This is an oral history of O’Neal’s …

This is an oral history of O’Neal’s time at LSU. Kent Lowe, LSU sports communication staff (1988-present): He was very raw. He was a big kid. There were a few games where Dale (Brown) early on didn’t start him and brought him off the bench, like at the first TV timeout or radio timeout. Dale Brown, LSU head coach (1972-97): He was struggling. I told him before practice, “Come to my office an hour early.” He came in. I said, “Shaquille, I’ve got a question for you. Do you know how good you could really be?” Whenever he got nervous, he stuttered. “N-n-n-no. Not really.” I said, “You don’t have to shut your eyes. This isn’t a seance. You don’t need a Ouija board. You don’t need a crystal ball. This is how good you can be.”