Last week, former NBA superstar Shaquille ONeal was?inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.While speaking with the media, ONeal was asked by CSN Philly about the 2016 rookie class and if any players stood out as future stars.I dont know all of them, but I know my guys going to be pretty good, Ben Simmons, ONeal told CSN Philly, referring to the?Philadelphia 76ers rookie who was picked No. 1 overall.ONeal said hes familiar with Simmons game because he attended LSU, ONeals alma mater. ONeal compared Simmons unique skill set and potential on-court impact to that of arguably the best player in the world: Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James.Hes a LeBron-type player, ONeal said Simmons, a 20-year-old forward. What I mean by that, LeBron does a nice job of making everybody else around him better -- passing the ball, doing the small things -- and Ben is that type of player.Despite impressive averages of 19.2 points, 11.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game -- numbers not too far off of ONeals collegiate production of 21.6 points, 13.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists over three seasons at LSU -- Simmons was criticized because LSU failed to meet preseason expectations and missed the NCAA tournament.ONeal said he views Simmons freshman season differently, though.He took a lot of flack (sic), especially at LSU with not really taking over games, ONeal said. But hes young. Hell get to that.When it comes to other aspects of the game, hes very, very intelligent. He plays the game very well. Marco Belinelli Jersey . Aside from the trilogy main event title fight, there are a number of intriguing matchups in the heavyweight, welterweight and lightweight divisions. Sean Elliott Jersey . Coach Mike Munchak says Fokou stretched ligaments in his left knee Oct. 13 against Seattle, which could keep out up to five weeks even though the linebacker didnt need surgery. http://www.cheapspursjerseys.com/?tag=cheap-dejounte-murray-jersey . Then the Pacers gave Oladipo and his Orlando teammates the cold shoulder. Paul Georges buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter spurred a 21-4 run, finally sending Indiana past the Magic 97-87 in a tougher-than-expected opening night matchup. Patty Mills Jersey . Here are his mid-season NBA awards. MVP: (KEVIN DURANT-Thunder) - Has been sensational this season and more importantly, the most consistent player in the league. Considering that his team has been without star guard Russell Westbrook and with the free agent departure of sharpshooter Kevin Martin, hes had to carry the majority of the load to not only keep his team afloat but more importantly, at an elite level. Derrick White Jersey . The parade and rally were held to celebrate the Saskatchewan Roughriders 45-23 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sunday in the CFLs championship game. ATHENS, Ga. -- Another standout performance from Tennessees do-everything midfielder Rylie OKeefe helped lead the Volunteers to their third straight victory with a 2-0 shutout over Georgia on Thursday night in Athens.OKeefe tallied both goals for the Vols to record her first-career multi-goal game and her third multi-point performance of the year. The Big Orange were also stout defensively, posting their third consecutive shutout.The Bulldogs had the better of the chances early on and nearly took the lead in the 11th minute after a bad giveaway by the Vols in their defensive third. Kathryn Culhane did a nice job to interfere with Lauren Tanners shot to force it just wide of the open net and keep UGA off the board.Hannah Wilkinson had the best chance in the first half for UT, heading a ball into the side netting from the corner of the six-yard box in the 25th minute. Starting goalkeeper Shae Yanez made a great save late in the half to keep the game scoreless to extend her shutout streak to 180 minutes this season. For the second straight game Yanez and Jamie Simmons split time in goal as Simmons entered at the start of the second half and finished the game.Shots were hard to come by in the first 45 minutes, however, the pace of the game and the amount of chances increased substantially in the second half. The Vols registered 16 second-half shots, with nine of those on target, after only generating three shots in the opening frame.It didnt take long for the Big Orange to open the scoring in the second half. OKeefe scored her third goal of tthe season just over two minutes into the half to give the Vols a 1-0 lead.dddddddddddd The Littleton, Colo., native pounced on a loose ball in the box and hammered it right under the bar for what would stand up to be the game-winner.Just before OKeefe scored her first goal, Anna Bialczak was robbed by Bulldogs keeper Luoise Hogrell, and a few minutes later, Bialczak nearly scored again but her header from the center of the box hit the crossbar.Georgia had a great chance to tie things up with a free kick from close range, but Taylor Donohues attempt was blocked by the wall of UT defenders.Tennessee struck again in the 72nd minute on a perfectly placed ball off a corner kick from Michele Christy. OKeefe, one of the shortest players on the field, rose above the defenders in the center of the box and headed home her second goal of the match to give the Orange and White a two-goal lead they would hold for the remainder of the game.Yanez and Simmons combined for the shutout for the second game in a row after making seven stops between the two of them. Despite the loss, Hogrell was stellar in goal for UGA, making eight saves on the night.The Vols will look to extend their season-long win streak to four games on Sunday evening when they travel to Gainesville to take on No. 12/9 Florida. UT is a perfect 4-0 in Sunday games this season and can earn its first win over a ranked team since 2014 with a win over the Gators. ' ' '
