Former Gopher Daquein McNeil's murder trial could be final sad chapter of once-inspir

BleedGopher

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McNeil lost both parents at age 13 but overcame those inner-city Baltimore tragedies, earning a scholarship offer from Pitino to Florida International University. When Pitino left FIU for Minnesota, McNeil joined him, averaging about 10 minutes per game as a freshman guard on the 2014 NIT championship team and endearing himself to teammates with his high-energy work ethic.

“He needed us,” Pitino said last month. “And I thought we were really helping provide that family support that he never had.”

McNeil’s promising time abruptly ended in 2014, when he was arrested early in his sophomore season for beating his girlfriend in her apartment.

By June 4, 2017, he was back in Baltimore, where, according to court records, a witness said he set fire to a house in a drug dispute. A 59-year-old man was found dead next door.

McNeil’s family is calling it a case of mistaken identity. His trial was scheduled to start last week — on the anniversary of the fire — but was postponed to Sept. 12. Charged with first-degree arson and first-degree murder, McNeil could spend the rest of his life in prison, without parole.

“It’s a sad story because he had a great story,” said McNeil’s cousin, Kenny Marks. “I used to tell him, ‘It’s unbelievable.’ Here’s a kid who grew up in the projects and worked hard and got a full scholarship to play college basketball and just … it’s just sad.”

McNeil’s father was shot and killed. Two months later, his mother succumbed to lupus. After drifting aimlessly, McNeil rediscovered his focus through basketball. He transferred to Vermont Academy, where he was a three-year starter and averaged 19 points per game as a senior.

“I recruited him at FIU and knew his back story,” Pitino said. “He was always a very, very quiet, respectful kid. When I took the Minnesota job, I thought he could play at that [Big Ten] level, I really did.”

After appearing in 30 games as a freshman, McNeil averaged 18.8 minutes, 3.2 points and 3.2 rebounds in four games as a sophomore before his arrest.

“He had a huge heart,” former teammate Joey King said. “He loved his teammates, and everyone loved him. He had a promising first year. He did the right things in practice and worked really hard. We were expecting big things from him as a sophomore.”

Pitino said he hadn’t spoken to McNeil since he left the team, noting that former Gophers assistant Kimani Young “had been in touch with him about trying to find a spot for [McNeil] to play elsewhere.”

“Then, obviously, that [arson story] popped up online one day, and I was like, ‘Oh my goodness,’ ” Pitino said. “It breaks my heart, it really does. I don’t know the whole story, but what I read, it just seems very, very tragic.”

Former Gophers guard Austin Hollins played with McNeil for only one season, but long enough to see the promise.

“It’s sad to see a kid like that make a few bad decisions (whatever the situation may be) and end up where he is now,” Hollins said via text. “… You always wonder if there was something you could’ve done to have more of an impact or to have helped them more so they don’t end up like that.”

http://www.startribune.com/former-g...ad-chapter-of-once-inspiring-story/485087261/

Go Gophers!!
 

Bummer. In retrospect, don't know if I should be disappointed or clapping for Pitino for taking a chance on that kid.

Post edit: If Pitino thought he could play at a BT level, he absolutely should have taken a chance on him. Kids like that need someone to take a chance on them.
 

Bummer. In retrospect, don't know if I should be disappointed or clapping for Pitino for taking a chance on that kid.

Post edit: If Pitino thought he could play at a BT level, he absolutely should have taken a chance on him. Kids like that need someone to take a chance on them.

Kids like that need structure. Obviously he deserved to be punished for the domestic incident, but that meant he lost the structure the program provided and basically ended up on the street.
 

Kids like that need structure. Obviously he deserved to be punished for the domestic incident, but that meant he lost the structure the program provided and basically ended up on the street.

Absolutely. They need structure to keep them focused and have a support system.
 

It's a tough situation, and I REALLY wish the NCAA or the conference would set a standardized list of punishments for legal infractions.

If violent domestic disputes were automatic 1-year suspensions, maybe some of these student-athletes would actually learn their lesson and be allowed to stay in the structural environment that allows them the best possible outcome.

At a school like Minnesota, where the local media and population doesn't bow down to the Athletic Department, we're basically pressured to cut ties with anyone who hits a rough patch. Who wins in the end? Usually neither Minnesota nor the athlete.
 



Was the family saying that the case of mistaken identity is one of the police mistaking McNeil for someone else or McNeil mistaking the guy he killed for someone else?
 

It's a tough situation, and I REALLY wish the NCAA or the conference would set a standardized list of punishments for legal infractions.

If violent domestic disputes were automatic 1-year suspensions, maybe some of these student-athletes would actually learn their lesson and be allowed to stay in the structural environment that allows them the best possible outcome.

At a school like Minnesota, where the local media and population doesn't bow down to the Athletic Department, we're basically pressured to cut ties with anyone who hits a rough patch. Who wins in the end? Usually neither Minnesota nor the athlete.

fully agreed
 

It's a tough situation, and I REALLY wish the NCAA or the conference would set a standardized list of punishments for legal infractions.

If violent domestic disputes were automatic 1-year suspensions, maybe some of these student-athletes would actually learn their lesson and be allowed to stay in the structural environment that allows them the best possible outcome.

At a school like Minnesota, where the local media and population doesn't bow down to the Athletic Department, we're basically pressured to cut ties with anyone who hits a rough patch. Who wins in the end? Usually neither Minnesota nor the athlete.

Yeah but Daquan hit that rough patch over and over and then tried to strangle it.
 



Yeah but Daquan hit that rough patch over and over and then tried to strangle it.

Did he? I thought the domestic violence incident was his first, last, and only strike, and he was booted off the team pretty quickly when that happened. I don't recall any problems with him before that. I think the argument Chicago Gophers is making is that if, instead of being kicked off the team, he merely served a 1 year suspension, and got to stay in school and be around the positive influence of his teammates, coaches, academic advisers and whatnot, maybe he would have gotten his life back on track and the arson incident would have been avoided. I don't remember if he did extended jail time for domestic violence though. Obviously if he did, he wouldn't have been able to stay in school.
 

Did he? I thought the domestic violence incident was his first, last, and only strike, and he was booted off the team pretty quickly when that happened. I don't recall any problems with him before that. I think the argument Chicago Gophers is making is that if, instead of being kicked off the team, he merely served a 1 year suspension, and got to stay in school and be around the positive influence of his teammates, coaches, academic advisers and whatnot, maybe he would have gotten his life back on track and the arson incident would have been avoided. I don't remember if he did extended jail time for domestic violence though. Obviously if he did, he wouldn't have been able to stay in school.

Only and first strike, maybe.. But it was enough to be gone.


The criminal report details two counts of domestic assault against McNeil, including felony second-degree assault, against his girlfriend, 28, at an apartment near campus. The report reads that McNeil “ripped her clothes off, hit her with a large belt multiple times, choked her and poured cold water on her. The victim [was] able to flee [the] unit with only a small robe and coat. … Officers observed victim to have multiple bruising and welts all over her body.”
 

I remember Tom Osborne saying something along these lines when Lawrence Philips kept getting into trouble as the stud RB at Nebraska. At the time I thought it was ridiculous, and thought TO was just protecting his best player. As I've gotten a little older I do think there is some truth to it. Kicking a kid off the team when you know that he won't have anyone left to keep him on the right path would be a tough call. I also get the argument on the other side that 1) there need to be consequences for bad actors, and 2) not everyone can be saved. Not saying that McNeil deserved a second chance here -- what he did was disgusting.
 

Only and first strike, maybe.. But it was enough to be gone.


The criminal report details two counts of domestic assault against McNeil, including felony second-degree assault, against his girlfriend, 28, at an apartment near campus. The report reads that McNeil “ripped her clothes off, hit her with a large belt multiple times, choked her and poured cold water on her. The victim [was] able to flee [the] unit with only a small robe and coat. … Officers observed victim to have multiple bruising and welts all over her body.”

No doubt that if convicted, he needed to be punished. The idea is just that after that, he was literally on his own. I vaguely recall a story or a report about how he was essentially homeless after all that. If he's in jail he's in jail but he was out and basically on the street. He went from having at least some chance to turn it around to no chance. I get that these schools can choose who they want around. I also get that in reality they're not actually concerned with the well being of individual athletes and they will always act on the side of good PR by getting rid of 'troublemakers' at the first sniff of problems. But it could certainly be beneficial to a kid if he was allowed to stay in school and have some level of involvement with the team. Booting a kid leaves them adrift. Keeping them around gives them something to be accountable to hopefully and something to look forward to. Some hope
 



Consequence for actions. There are plenty of programs that have even a tougher code of conduct. There is no way he can stay any part of the team after a violent offense.
 

No doubt that if convicted, he needed to be punished. The idea is just that after that, he was literally on his own. I vaguely recall a story or a report about how he was essentially homeless after all that. If he's in jail he's in jail but he was out and basically on the street. He went from having at least some chance to turn it around to no chance. I get that these schools can choose who they want around. I also get that in reality they're not actually concerned with the well being of individual athletes and they will always act on the side of good PR by getting rid of 'troublemakers' at the first sniff of problems. But it could certainly be beneficial to a kid if he was allowed to stay in school and have some level of involvement with the team. Booting a kid leaves them adrift. Keeping them around gives them something to be accountable to hopefully and something to look forward to. Some hope

A one year suspension and counseling, etc. and a probation one more chance type thing would have been better for him to have a chance to succeed.

The program would caught so much heat for keeping him on... and if he went on to repeated his behavior it would be a major PR hit. He might have just been a bad apple.

It seems like the right move, to dump him and move on. Like the story mentioned, they tried to find him a new home/program and he couldn't even stay out of trouble long enough.
 

In an ideal world, they keep him on campus and give him structure, he rehabilitates and makes something of himself.

However, as the father of a 19 daughter on the University of Minnesota campus, I can't imagine how I would feel if she was subjected to something similar from a guy that was capable of doing this.

The University made the right choice.
 

Did he? I thought the domestic violence incident was his first, last, and only strike, and he was booted off the team pretty quickly when that happened. I don't recall any problems with him before that. I think the argument Chicago Gophers is making is that if, instead of being kicked off the team, he merely served a 1 year suspension, and got to stay in school and be around the positive influence of his teammates, coaches, academic advisers and whatnot, maybe he would have gotten his life back on track and the arson incident would have been avoided. I don't remember if he did extended jail time for domestic violence though. Obviously if he did, he wouldn't have been able to stay in school.

I was only referring to that incident and playing off the "hitting a rough patch" comment. He was lucky he was only charged with Assault. The choking could have been charged worse.

I am all for giving people second chances, but you also have to look at the safety of a campus as a whole. This wasn't a kid who got into drugs and started missing classes. It was a violent assault on a female that but for the grace of god didn't send with someone dying. I mean that is why you choke someone right?
 

Strib Daquien McNeil story

If his inspirational rise had continued, Daquein McNeil would be a University of Minnesota grad now, the first of Richard Pitino’s players to spend four years in the system.

McNeil would have his youth studies degree and countless memories from Williams Arena.

But these days, McNeil’s dorm has been replaced with a jail cell, the basketball shoes by a pair of handcuffs.

Read the rest of the article here
http://m.startribune.com/former-gop...ad-chapter-of-once-inspiring-story/485087261/

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
 

I was just talking about him last night with a friend - this is just a tragic story all around.
 

So tragic. He was a victim of a horrible childhood and then brutally victimized others. Violence against a woman is done by a mentally ill coward.
 




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