On Friday afternoon Shaqir O’Neal became one step closer in following his father’s footsteps. On Instagram Shaqir, Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal’s youngest son, announced he is committed to play Division 1 basketball at Texas Southern University.
https://www.instagram.com/p/COUG8aCrM8d/?utm_source=ig_embed
The 18-year-old did an interview on Instagram Live with Overtime. In the interview he explained that he picked Texas Southern not just because he felt it was the right spot for him, but also to bring more attention to historically Black colleges and universities.
“I want to change the narrative and culture and do something new,” he stated.
Shaqir would go on to talk about his future goals and his ultimate dream to make it to the NBA.
“You can expect a lot of buckets,” he said during the interview. “I’m trying to get to the league.”
As a TSU freshman in the fall, Shaquir will be attending one of the largest and most comprehensive HBCUs in the nation. Located in Houston, Texas, the university has over 10,000 students enrolled and over 100 academic programs. It was founded in 1947 and became the first state-supported institution in Houston. Some of its most notable alumni include former NFL star Michael Strahan and singer Yolanda Adams.
Shaqir will be under a solid staff with head coach Johnny Jones leading the way. Jones was an assistant under Dale Brown when Shaquille O’Neal played for the Tigers. Jones has now been coaching for the program for three seasons and has won 57 games over his time there. Over the past decade, Texas Southern has statistically been the best program in the Southwestern Atlantic Conference.
They reached the NCAA March Madness Tournament in 2021, after winning the SWAC Tournament to clinch an auto-bid. As a 16-seed, the Tigers beat Mount St. Mary’s in the First Four, but fell to 1-seed Michigan in the first round.
Shaqir will be a good addition to the team next year, as he boasts a team player attitude. As a 6-foot-6 shooting guard, he prefers to play the perimeter rather than the post and assists over the score-first mentality. He can handle the ball swiftly in the open court and can knock down shots with confidence.
As of now, he is listed as a three-star recruit on several recruiting sites and ranked 275th according to 247Sports’ Composite.
With this announcement, Shariq will be one of three O’Neals to play college basketball next season, joining his brother Shareef and sister Amirah O’Neal. Shareef, now a Junior, was a four-star recruit coming into college. He began his career at UCLA, however, a heart condition cut his time in California short. He transferred to his father’s alma mater LSU last year and averaged 2.8 points in 14.5 minutes of play this season.
Amirah will be a freshman at LSU next season. Along with her brothers, she has a bright future in college basketball and beyond. As a 6-foot-3 center, she’s been the star performer for Crossroads School in Santa Monica, California, averaging 17.2 points per game as a senior.
Overall, the O’Neals have an exciting future and careers everyone will be watching out for.
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