Forward Shareef O'Neal, son of Shaquille O'Neal, tweeted on Wednesday that he plans to transfer out of UCLA.
UCLA redshirt sophomore forward Jalen Hill moved back into the starting lineup last week and responded with sustained energy in back-to-back games.
“When I played defense in high school, I was so much taller than everyone that it would just be kinda easier to play and block shots,” O’Neal said. “But in college, everyone is my height, more skills, stronger, so I have to learn how to use my body to defend bigger players, even faster players. We switch on the guard sometimes, so I have to learn how to guard every position.”
O’Neal had been one of the most coveted prospects on the West Coast while leading Santa Monica Crossroads High to a state championship in 2018. He originally committed to Arizona before switching his allegiance and signing with UCLA. He was preparing to start his college career when he said he “felt funny” during practices and was diagnosed with an anomalous coronary artery, a congenital heart defect that caused an artery to grow in the wrong place and required open-heart surgery to repair.
Just as O’Neal commenced his recovery, the Bruins fired Alford and replaced him with Cronin in April. O’Neal acknowledged not being familiar with his new coach’s style. “I kinda had to do the research and I knew he was going to be heavy on defense and I was like, I need that,” O’Neal said earlier this season. “I feel like in high school, I just wasn’t a good defender. I just kinda blocked everything when I had the chance. So, now being here, I’ve learned how to guard a point guard all the way down to the center position. I feel like that can help me a lot.”The best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond.
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