Marcus Neal Jr. Season 2003-04
#10Achievements
Selected to Big 12 All-Newcomer Team (2004)
Outlook
Marcus Neal Jr. looks to continue the strong run he made at the end of last season as Nebraska’s starting point guard when he returns for his second and final campaign in 2004-05.
Neal used his outstanding court vision and ball-handling skills to rank second on the team in assists during his initial campaign in Lincoln. His resiliency following a slump early in the conference slate helped him break into the starting lineup in 13 of the last 14 games of the year while gaining valuable experience that he will utilize this season.
Neal's re-emergence into the starting five coincided with a more aggressive mindset on the offensive end where he showcased his speed and acceleration to create scoring opportunities while slashing into the paint. He also proved to be one of the team’s better three-point shooters in league play, helping him earn Big 12 All-Newcomer Team honors from the league’s sportswriters.
Neal also showed tremendous leadership skills as he guided the team's postseason run last year. He has shown that leadership in the weight room, where he set the team record in the squat (404 pounds) in 2004.
2004 Australian Summer Tour
Neal picked up where he left off last season as he was a serious offensive threat for the Huskers from his point guard position. He was second on the team with 15.0 points and 2.3 rebounds per game while adding team highs with nine three-pointers and 18 assists on the trip. Neal, who was also second on the squad with eight steals, recorded double figures five times, including 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting at Hunter.
2003-04 (Junior)
Neal joined the Huskers after earning honorable-mention All-America honors at Polk (Fla.) Community College as a sophomore. He split time as NU’s starting point guard with freshman Charles Richardson Jr. until taking over the duties full-time midway through the conference campaign.
On the season, Neal made 19 starts while averaging 18.1 minutes per game with 5.3 points, 1.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists. He hit a respectable 40.4 percent from the floor and 35.1 percent from three-point range in 31 games. He was NU's leading scorer once and tied Richardson by pacing the Huskers in assists in a team-high 11 contests.
Neal’s numbers increased on the road where he averaged 6.8 points and 2.4 assists over 13 games. He hit 45.2 percent from the field, including making an impressive 17-of-25 (68.0 percent) attempts inside the arc.
With 62 assists, Neal ranked second on the team behind Richardson (66). Neal recorded a season-high five assists on three occasions, including five assists without a turnover at nationally ranked Kansas. Neal began the season on a high note by adding five assists in the season opener against Fairleigh Dickinson and handed out five assists with just one turnover in a conference road victory against Texas A&M.
Neal had a breakout game on the road at Kansas State when he scored a career-high 15 points, including three three-pointers, with two assists, two rebounds and one steal. Neal had a season-high 16 field-goal attempts against KSU, with 11 coming from behind the arc.
From that point, Neal’s attacking mentality on offense kicked in as he hit 43.7 percent from the floor over the final 13 games, including 41.9 percent from long distance. His three-point shooting percentage and three-pointers made (18) during that stretch ranked second on the team behind three-point conference record-holder Brian Conklin. Neal's consistency from the field helped him average 7.9 points with 2.9 assists in that span, as NU earned a 7-6 record with five losses by five or fewer points.
Neal’s 15-point performance against the Wildcats was one of six double-figure scoring contests in 2003-04, including a season-high tying 15 points in the season finale at Hawaii in the second round of the National Invitation Tournament. He hit 4-of-7 attempts from the floor against UH, including 2-of-4 from outside the arc, with four rebounds, three assists and two steals. Neal helped NU race back from a 17-point halftime deficit, 49-32, by adding eight points, two assists and a steal, including a three-pointer that gave the Huskers a 55-54 lead with 14:44 to play. NU lost by just a point, 84-83.
The game against the Rainbow Warriors marked Neal’s eighth contest with at least two treys and eighth game hitting at least 50 percent from outside the arc. He recorded a season-high four three-pointers on four attempts in a home victory over Missouri while scoring 14 points. That game came after his 15-point effort against KSU, marking his only back-to-back double-figure scoring games of the year.
Previous College
Neal led Polk Community College to a 23-9 record in 2002-03, helping the Vikings to their first conference title in seven years. PCC reached the NJCAA District 8 Regional Tournament before falling in the championship game.
Neal led Polk in scoring with 20.2 points per game as a sophomore in 2002-03 while adding a team-high 174 assists (5.4 apg), 80 steals (2.5 spg) and a 1.36-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. He contributed 3.9 rebounds per game while hitting 42.9 percent from the floor and 77.3 percent from the charity stripe. He added 69 of the team’s 113 three-point field goals on the season.
In a vote of the league's coaches, Neal was selected to the all-conference first team while being named the 2003 Suncoast Conference Player of the Year. He was also named one of the top 60 junior college sophomores by Basketball Times magazine in December 2002, and was an NJCAA honorable-mention All-American in 2003. He was ranked the No. 30 junior college prospect by CBS.sportsline.com in June 2003.
Neal averaged 18.9 points per game (1,189 total) for his career after scoring 17.5 points per contest as a freshman. He also had 3.9 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game during his rookie season in 2001-02 when he was named to the all-conference and all-freshman teams.
High School
Neal was a two-time second-team all-state pick at Annapolis (Md.) High School under Coach John Brady.
Neal helped Annapolis to a 96-11 record over four years, averaging better than 17 points and seven assists per game as a sophomore and junior. He added 30 points and 5.5 assists per game as a senior to earn All-Metro honors. He was the school's career leader in points, assists and three-pointers, and a two-year honor roll member.
Personal
Marcus is the son of Marilyn Booth-Carter and Louis Carter. He was born April 22, 1982, and has one sister, MaKenya McFarland. He is majoring in sociology at Nebraska. Marcus chose Nebraska over Baylor, East Carolina, Mississippi, South Florida and Florida International.
Career Highs
Points 15 two times (last vs. Hawaii 3/22/04)
Field goals 6 vs. Kansas State (2/4/04)
Three-point field goals 4 vs. Missouri (2/7/04)
Rebounds 4 five times (last vs. Hawaii 3/22/04)
Assists 5 three times (last vs. Kansas 3/3/04)
Steals 2 three times (last vs. Hawaii 3/22/04)
Blocks 1 two times (last Texas Tech 2/24/04)
Minutes played 32 two times (last vs. Missouri 2/7/04)