Without knowing anything but Ohio State’s record, you could probably guess how Sean McNeil feels about the way his senior season has gone.
The West Virginia transfer has nothing but good things to say about his coaches and teammates and the relationships he’s made in his one year at Ohio State and remains hopeful that the Buckeyes can close things out on a positive note. But there’s little doubt he hoped to enjoy more success upon coming to Columbus. Having not made the NCAA Tournament in two of his three years with the Mountaineers, McNeil now faces the prospect of missing the Big Dance once again to end his college career.
But ahead of Ohio State’s senior day ceremony on Wednesday, McNeil revealed he’s struggled with more than just the team’s performance this season. Between on- and off-court issues, McNeil said this year has been one of the most challenging of his life.
“This year, personally, has been probably the toughest year I've ever gone through for a number of reasons,” McNeil said. “One to start with my dad. Two, I had a really close personal friend that I lost. It was within 24 hours of what happened to my dad as well. On top of some other things. Just trying to find my role here, too. It's been a challenge. And then on top of that, this year, the way the season's played out. But to get a win yesterday and hopefully spark something here at the right time, I think it's important going forward.”
McNeil’s father suffered a heart attack while in attendance to watch Ohio State’s matchup with Duke on Nov. 30 in Durham, North Carolina. Earlier this month McNeil said his dad is now “doing really well.” But upon hearing the news after the game, McNeil didn’t know what the severity of the situation was.
“I had no idea what happened. I knew where my family was sitting, and the only thing I saw was my dad’s girlfriend walk out of the door, so I knew it was somebody involved in my family,” McNeil said on Feb. 7. “But I had no idea what happened until after the game. It was very scary. But my brother came in and he kind of gave me like a calm down type of signal. But yeah, definitely trying to compartmentalize something like that was tough. And finding out what it really was after the game, it was a lot to process.”
McNeil didn’t go into detail about the passing of his friend, which he said happened within the same 24-hour period. But needless to say, the Buckeye guard's had a lot on his plate over the past several months, and much of it far more important than basketball.
On top of the hardships he’s endured, the Ohio State men’s basketball program has faced an onslaught of criticism over the past two months. The Buckeyes were 10-3 after New Year’s Day, but won just two of their next 14 games after that. Ahead of the final home game of the season on Wednesday, Ohio State sits in second-to-last place in the Big Ten standings, and will likely stay there by the start of the postseason.
Given what McNeil’s been through off the court, though, he just hopes fans remember that the players they cheer for or lobby critiques at are more than just athletes.
“It's tough, and fans and people forget that we're real people too. We're put on television and people see us as basketball players and that's great. That's what we've worked for our whole life,” McNeil said. “But at the same time, we also have a life outside of basketball. And I know that's hard for people to realize. It's hard for even us to realize sometimes, is finding hobbies outside of basketball. We live in the gym basically, we're here from sun up to sundown pretty much.
“It's been a battle, it's always a battle, especially with social media and the world that we live in now. Feels like we can never get away from it. But just stay in tune with real life and knowing that we're still real people, we still face issues outside of being between the lines and things are revolved around basketball too.”
McNeil’s performance has hardly been atop the list of Ohio State’s problems. He hasn’t enjoyed a career-best season overall, but he wasn’t necessarily expected to. Through 29 games, McNeil’s 279 points (9.6 per game) are tied with Bruce Thornton for the third-most on the team. His 41.9% field-goal percentage is actually the highest of his collegiate tenure.
"People see us as basketball players and that's great. That's what we've worked for our whole life. But at the same time, we also have a life outside of basketball. And I know that's hard for people to realize."– Sean McNeil
Still, McNeil admits he hasn’t always met his own expectations, and perhaps some of the off-court events that rocked his personal life would explain that. Either way, McNeil said he’s spent less time than ever on social media to avoid any further harm to his mental health.
“I've never really been super involved in social media, but just because of what's happened this year with my dad and my friend, I've tried to stay off of it as much as I can,” McNeil said. “I know that a lot of guys say that, but it can be so toxic, it can be so negative, and so I just try to stay off of it. From three, I haven't shot it as well as I would have liked to. There could be a ton of reasons why you could say that. But at the end of the day, I haven't shot it how I know I can, to my full ability. But I'm enjoying it. I've enjoyed my time here and hopefully we can start stringing some games here together late.”
In a best-case scenario, McNeil could’ve spent senior day reflecting on a true breakout season in scarlet and gray with the most meaningful games of his career still to come on a surefire NCAA Tournament team. But that won’t be the case.
McNeil said his three years at West Virginia will “hit home a little bit more than my one year here” while being honored at the Schottenstein Center on Wednesday – not that it takes anything away from the connections he’s made during his time at Ohio State.
“It's something that'll carry on with me for the rest of my life. The relationships with the guys, the coaches, everybody involved here on staff,” McNeil said. “Such great people, so glad I was able and fortunate enough to come here and meet these people and just be a part of their life and them be a part of my life. And that's something that I'll continue on for years to come.”
Players can’t help but become a bit reflective on senior day. But McNeil isn’t acting like his college career is already over. Coming off the Buckeyes’ first win in more than a month on Sunday, McNeil thinks Ohio State could come alive at the end of the season and potentially even make a run in the Big Ten Tournament.
After all, a conference championship is the program’s last hope at an NCAA Tournament bid, as unlikely as it will be to achieve.
“Definitely get two wins here to finish out the regular season,” said McNeil when asked how he wants to close out the season. “And then the Big Ten Tournament is our way in. So go in there and take one day, one practice at a time, one game at a time. Starts on Wednesday, and then we'll play again obviously at Michigan State, and then whoever we get matched up with to start the Big Ten Tournament, take one at a time. Hopefully we're playing late in March and early in April.”
As for McNeil’s headspace after everything he unpacked during Monday’s interview session, some of those wounds may take much longer to heal. But McNeil said he’s in a good place at the moment and trying not to look too far ahead.
“I take it day by day. Sounds cliché, but I'm just super grateful to be here, for my dad to be in the health he's in and to mentally be where I'm at,” McNeil said. “I'm happy with it. Just continue to take it one step at a time.”
