NEW YORK — When Liam McNeeley makes his official visit to UConn on Monday and Tuesday, he'll be flanked by a couple of impressive basketball players in their own right.

No, McNeeley, the five-star, Class of 2024 forward who de-committed from Indiana last month, won't be making the visit with other recruits. He'll be with his mother, Ashley Elsey, his grandparents, Chuck and Lori Elsey, and his nephew, Eli. 

Ashley and Chuck Elsey are former Division I basketball players, at Rice and TCU, respectively. They know a little bit about the recruiting process, and like Liam, know what they'll be looking for on his visit.

"The roster, style of play, any of that is obviously going to be important," Ashley said at halftime of the Jordan Brand Classic on Sunday, in which Liam played. "And getting to know the coaching staff a little bit better. So, having that opportunity with them to talk with them more is pretty important."

Liam and his mom have gotten to know the staff, particularly Dan Hurley and Luke Murray, pretty well already. Getting to Storrs and seeing what else the UConn men's basketball program has to offer is the next step.

"I'm really excited to see the campus, I've never been to Connecticut," Liam said, shortly after dropping 25 points, including five 3-pointers, and earning MVP honors for Team Air in its loss to Team Flight. "Just continue to build a relationship with those coaches."

"We're just really excited to get a chance to meet with everybody and see the campus and learn more about the program and Liam, and how he might fit and might be able to help that team, and how they're going to help him grow as a player," Ashley said. 

McNeeley is a 6-foot-7 shooter who could fill the role of shooter the Huskies lose in Cam Spencer, Tristen Newton and (possibly) Alex Karaban. He was 5-for-10 from 3 on Sunday night and 8-for-14 overall. He also had two rebounds and two assists, the most impressive of which was an alley-oop lob for a transition dunk by his Montverde teammate, Cooper Flagg.

McNeeley committed to Indiana last October, choosing the Hoosiers over Kansas and Texas. However, a day after it was reported that Indiana would bring back head coach Mike Woodson for a fourth season in March, McNeeley asked out of his national letter of intent and re-opened his recruitment.

McNeeley averaged 12.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.1 steals per game for powerful Montverde Academy. He shot 51 percent (130-of-255) from the field, 46 percent (64-of-139) from the 3-point line, and 80 percent (56-of-70) from the free throw line.

McNeeley's basketball bloodlines run beyond just mom and his grandfather. His two uncles and great-grandfather also played Division I college basketball. He is the No. 18 Class of 2024 prospect in the nation, per 247Sports.com's composite rankings.

Playing against them on Team Flight was Ahmad Nowell, the 6-foot, four-star guard from Philadelphia who committed to UConn last July. Nowell had nine points, six rebounds and five assists to help his team to victory, and had some "words" for McNeeley late in the game.

"I told him if I get the stop, he had to come (to UConn)," Nowell said with a smile.

Well, Team Flight did get the stop ...

After her playing career at Rice, Ashley raised Liam and his older sister, Ava, as a single mom who has built her own business, Minerva Consulting, over the past 20 years. While mom's opinion is always at the forefront on official visits, she won't have the last word.

"Liam is definitely going to make this decision himself," Ashley said. "Our family will be talking about it, obviously."

Liam has no other visits currently scheduled. Ashley said the family enjoyed watching UConn's second straight national championship run from afar.

"It was so much fun to watch," she said. "They're a great, fun team to watch."