LSU's Shareef O'Neal Taking Advantage of Recent Opportunities

When a player is in and out of the lineup, it can be quite hard to stay mentally ready. For LSU forward Shareef O'Neal, it hasn't been an easy road as injuries have derailed his collegiate career after being one of the more sought after recruits in the country back in 2018.

His story is pretty well known now as a heart condition that required surgery cut into his time at Arizona and UCLA, while a nagging foot injury plagued his first season and the start of the 2021-22 at LSU. But after finally being cleared to return right before SEC play, O'Neal knew his opportunities would come, he just had to be patient.

"The leaders do a good job of keeping me prepared," O'Neal said. "They tell me to stay ready, we practice really hard everyday and go against each other. Coach tells me to wait for my opportunity and every time I go in I'm gonna play my hardest."

LSU coach Will Wade has been pretty straightforward all season long by going with an eight man rotation but as the injuries and foul trouble began to surface in SEC play, Wade had to adjust his strategy. He dipped deeper into the bench and O'Neal's name was called against Florida, where he played 13 critical minutes with a number of Tigers bigs in foul trouble.

As conference play has gone on, LSU's foul trouble, particularly on all of its bigs including Efton Reid, Darius Days and Tari Eason have opened up more opportunities for O'Neal. In eight games, he's averaged 2.5 points a game but his impact has been far greater than the stat sheet. He's active when on the floor, understands the system and gives LSU another big body to throw at teams when the other bigs are struggling with fouls.

Perhaps his greatest game in an LSU uniform came Saturday with the win over Mississippi State where O'Neal scored eight points to go along with three rebounds and was a +13 in 14 minutes on the floor. He was one of the integral pieces to LSU's stretch run that ultimately won the Tigers the game in the second half, with his teammates praising his readiness after the performance.

"He's been itching to play so you see his work everyday, you see his obsession for the game so you know when he gets on the court, he's gonna provide," guard Xavier Pinson said.

Wade has really seen a big difference in O'Neal's approach recently, complimenting him on the extra work he's been putting in the gym to earn more time on the court. Ultimately it remains to be seen what kind of long term impact O'Neal will have on this roster but he's putting himself in winning positions on the floor which is what LSU needs from its bench.

"He finished around the rim, he's been working," Wade said. "He's been coming in and working out extra, he's gotta keep doing that. He did a good job on the defensive glass, he played with some physicality. I was very proud and pleased with how he played."