LSU F Shareef O'Neal enters transfer portal

Shareef O'Neal became the latest LSU basketball player to enter the transfer portal Monday.

The 6-foot-10, 240-pound forward, the son of former Tigers star Shaquille O'Neal, arrived to Baton Rouge in 2020 after having spent his first two years of college at UCLA.

The younger O'Neal averaged 2.9 points and 2.1 rebounds in 14 appearances this season — including season highs of nine points and seven rebounds Feb. 26 against Missouri — after working his way back from injury and into the rotation.

He joins freshman guard Brandon Murray and senior guard Xavier Pinson, who both entered the portal Thursday, and sophomore forward Tari Eason, who declared for the NBA Draft on Friday, as players to have taken steps toward potentially leaving the program.

LSU received a notice of allegations from the NCAA's Complex Case Case Unit two weeks ago and terminated coach Will Wade and associate head coach Bill Armstrong days later.

A full scope of what further recruiting, roster or postseason sanctions or restrictions could affect the program remains to undetermined.

The university announced the hiring of Matt McMahon on Monday and held an introductory press conference Wednesday.

The former Murray State coach repeatedly emphasized his priority on building relationships with players, including when asked about "re-recruiting" members of the current roster to potentially remain in Baton Rouge.

"That's the most important thing here and we've hit the ground running," McMahon said. "We're gonna invest a lot of time with our players. I want people who want to be here, want people who want to be a part of something special because that's what we're gonna build here."

But the Tigers have lost four commitments, including three 2022 prospects, who have all cited the corresponding uncertainty around the program.