Cullen Neal on the move again
Ex-Lobo played at Ole Miss last year
Eldorado High School and University of New Mexico graduate Cullen Neal is on the move again for his final season of college basketball eligibility.
The son of former Lobos head coach Craig Neal, who transferred to Ole Miss to play this past season after three years at UNM (he played two and was injured one of those years), announced on Friday he will transfer again for his last year of college basketball, though he has not yet announced where that might be.
The 6-foot-4 guard announced the news on his Instagram page and it was confirmed by Ole Miss via the Rebels’ Twitter account.
“We appreciate Cullen’s contributions to our program and wish him the best moving forward in his education and career,” said Ole Miss head coach Andy Kennedy.
Neal’s post on Instagram thanked God, Kennedy, Rebel teammates and fans for their support this past season.
“Everybody mentioned made the school feel like home!” he wrote. “Ole Miss is an incredible University. Oxford is a terrific city to attend school. My teammates are my brothers, and they welcomed me to the university
with open arms. I can truly say that I have made friendships that will last a lifetime!
“However, I have decided to pursue a different masters program at another university and finish off my college eligibility as a graduate transfer.”
After earning his degree from UNM in three years, he was allowed by the NCAA to transfer to Ole Miss without sitting out a season as a graduate transfer, which in recent years has become an automatically allowed transfer for students earning their degrees.
For a second graduate transfer, he must receive a waiver, and only if the Master’s program he wants to pursue is not available at Ole Miss, per NCAA rules.
Neal started 12 games for the Rebels this past season, averaging 23.6 minutes, 9.4 points and was second on the team in assists (74) and 3-pointers made (63).
Ole Miss in the past week announced the signing of guard Markel Crawford, a graduate transfer from Memphis, who will be immediately eligible to play this coming season for the Rebels.