds play under the goal to give Chowan a one point lead in the final seconds of the Regional Championship game against Louisburg, This win earned Chowan a berth in the NJCAA National Tournament.”
McNeil graduated from Chowan in 1988. He continued his basketball career at Georgia Tech. His tremendous success opened the door for future Chowan players to play for Coach Bobby Cremins at Georgia Tech. While at Georgia Tech, McNeil did all the “dirty” work inside helping the Yellow Jackets reach their first Final Four in school history. “Big John” led the team in field goal percentage and was second in free throw accuracy during his tenure at GT.
McNeil went on to a 15 year Pro Career making stops in Brazil, Switzerland, Germany and Austria. He was twice voted Pro Player of the Year in Austria.
After retiring from basketball in 2007, McNeil with his wife, Janet, and his two sons, Malik and Jalen, decided to move to a small town, Tega Cay, SC, which is located in the suburbs of Charlotte, NC. His sons’ followed in his footsteps playing basketball on their school teams and on AAU Teams.
To this day, basketball continues to be a big part of McNeil’s life. He tries to be involved in various basketball clinics as much as possible, as well as being an assistant coach for his oldest son’s High School Basketball Team. Whenever he has an opportunity to get away from his job as a sales consultant for Keffer Hyundai, his priority is working with kids and in basketball.
