And the blows keep coming for Arizona Basketball program. Beloved commit Shareef O’Neal opens up his recruitment on the Sean Miller wiretap news.
The latest blow of the day just occurred as the Arizona Wildcats lost one of their remaining two 2018 commits. Shareef O’Neal, son of NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal, has publicly withdrawn his pledge to attend the University of Arizona. Via a tweet sent out to his followers at 12:39 PM, early Saturday afternoon, the coveted Crossroads (CA) Power Forward thanked the coaches for recruiting him, but indicated that it was in his best interests to, “look at other options to assure my plan in the NCAA next year.”
One of only two remaining recruits due to the fallout of former Arizona Assistant Coach Book Richardson’s arrest and subsequent dismissal, Shareef was seen as a potential building block for the program moving forward. His name recognition alone was enough to keep the Wildcats relevant during a turbulent recruiting season.
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A season that saw the team lose commitments from top-ranked players, as some coveted targets dropped the embattled program from their list of options. As the re-recruitment of the talented Power Forward begins fans from across the country have responded to Shareef’s tweet, begging him to become a part of their favorite programs.
Shareef’s defection was long speculated, as he had chosen not to sign a binding letter of intent, during the Fall signing period, choosing instead to sign the less binding financial aid documents.
The choice to forego the letter of intent provided the ability to back out of his commitment without undue difficulty, as he was not officially bound to the school. The decision to take the route chosen certainly seems to have been appropriate given the chaos that the Arizona Wildcats are suddenly facing with the revelation on Friday afternoon that Head Coach Sean Miller was allegedly overheard (via conversations recorded by the FBI) discussing arranging payment with a former agent (who is now under federal investigation) to secure the commitment of DeAndre Ayton.
Shareef’s departure leaves what at one time was being considered the best potential recruiting class in the history of the Arizona program with only one remaining commit. 5-star Combo Guard Brandon Williams remains committed, for the moment, however, like O’Neal, he also chose not to sign a letter of intent, and his willingness to stay connected to a program that is facing an uncertain future is likely up in the air.
This may make you sad, but it may make you feel good to know that Shareef was genuine in his love of the University of Arizona. He stuck it out as long as he could. Here is our exclusive interview with Reef as he signed his scholarship papers leaving an opening for a day like today when he opened his commitment.
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Despite the disappointment of losing out on Shareef, the young man deserves credit for sticking with his original decision as long as he did, and cannot be blamed for looking to his own future as he moves on from this chaotic situation. As fans of the Arizona Wildcats, all we can do is wish the young man well, and continue to root for his happiness and success. Best of luck, and Bear Down Shareef! You are going to have a fantastic career in basketball!