SMU hoops guard Darius McNeill releases video: 'Now it's my turn'

During the 2019-20 basketball season, Darius McNeill waited and waited for an NCAA transfer waiver that never came. His waiver officially was reported denied in December, meaning the Cal transfer guard would be forced to watch the season from the sidelines.

Friday night, McNeill reminded SMU fans of what to expect for the upcoming basketball season. The 6-3 guard dropped a mixtape roughly 90 seconds long and left his social media fanbase with a short message.

"I patiently waited and watched everybody eat," McNeill tweeted. "Now it's MY TURN."

Also included in the highlight reel were two additional messages: "Zip codes change, but the goal stays the same" was one. "Same goal, different path" was the other.

Of all the players on the SMU roster, McNeill arguably is the most anxious to get on the court for live action. He last played a college basketball game on March 13, 2019, as Cal lost, 56-51, to Colorado in the Pac-12 Tournament.

A junior, McNeill played two seasons in the Pac-12 and started 58 of 63 games for the Golden Bears, averaging 11.3 points as a freshman and 11.0 points as a sophomore. He drained a Cal freshman-record 67 3-pointers his first year in Berkeley.

McNeill transferred to SMU and applied for a waiver last summer to be closer to family in Houston. He had publicly addressed the declining health of his mother.

McNeill was one of two waivers SMU waited for last season, with the other being point guard Kendric Davis. The NCAA granted Davis' eligibility on Nov. 22. McNeill, however, didn't get the waiver.

With a new season on its way, McNeill is ready to unleash. He'll be a part of a team that returns every guard from last season's regular rotation -- including Davis, senior Tyson Jolly and juniors Emmanuel Bandoumel and CJ White.