Craig Neal is a former professional basketball player from the United States of America. As a player, he played in the National Basketball Association and the World Basketball League. He has played for NBA teams like the Portland Trail Blazers, Miami Heat, and the Denver Nuggets.
He is also the current assistant head coach for the University of Nevada men’s basketball team.
Player Profile and Personal Life
Craig Duane Neal was born on February 16, 1964, in Muncie, Indiana in the United States of America. He stands 196 cm tall and his weight was last listed at 75 kg. He is right-handed and when he played, he was a shooting guard.
| Position | Point Guard |
| Height / weight | 1.96 m / 75 kg |
| Born | 16 Feb 1964 |
| Nationality |
United States
|
| Playing Style | Right Handed |
| Nickname | Noodles |
| Team History | |
| Fort Wayne Fury | 1994 - 1995 |
| Fort Wayne Fury | 1993 - 1994 |
| Omaha Racers | 1994 |
| Rapid City Thrillers | 1991 - 1993 |
Denver
|
1991 |
| Columbus Horizon | 1990 - 1991 |
| Florida Jades | 1991 |
| Rapid City Thrillers | 1989 - 1990 |
Miami Heat
|
1989 |
Portland
|
1988 - 1989 |
| Jacksonville Hooters | 1988 |
He is married and has two sons. Both his father and his brother played basketball in college.
High School and College Career
Neal played prep basketball at the Washington High School. Neal quickly grew popular with his fans for his passing abilities, court awareness, and his quickness on the field.
In the mid-80s, Neal played for 5 seasons with the Georgia Tech. He set the ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) single-season record for his 303 assists in 1988. This feat earned him the ACC honors while he was just in his senior year of college.
While playing for George Tech, he averaged a total of 7.7 points. In 1984-85, Neal contributed to a league-best of 9.5 assists per game, which is still an unbroken record at Georgia Tech.
Playing Career
Neal started playing for the Portland Trail Blazers when the team drafted him in 1988. Later in his career, he also played for the Miami Heat (1988-89), the Toronto Raptors (1988-89), and the [[Denver Nuggets] (1990-91).
Along with playing in the NBA, Neal also played regularly for the Canada Basketball Association and Europe. Neal contributed as a player as well as a coach during his full season with the CBA in 1994-95.
After Neal joined Toronto, he was a scout for the first few years. He was selected as the assistant coach for the team in 2000 and served under Lenny Wilkens.
Besides being an assistant coach, he also contributed his bit in advance shooting, preparation, and implementation of opponent scouting reports and practice preparation.
Neal helped Toronto’s summer league team as a coach and directed the Raptor college pre-draft workouts as a head coach. Neal also coached the Iowa Hawkeyes of the University of Iowa from 2004 to 2007. In 2007, he joined hands with the New Mexico Lobos as an assistant coach. He was promoted to head coach in 2013.
In 2019, he started coaching the Nevada University men’s basketball team.
Career Highlights
As a player:
- 1991 - WBL All-Star
As a head coach:
- 2014 - Mountain West tournament champion
Medal record, Men’s basketball, Representing the United States
- Gold - 1993 FIBA Americas Championship San Juan
Team History:
As a coach:
- 2000–2003 - Toronto Raptors (Assistant)
- 2004–2007 - Iowa (assistant)
- 2007–2013 - New Mexico (Assistant)
- 2013–2017 - New Mexico
- 2019–present - Nevada (Assistant HC)
