The Tigers saw yet another departure from the program on Tuesday, as junior forward [autotag]Shareef O’Neal[/autotag] entered the transfer portal. His decision was first reported by Stadium’s Jeff Goodman.
O’Neal is the son of former LSU and NBA legend [autotag]Shaquille O’Neal[/autotag], who was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016. The younger O’Neal was a reserve player for the Tigers in 2021-22, averaging less than 10 minutes per game with 2.9 points and 2.1 rebounds.
He saw just five minutes in LSU’s first-round NCAA Tournament loss to Iowa State, registering a rebound and a turnover. He missed his only attempt from the field and was held off the scoreboard.
LSU’s Shareef O’Neal is portaling, the portal told @Stadium.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) March 28, 2022
O’Neal is a native of Los Angeles, and the former four-star recruit and top-50 prospect in the 2018 recruiting class originally signed with nearby UCLA. However, after appearing in just 13 games with the Bruins as a true freshman and averaging 2.2 points per game, he opted to transfer.
In heading to his father’s alma mater, he hoped to see an increased role. However, that never really materialized. He appeared in just 24 games in two seasons with the Tigers, and he never started a game during his time in Baton Rouge.
LSU has now seen three players enter the transfer portal since coach [autotag]Will Wade[/autotag] was fired ahead of the NCAA Tournament. Guards [autotag]Brandon Murray[/autotag] and [autotag]Xavier Pinson[/autotag] also opted to transfer, while all three commits in 2022 and the lone commit in 2023 have decommitted.
New coach [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] will certainly have his hands full rebuilding this roster.
O’Neal will enter the 2022-23 season as a senior, but he’ll have two remaining years of eligibility as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. He’ll hope the next stop is the one where he can become a true-difference maker.
[mm-video type=video id=01fyw2ndrwjgqr651h56 playlist_id=01eqbz5s7cf4w69e0n player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fyw2ndrwjgqr651h56/01fyw2ndrwjgqr651h56-9fef2632e383f6bf5d2f0b6c679bb29f.jpg]
[listicle id=49574]
Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.
Follow Tyler to continue the conversation on Twitter: @TylerNettuno