By JACOB POLACHECK
TORREY PINES, Calif. — Shareef O’Neal, the 6-foot-9 power forward from Crossroads (CA) Academy and Arizona signee, spoke with ZAGSBLOG Wednesday about how he will fit in with Arizona’s style of play when he enrolls there in the fall.
“They say that my game will fit in well there,” said O’Neal. “I’m a big man, playing like a wing.”
O’Neal, the son of NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal, also described his game in further detail, saying, “I would say I’m an all-around player. I can work in every position if I get the chance to.”
According to 247Sports, O’Neal is ranked as the No. 32 overall player in the Class of 2018 and the No. 3 player from the state of Arizona. There were questions surrounding O’Neal’s future following the arrest of Arizona assistant Book Richardson and the de-commitment of 2018 Arizona commit Jahvon Quinerly. Those questions were put to rest when he signed his letter of intent with Arizona on November 16.
O’Neal and point guard Brandon Williams are the only two commits in Arizona’s 2018 class.
On Wednesday at the Torrey Pines Holiday Classic, O’Neal led his team to a 61-59 win over St. John’s (OH) Jesuit High School. He finished the game with 18 points.
“I felt really good and I felt like my team played really well,” said O’Neal of Wednesday’s game. “At first, I was just trying to get the momentum going for my team. Coaches were telling me to take over and play my game, so I was trying to do that. Then, once people on my team started matching my mentality, I started getting other people involved. I feel like my team did a very good job of helping us get the win today.”
Nearly midway through the season, O’Neal also spoke about his goals for the remainder of the year.
“My goals for the rest of this tournament and the season are the same,” he said. “I just want to get everyone involved. I want to get everyone involved and ready, since we’re at the top of this bracket. I know Crossroads hasn’t played in a top bracket like this. So, I’m trying to get everyone ready, being hard on the younger kids and seniors. All the seniors are working hard, so we just need to work hard and be better leaders.”
In terms of his individual game, O’Neal also spoke about what he plans to work on moving forward.
“I’m trying to improve all of my game,” said O’Neal. “I know there are some spots I’m better at but there’s always room for improvement, with my post game, on the perimeter, at the guard spot, on the wing, anything. I’m just trying to improve everything.”
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