Craig Neal in December 2008 at the Jenny Craig Pavilion in San Diego
|
|||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Born |
Muncie, Indiana |
February 16, 1964 ||||||||||||
Nationality | American | ||||||||||||
Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||||||
Listed weight | 165 lb (75 kg) | ||||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||||
High school | Washington (Washington, Indiana) | ||||||||||||
College | Georgia Tech (1984–1988) | ||||||||||||
NBA draft | 1988 / Round: 3 / Pick: 71st overall | ||||||||||||
Selected by the Portland Trail Blazers | |||||||||||||
Playing career | 1988–1995 | ||||||||||||
Position | Shooting guard | ||||||||||||
Number | 10, 11, 22 | ||||||||||||
Coaching career | 2000–present | ||||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||||
As player: | |||||||||||||
1988 | Jacksonville Hooters | ||||||||||||
1988–1989 | Portland Trail Blazers | ||||||||||||
1989 | Miami Heat | ||||||||||||
1989–1990 | Rapid City Thrillers | ||||||||||||
1990–1991 | Columbus Horizon | ||||||||||||
1991 | Denver Nuggets | ||||||||||||
1991 | Florida Jades | ||||||||||||
1991–1993 | Rapid City Thrillers | ||||||||||||
1993–1994 | Fort Wayne Fury | ||||||||||||
1994 | Omaha Racers | ||||||||||||
1994–1995 | Fort Wayne Fury | ||||||||||||
As coach: | |||||||||||||
2000–2003 | Toronto Raptors (asst.) | ||||||||||||
2004–2007 | Iowa (asst.) | ||||||||||||
2007–2013 | New Mexico (asst.) | ||||||||||||
2013–2017 | New Mexico | ||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
As head coach:
As player:
|
|||||||||||||
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |||||||||||||
Medals
|
As head coach:
As player:
Craig Duane Neal (born February 16, 1964) is an American basketball coach and former player. He was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers in the third round (71st pick overall) of the 1988 NBA draft, and played in the NBA and several minor leagues.
Born and raised in Washington, Indiana, Neal played high school basketball at Washington High School, where his father Stan was head coach. Among his teammates was his childhood best friend Steve Alford, who would later employ Neal as an assistant coach. As a senior in 1983, Neal earned all-American and all-state honors.
In 1982, Neal signed with the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) to play basketball under Bobby Cremins.
Neal played for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets from 1983 to 1988. Due to a season-ending injury, Neal played only four games in his sophomore season in 1984–85 and took a redshirt that year. As a senior in 1987–88, Neal set the ACC single-season record with 303 assists while averaging a league-best 9.5 assists per game in addition to 7.7 points.
During Neal's time at Georgia Tech, the Yellow Jackets made the 1984 NIT and subsequent NCAA Tournaments he following four years.
In the 1988 NBA draft, the Portland Trail Blazers picked Neal in the third round, 71st overall. Neal began his basketball career playing for the Jacksonville Hooters of the USBL. In his rookie NBA season, Neal played 21 games for the Portland Trail Blazers before being waived on January 11, 1989. On February 3, Neal signed as a free agent with the Miami Heat and played 32 games off the bench.