Athlete of the Year: 'Little bit of everything' McNeill triples St. Mary's success

But anyone who underestimates the 6-foot-3, 200-pound, multi-talented sports machine is sorely mistaken.

The St. Mary's three-sport standout developed a killer instinct to match his physical tools, helping the Saints' basketball and football teams to Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association B Conference titles and earning Capital-Gazette Communications' Male Athlete of the Year honors. He also helped anchor the midfield for a Saints lacrosse team that earned national recognition for its success.

"Until this year, he didn't really have that killer instinct, and we were glad it came out in football, basketball and lacrosse," St. Mary's lacrosse coach Matt Hogan said. "He's a good athlete and plays all his sports very well. He did a great job growing up this year."

Just a junior, McNeill committed to play lacrosse at the University of North Carolina last fall. The football coaches in Chapel Hill have their eyes on McNeill as well.

"I'm almost 100 percent on playing football," said McNeill, who also entertained playing lacrosse at Virginia, Duke, Maryland and Johns Hopkins. "It's going to be tough, but it's worth it."

St. Mary's football coach Brad Best teaches McNeill's weight training class at the school, and he noted that the junior's performance is impressive. McNeill benches 250 pounds, dead lifts 350 and handles 320 on squats. Best has no qualms about McNeill being able to play two Division I sports.

"Physically and mentally, he can handle it," Best said. "I believe that Mark is a Division I football player."

UNC coach Butch Davis and his staff believe so, too. They want McNeill to play wide receiver for the up-and-coming Atlantic Coast Conference program.

Based on McNeill's impact on the Saints this year, their wishes are well founded.

He caught 35 passes for 702 yards (20.1 average) and eight touchdowns, but he was far from being just a wide receiver. Best and his staff tried to find as many ways as possible to get the ball in his hands, and good things usually happened when they did.

McNeill scored touchdowns on runs of 24, 36 and 63 yards, and he also returned two punts 52 and 69 yards for scores.

"As a coach, you love to have a player with that, 'When I touch the ball, I'm going to score' mentality, and Mark definitely did," Best said.

McNeill also starred at defensive back, picking off six passes to anchor the Saints' secondary.

"If we didn't have Mark, I don't think we win a couple of those games," said Best, whose team went 7-5 and won the MIAA B Conference title for the second straight year. "Football is the ultimate team sport, but there are guys that stand out and are special, and Mark definitely is."

McNeill stood out for the lacrosse team, too, as his versatility and ability to create were his top assets. He accumulated 18 goals, 14 assists and 77 ground balls for the MIAA A Conference semifinalists.

In the Saints' game against Boys' Latin on April 17, McNeill scored a goal, assisted on one and scooped up three ground balls, all in the final 30 seconds, to lift the Saints to a 10-9 victory.

"He creates plays with his athletic ability," Hogan said. "He's more of a guy that does a little bit of everything."

McNeill also gave the basketball team a legitimate low-post threat to complement the squad's prolific guard play. He averaged 11.1 points and eight rebounds per game, and his ability to alter shots down low, play above the rim and score in transition added multiple dimensions to the Saints' game.

"I've gotten a lot more confidence in the sports I play, especially basketball," McNeill said. "Basketball was a surprise. Last year, as a sophomore, I really didn't do too much. I started to score a little more and be a little more of a presence. I surprised myself."

He totalled 19 points, nine rebounds and three blocks in the championship game against St. Vincent Pallotti, and he'll be the focal point of the team's attack next season.

"He improved every year he's been in the program," Saints basketball coach Brian Konik said. "His skill level is increasing every time he comes to work out or practice. Everything is constantly getting better. He has his sights set on having a great senior year."

With one year of high school remaining, McNeill figures to be the area's top dog in all three seasons yet again.

"If he can stay forever, I'd be OK with that," Hogan said.