On Cullen Neal’s list of vital criteria, St. Mary’s was the proverbial tailor-made fit.

Eldorado High School’s high-scoring, high-profile — and heavily recruited — junior guard on Monday night made a verbal commitment to the Gaels of the West Coast Conference.

“They’re a top-20 program, they went to the Sweet 16 two years ago, and I’m gonna play right away, and playing right away was a big deal for me,” the 6-foot-4 Neal said.

Neal, Class 5A’s leading scorer at 27.4 points per game, visited the St. Mary’s campus in northern California over the weekend. St. Mary’s is about 20 miles from Oakland.

It was his second visit to the campus. He and his father Craig, a UNM men’s assistant, made a quick trip to St. Mary’s last summer.

This second visit was the clincher.

“I wasn’t thinking about committing, but once I got there, I thought, ‘Jeez, this is just right for me.’ ” said Neal.

There were a number of Division I programs recruiting Neal, and a few of them — like Arizona State, Oregon State, Tulane, San Francisco and the University of San Diego — had already offered Neal a scholarship.

“I am really proud of him as a dad,” Craig Neal said. “It was a very tough decision for him with me being part of a fantastic basketball program and an incredible fan base. He loves New Mexico and especially Lobo basketball. I know, in my heart, he will always be a Lobo fan. I am glad he has grown up here.

” … This is his journey, and I know he will blaze his own incredible trail.”

Oklahoma, Boston College, Vanderbilt, Stanford, Kansas and Florida State — and New Mexico — were part of a list of schools that were also actively looking at signing Neal.

“The relationship with the coaching staff and playing time were probably the two biggest things for me,” Neal said.

Neal said he always wanted to decide early.

“This doesn’t mean I’m gonna stop working,” he said.

The Eagles are at La Cueva on Wednesday night.

“Can’t wait,” Neal said. “Big game.”

Journal Staff Writer Mark Smith contributed to this story.
— This article appeared on page D1 of the Albuquerque Journal