Shaq's Son Commits to New School After Scandal Hits

By Dave Kovaleski February 28, 2018 at 7:36am

Shareef O’Neal, the son of hall of famer Shaquille O’Neal, announced Wednesday where he will be playing college basketball next season.

Just three days after backing away from his commitment to attend the University of Arizona in the fall, O’Neal committed to another PAC-12 school, UCLA.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BfujouVAt3T/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_ufi_control

O’Neal, a 6’9″ power forward at Crossroads School in Los Angeles, is the 33rd ranked basketball prospect in the class of 2018.

https://twitter.com/SSJreef/status/968754613393461248

He decommited from Arizona after it was reported that Arizona was caught up in the FBI investigation of bribery and corruption in college basketball.

Coach Sean Miller was implicated in the scandal as the FBI alleged he offered 7’1″ freshman Deandre Ayton $100,000 to attend Arizona.

O’Neal tweeted that it was in his best interests to look elsewhere, in light of the investigation. He hadn’t signed an official letter of intent, so he was free to walk away.

https://twitter.com/SSJreef/status/967499124017848321

Do you think O'Neal made the right decision?

O’Neal gives UCLA one of the top shooting post threats in the country, said 24/7 Sports.

“He has good size, long arms, is a plus athlete and can really shoot the ball. He’ll need to get stronger and improve his motor and defense, but all of the physical tools are there for O’Neal to be a successful player in Westwood,” wrote Josh Gershon at 24/7 Sports.

Shareef O’Neal to UCLA!!??? Oh it’s on now!!! 🔥🔥🔥

— Kevin Love (@kevinlove) February 28, 2018

O’Neal, a 4-star recruit, is considered the 9th best power forward in the class of 2018, according to 24/7 Sports.

https://twitter.com/SSJreef/status/968785356840517632

The commitment from O’Neal caps off a successful recruiting season for UCLA, which had the third best recruiting class.

The Bruins also signed five-star center Moses Brown, the 21st ranked player in the class, and four-star point guard Tyger Campbell.

It kiind of makes up for the loss of former UCLA recruits LiAngelo and LaMelo Ball, who took their talents to the Baltic Sea.

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Dave Kovaleski

Contributor, Sports

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Dave is a lifelong sports fan who has been writing for The Wildcard since 2017. He has been a writer for more than 20 years for a variety of publications.

Dave has been writing about sports for The Wildcard since 2017. He's been a reporter and editor for over 20 years, covering everything from sports to financial news. In addition to writing for The Wildcard, Dave has covered mutual funds for Pensions and Investments, meetings and conventions, money market funds, personal finance, associations, and he currently covers financial regulations and the energy sector for Macallan Communications. He has won awards for both news and sports reporting.

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Massachusetts

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Sports