Shaqir O'Neal, son of NBA Hall of Fame legend Shaquille O'Neal, was promised a more impactful role at the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Media Day on Oct. 4. The redshirt sophomore is looking to improve upon his first year of collegiate play last season.

Texas Southern head coach Johnny Jones was effusive in his support for his young team. He talked about a few individual players, including O'Neal.

“One of the new guys we're really happy and excited about,” said Jones, “and who's done a really good job during the offseason is Shaqir O'Neal. I think people hadn't had an opportunity to see his offseason workouts. I think he's done a tremendous job of transitioning through the last two years, and we're looking forward to him making an impact with us and for us as well.”

O'Neal had a tepid start to his career, averaging just 1.4 points, 0.7 assists, and 0.9 rebounds in 20 games played.

Though Jones displayed his excitement for the former three-star recruit, he was all smiles throughout the entire press conference.

“Can't tell you how excited we are about a new season… We lost a great group of young men, three of them starters, and five in total. It was a nucleus of guys that won three championships.”

Despite the roster turnover, Jones remained undaunted and had faith in the younger players.

“Because we had guys down for so many games, these guys got a lot of valuable experience, and it showed. We certainly needed them during conference tournament time, and the depth showed on our team because those guys had to get in and play, and they played some really important roles.”

The Tigers open up the 2023-2024 season on November 6 against New Mexico.