Neal Signs National Letter Of Intent To Play Hoops At Maryland
4/13/2005 8:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
April 13, 2005
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Maryland men's basketball coach Gary Williams announced the signing of power forward David Neal from McLean, Va., to a National Letter of Intent to play for the Terrapins, beginning in the fall of 2005. The 6-7, 245-pound big man starred at Bishop Denis J. O'Connell High School in Arlington, Va., which posted a 31-3 record in 2004-05 and captured the 2004 Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) championship.
Neal was named the MVP of the prestigious Alhambra Catholic Invitational Tournament in Cumberland, Md., was tabbed the MVP of the Virginia State Tournament and was a Washington Post first team All-Met selection as a senior. An imposing physical presence, he averaged 20.2 points per game and 13.3 rebounds in 2004-05. A member of the O'Connell varsity team since his freshman year, he was a part of 116 career victories and hit seven game-winning shots. An excellent student with a 3.45 high school GPA, Neal is planning to possibly major in business.
"We look forward to David's playing basketball at the University of Maryland. He brings a high level of intensity and toughness to the team," said the Terps' Williams. "David had an outstanding high school career playing for Coach Joe Wootten at O'Connell and has competed very successfully against the best players and teams in the Washington, D.C., area. David will have an immediate impact on the team."
"David has a knack for scoring in a variety of ways. He has a fantastic touch, and he is a winner," said Wootten. "We averaged 29 wins per year during David's career, and guys like him made us a good team. He was dominant this year against players in the Washington area, and he will have a big impact at Maryland."
Neal joins an incoming Terrapin class that includes Philadelphia small forward Shane Clark (Cardinal Dougherty/Hargrave Military Academy). Clark, a two-time MVP of the annual Philadelphia vs. New Jersey Eddie Griffin Classic, scored 18.0 points per game and averaged 8.0 rebounds during his 2005 senior year at Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Va.
Maryland loses only two seniors to graduation in May, and returns a core group to the hardwood from a team that posted a 19-13 record and reached the semifinal round of the 2005 Postseason NIT. The squad played the 10th-toughest schedule in the nation, defeated four ranked teams, finished fifth in the NCAA in scoring average and set a school record for home attendance (299,391) in 2004-05.
