This Miami High basketball player scored 60 points to set a new Stingarees record

The Asylum — also known as Miami High’s basketball gym — has seen more than its share of greatness over the decades, including future NBA players such as Doug Edwards, Udonis Haslem and Steve Blake.

But on Dec. 17, Justin Neely — a 6-5, 215-pound junior point forward at Miami High — accomplished a feat that eluded those stars and anyone else who ever pulled on a Stingarees jersey.

Neely scored a school-record 60 points that night, helping the Stings defeat Coral Park 104-99 in double overtime.

“There have been so many great players who have come through here,” Miami High coach Javorie Wilson said. “I know because I played with Udonis and Steve Blake on teams that won three state titles in a row.

“Doug Edwards [Miami High’s only first-round NBA draft pick] is still the king. Justin is trying to get to that level. But what Justin did cements his name in our record book.”

The previous record was 53 points, set by Julian Vasquez in 2009.

In fairness, Miami High’s boys’ basketball program, which leads Florida in state titles with 18, had such loaded teams in those Edwards-Blake-Haslem glory days that many games were blowouts, and star players were pulled early.

“We always had balanced scoring,” said Shakey Rodriguez, who coached Miami High to six state titles from 1987 to 1993 and is now heading Mater Academy’s program. “I don’t know much about Miami High’s [current] team, but [scoring 60] is a heck of an accomplishment.”

The Miami Heat broadcasters agree.

One night after the win over Coral Park, Neely was mentioned on the air during the Heat’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Neely, who said he knew nothing about a potential scoring record during the Coral Park game, enrolled into Miami High as a sophomore, and he quickly learned about his new school’s legendary basketball program.

“When you walk into the gym, you see all the banners,” said Neely, who doesn’t turn 17 until March. “To be a part of that history is big. I’m honored.”

COLLEGES TAKING NOTE

Neely, who has a 3.5 grade-point average (4.0 weighted), takes courses such as honors physics and has been learning to play guitar the past two years. He had been lightly recruited before his 60-point game, with schools such as Mercer, Duquesne, Jacksonville, Florida Gulf Coast and FAU showing interest.

But, since setting the scoring record, Baylor, Yale, Princeton and Georgetown have inquired. Miami has also made calls.

Neely, a versatile talent who is averaging 29.4 points, 14.4 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 2.1 steals, has deep ties to the University of Miami. His father, Damond, was a starting offensive tackle and guard for the Hurricanes, blocking for Edgerrin James among others from 1994 to 1999. Neely’s mom, Rosa, is a University of Miami graduate and employee, working as the director of business operations.

In addition, Neely’s brother, Josh, is on the football team, a 6-3, 255-pound freshman defensive lineman who arrived on campus as a preferred walk-on.

“UM, that’s my home school,” Justin Neely said when asked about possibly signing with the Canes in November of 2020. “I know Coach [Jim] Larranaga and [associate head coach Chris] Caputo. Yes, I’d be interested.”

MAGICAL NIGHT

Damond Neely, who played high school football and basketball in Philadelphia before focusing on his main sport at Miami, had a front-row seat for his son’s heroics against Coral Park.

That’s because Damond is a Miami High assistant coach, and he has witnessed his son’s evolution as an athlete after Justin spend his eighth-grade year at Sagemont and his freshman season at SLAM.

“After the Coral Park game,” Damond said, “Justin was talking more about the shots he missed than the ones he made.

“The next day, he was at [Miami High’s] gym at 6 a.m., trying to get better.”

Neely, who does not play football, has been a bit of a secret until now in part due to a pair of injuries. He missed the summer of 2018 due to a broken bone in his right foot. He then missed two months of travel ball this past summer due to a left-ankle injury.

Still, he averaged 19.1 points, 12.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists as a Miami High sophomore.

This season, in a 76-69 loss to Wellington on Dec. 14, Neely posted his first career triple-double with 17 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists.

Three days later, Neely smashed the scoring record. By quarters, Neely scored six points in the first, six in the second, seven in the third, 19 in the fourth and 22 in the two overtime periods.

Neely, who played all 40 minutes, shot 11-of-28 on two-pointers, 6-of-10 on three-pointers and 20-of-24 from the foul line.

Despite the stellar performance, Coral Park was still up big, leading by 23 points in the third quarter and by 15 to start the fourth. Ga’Khari Lacount, a 6-2 senior point guard, had a 41-point game for Coral Park, but that effort was overshadowed by Neely.

Coral Park coach Alex Ordoqui said his team played man defense on Neely.

“He’s very talented, but that’s the best I’ve ever seen him shoot,” Ordoqui said of Neely. “We only had him for 27 points with four minutes left in the fourth, but then he started hitting pull-up three after pull-up three. He caught fire.”

Mark Baranek, who has been a Miami High assistant coach for 31 years, said Neely has a combination of strength and talent that’s rare.

“He took over that Coral Park game,” Baranek said. “He hit a three-pointer with two seconds left in regulation that you knew was going in the moment it left his hand.”

Neely, who has a naturally big frame, has improved his agility this season. His three-point shooting has also gotten better, from 28 to 39 percent, and that’s what has helped him take the next step.

“Justin is our most-talented player,” Baranek said, “and he’s also the hardest worker on our team.”

This story was originally published December 30, 2019 at 2:31 PM.