Florida
Shaquille O’Neal’s daughter Me’Arah chooses Florida over NCAA champs, dad’s alma mater LSU
Shaquille O’Neal compares DJing to a basketball game
Shaquille O’Neal has admitted the thrill of playing to huge concert crowds as his alter-ego DJ Diesel is right up there with a high-stakes basketball game.
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Shaquille O’Neal has a new reason to attend SEC women’s basketball games. Although he might be cheering for a former rival.
The four-time NBA champion’s youngest child, daughter Me’Arah O’Neal, committed to play college basketball for the Florida Gators. The four-star prospect, who is ranked No. 33 for the Class of 2024 by ESPN, shared the news of her college decision on Instagram Live on Sunday, choosing the school over her father’s alma mater, LSU. The Tigers, coached by Kim Mulkey, are the reigning NCAA national champions.
“I will be committing to the University of Florida,” O’Neal, a senior at Episcopal High School in Houston, said as she popped a balloon that had blue, orange and green confetti in it. She unbuttoned a black letterman jacket to reveal a blue T-shirt with the Gators logo.
The Gators made it to the quarterfinals of the NIT last year. A season earlier, they earned a spot in the 2022 NCAA tournament, their first bid in the Big Dance since 2016, when they lost in the first round. That was head coach Kelly Rae Finley’s first year in Gainesville, and she was named USA Today Sports Network SEC Coach of the Year. The Gators welcomed McDonald’s All-American Laila Reynolds to its squad this year and are off to a 2-0 start.
“I went on the Florida visit, and I had a feeling that’s where I belonged,” O’Neal told ESPN of her decision. “And that I was going to be most successful if I went to go play at Florida. I felt like I connected with Coach Kelly more than I connected with any of the other schools that recruited me. She really cares about me not just on the court but off the court. That’s important for me.”
The LSU women’s basketball team beat the Iowa Hawkeyes in April for the program’s first NCAA women’s basketball championship. Tigers star Angel Reese, the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, signed an endorsement deal with Reebok as the brand’s first major NIL deal after O’Neal was named president of basketball for the athletic apparel company.
In his Basketball Hall of Fame induction speech in 2016, the former Los Angeles Lakers star had high praise for his youngest daughter.
“I don’t like to put pressure on my babies, but she works out with my sons and I think it’s fair to say one day, if she continues, Me’Arah will probably be the best women’s basketball player ever,” he said. “She’s that good.”
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Florida
‘I feel like Bin Laden,’ Florida man arrested by FBI for planning to bomb NYSE to 'reboot' US government
A Florida man has been arrested and charged in connection with a plot to bomb the New York Stock Exchange in an effort to “reboot” the US government, according to the FBI.
Harun Abdul-Malik Yener, 30, from Coral Springs, Florida, was charged with attempting to use an explosive device to damage or destroy a building involved in interstate commerce.
The FBI began investigating Yener in February after receiving a tip that he was storing materials related to bomb-making in a storage unit. Agents searched the area after obtaining a search warrant. They found “bomb-making sketches, numerous watches with timers electronic circuit boards and other electronics that can be utilised to build bombs.
According to the FBI, Yener had also been conducting online searches about bomb-making since 2017.
In March, Yener admitted to authorities during questioning that he had knowledge of making “rockets” and “bombs” and had previously tried to join a “domestic extremist group.” He also revealed that in 2015, he had considered travelling to Iraq to join ISIS but ultimately decided against it because he doubted the group’s ability to meet its objectives.
Yener allegedly told undercover FBI agents that he planned to detonate the bomb during the week before Thanksgiving, targeting the New York Stock Exchange in lower Manhattan. Court documents state that his goal was to “reboot” the US government.
‘I feel like Bin Laden’
“There is one place that would be hella easy… the stock exchange, that would be a great hit. Tons of people would support it. They would see it and think dude, this guy makes sense, they are [profanity] robbing us. So that’s perfect,” he told the agent.
“I feel like Bin Laden,” he told the undercover agent.
Weeks before his arrest, Yener had modified two-way radios to function as remote triggers for explosives. He also planned to wear a disguise while planting the device, according to court filings.
Yener appeared in court on Wednesday afternoon, where it was decided he would remain in custody while awaiting trial.
(With inputs from agencies)
With the early national signing period approaching quickly, the USC Trojans have been working hard on the recruiting process. The Trojans have lost some key recruits but gained some big names. One target to watch for is defensive lineman Joseph Mbatchou, who is set to visit USC on Nov. 30.
Mbatchou is a class of 2025 four-star defensive lineman playing for Grayson (Ga.). On3 ranks Mbatchou as the No. 22 defensive lineman in the nation and the No. 36 player from Georgia. The four-star recruit was once committed to the Florida Gators but re-opened his recruitment in October.
Mbatchou is predicted to commit to the Texas Longhorns, but after another visit with the Florida Gators, Florida has jumped into the top two. The Auburn Tigers have also been a top team in the running for the four-star recruit. One last school to watch out for is the USC Trojans.
Mbatchou is considering visiting the USC Trojans on Nov. 30, when they face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the final regular-season game. Mbatchou announced this visit in October and is still considering it. As he narrowed down his decision, there was a chance he would no longer meet with USC, but the official visit is still set.
On3 ranks the USC Trojans class of 2025 as No. 13 in the nation and No. 4 in the Big Ten. Though they may have lost a couple of big names, they were able to flip five-star quarterback Husan Longstreet after a big push for him.
USC coach Lincoln Riley and the Trojans’ staff must work hard to flip Mbatchou. The visit will be the most important way to convince the four-star recruit, as that is how Florida rose back into the top two. Visiting USC during the final weekend of November could help the Trojans with the game being right before national signing day.
Mbatchou is expected to make his decision during the early signing period. Texas is the top prediction for now, but expect the USC Trojans to make a final push for the four-star defensive lineman.
This week, USC will take on the UCLA Bruins at the Rose Bowl on Saturday, Nov. 23. The game will be broadcast on NBC and kickoff is at 7:30 p.m.
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