Conway's McNeaill driving Cats in right direction

There are several reasons the Conway boys basketball team is having success, and Kenyon McNeaill is one of them.

The junior point guard, a returning all-state performer from last season's state runner-up team, has helped the Wampus Cats jump out to an 11-2 start. During that stretch, the Cats have three tournament championships to their credit including the Har-Ber Holiday Tournament.

At Har-Ber, McNeaill averaged 18 points per game, while dishing out seven assists and grabbing six rebounds per game en route to earning tournament Most Valuable Player honors. That performance also earned McNeaill the Player of the Week honors from the Downtown Tip Off Club at the North Little Rock Chamber of Commerce on Monday.

"It feels good to be recognized against some of the other good players," McNeaill said. "It's a good thing to have under your belt."

But there's a much larger tournament win McNeaill wants to get under his belt.

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After seeing the hopes of a state championship end with a 46-44 loss to Little Rock Catholic in last season's Class 7A title game, McNeaill has a strong desire to get another shot. In fact, that's a big part of what fuels him.

"It gave me a lot of motivation from losing the state championship game," said McNeaill, who is averaging 16 points, five rebounds and four assists per game so far this season. "It just motivated me to get better and back in the state tournament and try again."

It doesn't hurt to have a capable group of players around him.

During the Cats' most recent win an 80-66 victory over 7A-Central foe Cabot four players scored in double figures for Conway. Those kinds of contributions help McNeaill do the things he's successful in.

"That's what makes it easier to do things like getting in the lane," McNeaill said of having his teammates. "Other teams have to worry about those other guys, too."

Whether it's going up for a shot or kicking the ball out to a teammate, McNeaill is someone Cats coach James Bates knows drives the team.

"He's a guy that makes us go," Bates said. "We don't get in a lot of bad situations because of our guard play. It's a team thing.

"They all feed off each other. It's hard to single out just one guy."

Then what makes McNeaill stand out? "Leadership," McNeaill said. "I just try to make sure the right guys get the ball and we get the shot we need."

And that's just fine with the Conway coach.

"He's a good quarterback on the floor," Bates said of his point guard. "Kenyon's had a lot to do with our team's success for a year and a half now. We kind of feed off his leadership."

That goes on both ends of the court, as McNeaill has shown a keen defensive prowess as well. But he doesn't credit the strong play just to his own ability.

"This year we have a lot more smart players," McNeaill said. "We're playing more as a team.

"... I have more options this year. I can either pass or shoot. I don't have to try to force anything. Once I'm in the lane, I have so many directions I can go."

The main direction he wants to go is up, at least in terms of wins. Those are what McNeaill said he strives for more than individual accolades. He's confident enough the Cats have what it takes no matter who else steps on the court.

"We can match up with anyone on the court," McNeaill said. "We can present a problem for teams of all styles. We just can't defeat ourselves."

Making things harder on the opposition is an easier task with someone of McNeaill's caliber on the team.

"He's just an all-around complete player," Bates said. "He's got all the tools."

He's also got a goal this year, one that would no doubt end with a championship trophy.

"I don't want to lose anymore games," McNeaill said. "If we play smart, we can compete with anyone. I just want us to win the rest of our games."

The next opportunity at a victory will be Friday night against Little Rock Central at Wampus Cat Arena.