Neely, Reddish have big plans
Sophomores shooting for some lofty goals, consistency this season
After an excellent first year with the University at Albany men’s basketball team, Justin Neely has his sights set even higher this season.
“The first above all is to get an America East championship. I feel like that’s something huge to have on your resume,” Neely said. “On the personal level I want to be the Player of the Year.”
Also on Neely’s to-do list: win in the NCAA Tournament and earn an all-conference defensive team nod.
“I have these goals written down for me. I got it on a board in my room, so every day when I wake up I look at them,” he said.
As a freshman, the 6-foot-5 forward was named America East Rookie of the Year — a goal he set in the preseason — after averaging 6.4 points (fifth on the Great Danes) and 4.4 rebounds (second) in 29 appearances. He’s the team’s top returning scorer after graduations and offseason departures.
Neely’s highlights included scoring 26 points against eventual America East champion Vermont and a game-winning 3-pointer that gave the Great Danes their first victory of the season in November.
Defense was a different matter, and “picking up the intensity” has been his biggest focus in the offseason.
Fellow sophomore Aaron Reddish, a 6-7 forward, has also been working on his defense. Like Neely, he wants to win the America East championship and be an all-defensive team pick.
“I feel like I can use my length well on the defensive end, and that’s something that I didn’t do as much last year. That’s probably my top goal right now,” Reddish said. “I spent a lot of time focusing on defense, playing pickup, just making sure that I’m in the
right spots, trying to make the extra plays.”
Reddish earned an all-rookie team selection last season after showing flashes of potential on offense. He averaged just 2.8 points and 1.5 rebounds per game, but when Reddish was having a good game, the whole bench got fired up.
“I think maturity probably is the first step” to achieving their goals, coach Dwayne Killings said. “I think they really have matured a lot.”
He’s expecting even more from Reddish and Neely this season.
“Now can they push a little
Justin Neely’s freshman season included a 26-point night and a game-winning 3-pointer, leading to league Rookie of the Year honors. further? Can they be a little bit better on defense? Can they be a little bit more consistent?” he said. “I thought they had really good moments throughout the course of the year, but it wasn’t an everyday thing, so if we can get them to be that, I think it’s a great step for them.”
Being a sophomore also comes with more leadership responsibility, a role Neely said he’s been embracing.
“That’s all trust that I’m still earning and building upon this year,” Neely said. “I’m taking more of a leadership role this year.”
He said he called teammates “on a weekly basis” to check in during the offseason as a way to build team chemistry.
“That’s something really important that will carry us throughout the season,” he said. “Us being able to have each other to rely on is something huge for us.”
Reddish’s biggest point of focus with the incoming freshmen has been echoing Killings’ message of consistency.
“It’s going to be some hard days throughout this whole year, but as long as you stay consistent, you’ll see good results on the court,” Reddish said.
“You got to slow down a little bit, because as a freshman you come in and you want to get everything right away. But that’s not really how things work,” Neely said.