Shareef O'Neal, son of Hall of Fame center Shaquille O'Neal, will attend UCLA and play basketball this fall, according to The Associated Press. The youngster will begin summer school this month.
The 6-foot-10, 220-pound power forward played the last two seasons of his high school career at Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences in Santa Monica, Calif.
As a senior, O'Neal spearheaded his team to the CIF Division II state title, the school's first since 1997. The lanky big man had 29 points, 17 rebounds and five blocks in the title game.
O’Neal averaged 27 points as a senior, leading Crossroads to a 25-9 record — one that has put them on the map for prospective stars like LeBron James Jr., who enrolled in the school over the weekend.
UCLA has seen an influx of talent in the last few years, and O'Neal could take that to the next level, as head coach Steve Alford said O’Neal brings a “terrific combination of size, skill and athleticism.”
O'Neal will join fellow freshmen Jules Bernard, Moses Brown, Tyger Campbell, Kenneth Nwuba and David Singleton in UCLA’s incoming class — making this one of the most formidable in Pac-12 competition.
Unlike Shaq, Shareef boasts a more refined game around the basket, combined with the ability to shoot, which bodes an ultimate necessity in today's NBA game, his ultimate goal.
Follow Us
Subscribe