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Shaquille O'Neal and the Sacramento State men's basketball program have made their first big splash.
The Hornets landed a commitment from UCF transfer Mikey Williams on Tuesday, just one day after news broke that the program would name O'Neal its general manager.
As a freshman, Williams appeared in 18 games for the Knights and started five, averaging 5.1 points and 1.9 rebounds per contest.
Though Williams saw action for UCF, he's best known for his time before landing in Orlando. The ex-prep phenom originally committed to Penny Hardaway and Memphis, but was arrested in April 2023 and faced nine felony charges after allegedly firing a gun at an occupied vehicle. He eventually pleaded guilty to a single felony count of making criminal threats and avoided jail time.
Before that, Williams was a four-star high school prospect and social media celebrity, boasting more than 3 million Instagram followers.
He used that following on Tuesday to announce his transfer, posting a photo of himself in a Sacramento State jersey with the caption, “All Glory to God.”
Sacramento State basketball loads up under Shaq and Mike Bibby
Sacramento State named Kings legend Mike Bibby its head coach at the end of March, and since then, the Hornets have loaded up. On the heels of a 7-25 season that featured only four wins against Division I competition, Bibby signed Shaqir O'Neal, Shaq's son and a transfer from Florida A&M, just three days after he got the job.
The next week, the Hornets added Taj Glover, a transfer from South Florida. Perhaps most impressively, Bibby also landed Jeremiah “Bear” Cherry, a starter at UNLV who ranked second in the Mountain West in block percentage last season. Bibby called him a “big-time difference maker,” which is backed up by games like his 24-point, 11-rebound performance against Alabama State. Now, he takes a significant step down in competition with a chance to be a top player in the Big Sky.
With Shaq in tow, the Hornets have added another big name in Williams. The Big Aristotle will do the GM job on a volunteer basis, but with his son on the team, expect him to go all-out in helping his former rival Bibby build a contender.
