Southlake Carroll sophomore volleyball star Asjia O’Neal has committed to sign with Texas for the Class of 2018. O’Neal is the daughter for former NBA first-rounder Jermaine O’Neal , who was one of the first players to go directly to the NBA from high school.
Asjia O’Neal has been a national volleyball star since middle school. She was on Southlake Carroll’s varsity as a freshman but Southlake coach Ryan Mitchell has brought O’Neal along slowly due to the impact overwhelming expectations coming too quickly and after O’Neal had to undergo surgery to repair a heart valve as a 13-year-old.
The 6-3 O’Neal has blossomed as powerful hitter and blocker who helped Southlake be ranked the No. 1 team in Texas throughout most this past season. O’Neal has starred in AAU summer competitions for several years. She started dominating in the playoffs as a freshman. O’Neal monitors her health but hasn’t been restricted or been unable to participate due to any heart-related problems.
Texas reached the NCAA final under coach Jerritt Elliott last December and lost to Nebraska in Omaha in the championship match.
Jermaine O’Neal played on multiple NBA teams and was multiple year all star after being one of the nation’s early high school phenoms in South Carolina. He was drafted by Portland in the 1996 first round and spent 19 years in the NBA, including a season two years ago with the Golden State Warriors and General Manager Bob Myers, who was O’Neal’s agent. O’Neal received more than $160 million in NBA contracts. O’Neal recently announced he’s partnering to rebrand a Keller sports park which will be an NCAA-sanctioned facility affiliated with Nike that will have more than 70,000 square-feet for six indoor basketball courts convertible to 10 volleyball courts.
