Craig Neal completed his sixth season as Nevada’s Associate Head Coach in 2024-25. In 2023-24, Coach Neal helped lead Nevada to one of the finest seasons in program history, as the Pack completed the year with an overall record of 26-8.
Over six seasons in Reno, he has helped the Wolf Pack to a 113-75 overall record, including a mark of 73-48 in Mountain West play. Neal has also helped the Pack earn back-to-back NCAA Tournament berths in 2022-23 and 2023-24, a tie for second place in the Mountain West in both 2019-20 and 2023-24, a Diamond Head Classic Championship (2023), Paradise Jam Championship, and a semifinal appearance at the Mountain West Championship (2021).
Primarily working to help coordinate the Pack’s offense, Nevada had a record season on the offensive end of the court during the 2023-24 season. The Pack went 26-8 and earned their second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. Nevada ranked within the top-five of the Mountain West in numerous offensive statistical categories at the conclusion of the season, including 3-point field goal percentage (2nd), assist/turnover ratio (2nd), points per game (3rd), assists per game (3rd), and field goal percentage (3rd). Additionally, Nevada ranked within the top-50 in the nation in a variety of statistical categories. The Pack finished the season ranked 39th in the country in fewest turnovers per game (10.1), 42nd in the country in field goal percentage (47.37%) and 49th in 3-point field goal percentage (36.3%). The Pack also completed the season ranked 41st in the country in the KenPom Offensive Efficiency rankings.
During his time with Nevada, Neal has coached 15 Wolf Pack players that have earned postseason honors, both nationally and with the Mountain West, with Jarod Lucas and Kenan Blackshear garnering All-MW recognition and NABC District 17 honors each of the past two seasons. Lucas and Blackshear each earned Second Team All-MW recognition and NABC District-17 Second Team honors during the 2023-24 season. The year prior, Blackshear was recognized as a member of the NABC District-17 First Team, in addition to earning Second Team All-MW and All-MW Defensive Team honors, while Lucas was named to the NABC District-17 Second Team and earned Second Team All-MW honors.
In total, Neal has helped nine different Pack players achieve All-MW recognition over the past two seasons. In addition to Lucas and Blackshear earning All-Conference honors this past season, Nick Davidson was named Third Team All-MW and Tre Coleman was recognized as a member of the All-Mountain West Defensive Team. Davidson in particular made a significant leap in his offensive game from the 2022-23 season to this past season, increasing his scoring average from 6.9 points per game on 44.2 percent shooting from the field up to 12.2 points per game on 54.5 percent shooting from this field this past year. In the 2022-23 season, outside of Lucas and Blackshear, Will Baker earned All-MW Third Team honors, Tre Coleman was named to the All-MW Defensive Team, and Darrion Williams was named the Mountain West Freshman of the Year.
Neal helped Lucas put together his best collegiate season yet during the 2023-24 season and one of the finest individual offensive seasons in program history. Lucas averaged a team-high 17.8 points per game, while shooting 42.1 percent from the field, 39.4 percent from behind the arc, and 89.9 percent at the free throw line. He scored in double figures in 31 of 34 games throughout the season and buried 80 3-pointers on the year. In addition to earning All-MW Second Team honors, Lucas was named the MVP of the 2023 Diamond Head Classic, and he was a 2x Mountain West Player of the Week honoree.
Neal also played an instrumental role in the development of Blackshear, helping him make the transition to point guard ahead of the 2022-23 season after never playing the position previously. Blackshear thrived in the role within the Pack offense over the past two seasons, earning numerous awards and recognition for his exceptional play.
In the 2020-21 season, Grant Sherfield and Desmond Cambridge, Jr. both earned NABC all-district honors. Sherfield was also named all-district by the USBWA, in addition to being named the Mountain West Newcomer of the Year, while Cambridge was named to the All-Mountain West Third Team.
In 2019-20, four Wolf Pack members garnered postseason honors, led by Jalen Harris. Harris was named to the NABC and USBWA all-district teams after leading the Mountain West in scoring at 21.6 points per game. He was also a Mountain West coaches and media first-team selection. Three times he was named the Mountain West Player of the Week and on Feb. 9 was the Oscar Robertson Player of the Week. He scored 30 or more points six times including becoming the first Pack player with four consecutive games of 30 or more points.
Jazz Johnson was named to the Mountain West Second Team and media third team. Senior Nizre Zouzoua was the Mountain West Sixth Man of the Year as selected by the coaches and media. Another of the Pack seniors, Lindsey Drew was named the Mountain West coaches defensive team for the second time in his career and was an honorable mention pick by the coaches and media.
Neal was a member of Steve Alford’s staff at Iowa for three seasons, and New Mexico for six, as associate head coach. He is known by his nickname of “Noodles” to many in the basketball circles for his wiry frame during his playing days. Neal and Alford have been good friends since grade school, as both were coached by their fathers in high school. Prior to joining the Nevada staff, Neal worked for 10 months in Monaco as the country’s Director of Sport, where he oversaw 23 youth teams for the ASM Basketball Association comprised of players from age 9-21. He was tasked with helping improve youth basketball in Monaco. During his time there, he worked closely with U18 players and the Espoirs Team of the LNB Pro A League. He was instrumental in making basketball history in Monaco by helping secure the NBA Global Camp, which was a huge accomplishment in bringing the NBA to the country and making Monaco relevant on the world basketball stage.
In nine seasons coaching alongside Alford, prior to coming to Nevada, Neal helped lead teams to the postseason eight times, and captured three conference tournament titles and four regular-season conference championships. Over those nine seasons, the teams posted a combined record of 218-87 (.715) and averaged 24 wins per season. During their time in the Mountain West from 2007-13, they won six total titles and produced an amazing record of 155-52 (.749).
Neal was New Mexico’s head coach from 2013-17, taking over after Alford left Albuquerque for UCLA, and posted a 76-52 record over his four seasons. His first team at New Mexico captured the Mountain West Tournament title and advanced to 2014 NCAA Tournament, becoming the first Lobos rookie coach to lead his team to the NCAA Tournament. The Lobos’ 27 wins was the most by a first-year head coach at New Mexico, and the team ended the season ranked 17th in the Associated Press poll.
On the 2013-14 squad, he coached All-American Cameron Bairstow and first-team All-Mountain West selection Kendall Williams. Alex Kirk earned third-team recognition and Hugh Greenwood was voted honorable mention. Williams and Kirk were also members of the Mountain West’s All-Defensive team. Neal himself was a finalist for a pair of national awards in the Joe B. Hall award (top rookie coach) and the Jim Pheland Award (national coach of the year).
Two of his players at New Mexico were selected in the NBA draft during his tenure as head coach. Tony Snell was taken 20th overall by the Chicago Bulls in the 2013 draft, Bairstow was a second-round pick of the Bulls in 2014. Kirk was on the Cleveland Cavaliers 2014-15 opening day roster.
Neal’s teams also succeeded in the classroom, as New Mexico posted a perfect APR score in the NCAA’s 2014 report. In the fall of 201, the team’s grade point average was 3.02, marking the first semester above 3.0 in program history.
Collegiately, Neal played at Georgia Tech and earned All-ACC honors his senior year in 1988 when he set the conference record with 303 assists. He led the ACC with 9.5 assists per game, including 11.6 a game in conference play. His 659 career assists was a school record when he graduated. Neal played on five teams that advanced to postseason play (four NCAA Tournament, one NIT). In 1985, Georgia Tech fell in the NCAA regional final to No. 1 seed Georgetown, and reached the Sweet 16 in 1986.
A third-round selection in the 1988 NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers, Neal also played for Miami, Chicago and Denver during his NBA career. Overall, he played eight professional seasons in the NBA, CBA and Europe. During his time in the CBA, he played in three championship series. In his final season in the CBA (1994-95), Neal played and coached. He later worked in the Toronto Raptors organization and spent 16 years in professional basketball both as a player and coach.
Neal earned his bachelor’s degree in management from Georgia Tech in 1988. The native of Washington, Ind., played prep basketball at Washington High School, for his father, Stan. Craig earned All-America recognition and was a member of the Indiana All-Star team following his senior year in 1983. He and his wife, Janet, have two sons, Cullen and Dalton.
