Dan McNeely is in his second season as the Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach at Piedmont College having helped the Lions to one of their best seasons in recent memory during the 2015-16 campaign. McNeely’s work with the Green and Gold also helped Piedmont to a second straight postseason berth with an appearance in the USA South Quarterfinals this past season.
Having joined one of the most up-and-coming programs at Piedmont, McNeely experienced success on the sidelines of Cave Arena immediately as the Lions posted 15 wins in 2015-16, the most since 2009-10. The year was capped in the regular season by back-to-back wins over Methodist and Greensboro on the road after Piedmont had already swept perennial power Maryville College in two meetings earlier in the year.
Additionally, McNeely tutored Trae Gaines to an All-Conference Honorable Mention selection with Gaines becoming the third such honoree in Piedmont’s four years as a league member. The Lions also placed four on the NABC Honors Court for work in the classroom while taking home the NABC Team Academic Award for a third straight year.
Prior to arriving at Piedmont, McNeely served as the Assistant Men's Basketball Coach at NCAA Division III member Manchester University in Indiana prior to joining the Lions. During his time with the program, McNeely helped recruit over 30 student-athletes to the program in a three-year period serving in his post during the 2012-13, 2013-14, and 2014-15 seasons.
While with Manchester, McNeely assisted in the planning and execution of all practices, game plans, and scouting reports helping the Spartans to 14 wins during his time frame with the program. During his second season with the Black and Gold, McNeely helped tutor a pair of All-Conference honorees in guard Brady Dolezal and forward Jon Thompson.
Before joining the Manchester coaching staff, McNeely served as a Graduate Assistant Coach for the men's basketball program at The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina. Helping the program to 16 wins in his pair of seasons on staff, McNeely primarily assisted in several areas of the operation of the program including film breakdown and scouting while also helping to organize and run The Citadel Basketball Camps as well.
| "What they're saying about Coach McNeely..." |
"I had the opportunity to spend two full years with Coach McNeely while at The Citadel. His passion for winning and doing things "the old school way" really caught my eye. Dan comes from a National Championship program at Wittenberg University and he understands the method to the madness that it takes to compete and win at a high level in the Division III ranks. On Top of Dan's ability to teach the game and communicate with the players he has a strong back ground in the technical side of basketball from a scouting, film breakdown, and analytics perspective. In my eye's Dan Mcneely is a grinder and a Winner and in this day and age those two things are hard to find in the work force."
-Rob Burke, Georgia Southern University
Director of Basketball Operations |
"Daniel McNeely is extremely passionate about the game of basketball and in teaching and mentoring players that play the game. It has been my experience that Daniel always impacts the young men that he coaches both on and off the court and in a variety of positive ways."
-William L. Brown, Wittenberg University
Head Men's Basketball Coach |
Also assisting on court during practices and games, McNeely was a part of the program's largest second half comeback with The Citadel overcoming a 17-point halftime deficit against Western Carolina University on February 24, 2011 winning 72-60 in the end. McNeely also helped mentor a pair of Southern Conference Players of the Week and one Player of the Month during his two seasons in Charleston as well.
McNeely began his coaching career at the high school level while still pursuing his undergraduate degree coaching first at Xenia Christian High School before moving on Waynesville High School, both in Ohio. During his time with Xenia, McNeely developed a talent with working with the team's guards before using that same knowledge to help lead Waynesville to a SWBL Conference Championship in 2010.
Championship experience is nothing new for McNeely as he played for Division III member Wittenberg University during the 2005-06 season, a year in which the Tigers posted one of four NCAA Division III National Runner-Ups in the program's history. McNeely played in 22 games for the Tigers averaging close to 11 minutes a contest shooting 40% from the field and 44% from downtown on the season.
Also chipping in 29 assists and seven steals, McNeely and the Tigers continued a storied program history in the '05-'06 campaign finishing just three points shy of claiming a national championship falling to Virginia Wesleyan 59-56 on March 18, 2006. Wittenberg has laid claim to two national championships in the program's history, the first in 1961 and the second in 1977.
The '05-'06 run was also a part of seven Division III Final Four appearances for the program as well with the last of those coming in 2006 during McNeely's time with the program. In all, Wittenberg is also the winningest program in the history of NCAA Division III with more than 1,700 wins in 104 years and a .709 overall winning percentage, also best in Division III.
Having also made 27 NCAA National Tournament appearances, Wittenberg's influence on McNeely has helped him along to an outstanding young coaching career as well as he has spent time on a Division I coaching staff and also coached at a Division III institution in just five years after earning his undergraduate degree.
During his career, McNeely has also gained administrative experience working as the Assistant to the Athletic Director at Cedarville University in Ohio helping the program transition from NAIA to NCAA Division II working directly under the Athletic Director. McNeely also organized road trips for the school's 13 varsity programs and maintained the Yellow Jacket Club.
McNeely earned his Bachelor of Science in Management from Wittenberg University in May of 2010 while also minoring in Russian Area Studies. In June of 2012, McNeely completed his Master of Science in Health, Exercise, and Sport Science with a concentration in Sport Management at the Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina.
McNeely also earned his Graduate Certificate in Sport Management from the Citadel as well one month before completing his MA.
Originally from Beavercreek, Ohio, McNeely relocated to the Demorest area with his wife, Elisabeth, and two sons, Matthew and Joseph. McNeely assists Head Coach Greg Neeley in all facets of the program.
