TREVISO, ITALY — Paul McNeil Jr. can add “international basketball player” to his already accomplished high school resume.
McNeil Jr., a four-star commit to North Carolina State University, spent 13 days traveling to New York City and Italy earlier this month as part of the 2023 Adidas Eurocamp.
A combination of top-tier basketball development and a lifetime of memories traveling, McNeil Jr. was part of the 3Stripes Select roster, one of two American teams competing in Treviso, Italy.
“It was a trip of a lifetime and a real blessing,” McNeil Jr. reflected. “I thank God for the opportunity and I met a lot of new friends and teammates along the way. My favorite part was riding the tour bus and laughing and bonding with them.”
Invited by Adidas Eurocamp in April, McNeil Jr. participated in the 16th edition of the event, and the first one held since 2017.
Prior to arriving in Italy, McNeil Jr. and the team spent a few days in the Big Apple for a mini-camp to help get the team acclimated.
When not practicing, he toured the NBA’s headquarters, the Adidas offices and was awarded a jersey for competing in a shooting competition.
“At the NBA offices, they had the shoes that Wilt Chamberlain wore in his 100-point game,” McNeil Jr. said. “That was cool to see and I learned a lot about the history of the game and saw the behind-the-scenes of the NBA.”
The 3Stripes Select team started play at the La Ghirada Sports Complex on June 7 and played three games in three days.
McNeil Jr. noted that some of the simple things along the way — travel, food, sightseeing and culture — made the journey that much more exciting.
“The travel part was a lot of fun,” McNeil Jr. said. “It was a long plane ride and the first time I ate a meal on a plane. And the time change was really different and we had to get used to being six hours ahead.
“I really enjoyed how good the food was,” he added. “We ate a lot of bread and pasta, and each morning breakfast was amazing. We went to McDonald’s and they had chicken wings, which were actually pretty good.”
Notching a 1-2 record, 3Stripes Select defeated Team Asia and dropped a pair of games to Eurocamp 1 and Eurocamp 2 (tournament champion).
Averaging 22 minutes a game, McNeil Jr. finished as the third-best scorer out of all players in the event with 13 points per game. His best performance was in the win, which saw McNeil Jr. score 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting and hit three triples and grab three rebounds.
McNeil Jr.’s 12 points in the loss to Eurocamp 2 was a team-high.
Over the course of the camp, McNeil Jr. shot 40% from the floor and impressed from three-point land with a 36.8%. He averaged 4 rebounds per game and 0.3 assists and 0.3 steals per game.
“We really had to work together as a team,” McNeil Jr. explained. “Communicating with the guys was really important, so I stepped up to be a leader and helped us fight through the frustrations. I tried to look for open shots and keep them positive and motivated.
“The physicality was tough and it was a different kind of fight,” he added. “We also had to get used to small rule adjustments, but at the end of it all it was a lot of fun. There were so many NBA scouts there, and that’s something I’ve dreamed about.”
When asked what his biggest takeaway was in terms of basketball, McNeil Jr. said, “Every possession really counts. Boxing out counts or you get run over… and running the floor and knocking down shots are really important.”
McNeil Jr. also participated in a skills competition while in Italy. He connected on 37-of-50 three-point attempts and 35-of-50 from midrange, which he said was the best in his group.
The team also worked out with trainers on ball handling skills, read and react drills, finishing at the basket and defensive slides, which McNeil Jr. called “intense.”
Also speaking at the Eurocamp were current NBA players Rajon Rondo and Jabari Smith, along with four-time NBA champion Tony Parker.
McNeil Jr. said their stories about “working their way up” to the NBA resonated with him, as well as Rondo’s talk about basketball IQ and how “on-court preparation is key when approaching the game.”
“I really enjoyed being able to sightsee in Rome,” McNeil Jr. closed. “We went to the Colosseum and that was really cool and filled with a lot of history. We rode scooters and went to the beach, which had black sand.
“I made a lot of great memories and am thankful for the opportunities I had to play in Italy.”
