Cullen Neal set to visit Ole Miss, looking for "fresh start," dad says

When Cullen Neal decided he wanted to transfer from New Mexico, his father sent out a couple of texts to some friends in the coaching business.

One of those texts was sent to Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy.

The text from the New Mexico coach to his colleague in Oxford asked if Kennedy was looking for a transfer.

“Cullen?” Kennedy texted back.

When Craig Neal answered in the affirmative, Kennedy’s reply was to the point.

“I want him,” Kennedy texted, per Craig Neal’s recollection.

Cullen Neal will arrive in Oxford Thursday for an official visit, his first since deciding to leave the New Mexico program.

Cullen Neal, who is set to graduate from New Mexico in June with a degree in communications, will be eligible to play immediately. He will have two seasons of eligibility remaining.

“He just needs a fresh start,” Craig Neal said Wednesday in a telephone interview with RebelGrove.com.

Cullen Neal became a fan scapegoat of sorts this past season, particularly after he struggled in a pair of road losses at San Diego State and Utah State. Craig Neal told the Albuquerque Journal his son received death threats and had to shut down all of his social media accounts and change his cell phone number twice.

Neal was New Mexico’s Mr. Basketball in 2013 after a standout career at Albuquerque’s Eldorado High School. Neal originally signed with St. Mary’s but was released from that letter of intent when his father was promoted to head coach at New Mexico when Steve Alford left the Lobos for UCLA.

Neal was New Mexico’s fourth-leading scorer and the team’s sixth man in 2013-14, when the Lobos won 27 games and went to the NCAA tournament. However, he suffered a severe sprained ankle early in the 2014-15 season and was granted a medical redshirt. This past season, Neal started 31 games, averaging 12.3 points and 3.7 assists per game.

“He’s real versatile,” Craig Neal said. “He can score. His best asset is his passing ability. He did a really good job for us. He can really shoot. We asked him to do a lot. He’s really good offensively. He’s a really good team defender.”

Craig Neal and Kennedy have known each other since their high school days. Neal served as the player host when Kennedy, then a star from Louisville, Miss., took an official visit to Georgia Tech.

“I guess I didn’t do too good a job since he didn’t come,” Craig Neal said, laughing. “I followed his career and he ended up working for a dear friend of mine, Bobby Huggins (at Cincinnati).”

Craig Neal said he won’t be very involved in his son’s decision and won’t be making the trip to Oxford. Instead, Cullen Neal will be accompanied by his mother, Janet Neal.

“I think it’s a very special place,” Craig Neal said, referring to Ole Miss. “I think it’s intriguing for Cullen because he’s got a very special relationship with Andy. He’s known Cullen since he was a baby and Cullen trusts him. Trust is going to be very important to Cullen.

“…He has to find what’s going to be best for him. It’s got to be his decision. I just want them to be as honest and real with him as they can.”

Craig Neal said he’s gotten a heavy volume of calls from schools interested in recruiting his son. However, he expects a streamlined process.

“I don’t think he’s going to take a lot of visits,” Neal said. “I think he’s going to do this surgically. I don’t think he’ll make this a circus. I think he’ll maybe take three visits and see if there’s a fit there.”

Purdue is also believed to be in the mix for Neal’s services.

Neal, a 6-foot-5 guard, would likely step in as Ole Miss’ starting point guard next season. The Rebels lose Stefan Moody to graduation and granted a release to seldom-used back-up point guard J.T. Escobar earlier this week. Donte Fitzpatrick-Dorsey, who played some point guard as a freshman from Ole Miss this past season, is viewed by program insiders as more of a combo guard than a true point guard. The Rebels have also signed New Jersey prep standout Breein Tyree.

Cullen Neal, his father said, is very familiar with the Rebels’ roster.

“Andy’s done a really good job with recruiting,” Craig Neal said. “He’s got the big kid (Sebastian Saiz) coming back and everybody knows (Miami transfer guard Deandre) Burnett (who sat out last season due to NCAA transfer rules) is a heck of a player.

"Cullen’s a basketball kid. He knows more players than I do and I have to recruit players.”