Shaquille Cleare committed to play basketball in Maryland next year, and we thought we could take this opportunity to educate you a little bit more about him because he plays in Houston and might not be such a recognizable name. We're going to post some videos beneath the jump, and a quote I'm sure you'll love to hear, but first here he is dunking on Nerlens Noel, a consensus top three recruit in the class of 2013.
Yeah, that works. More after the jump.
Here is a more complete highlight package, hope you like defensive rebounding.
2009-2010 Shaquille Cleare Part I (via TheVikingsBball)
And a quick interview where he describes his game.
Without trying to open a hole can of worms about the whole Jordan Williams leaving early for the NBA thing, I would like to compare Cleare's game to the recently departed Terp. He plays very physically, with a lot of work being done below the rim. But Cleare seems to be a little bit bigger than Williams and a little bit more athletic as well. He also has a little bit of a jump shot, which is something Williams never developed. I think he is cut from the same kind of cloth as Williams, but has the potential to develop into a much better player. pretty exciting prospect.
I think my favorite part about his game, and this is a small thing, is that when he catches the ball in the post, he goes straight up with it. He doesn't need to gather at all, just straight to the hoop.
O, and this is something Maryland fans might like to see. This is a quote from Cleare from just about a month ago when he hadn't committed yet, via Testudo Times.
"I need to try and get a win against Duke. That's a big part of the Maryland heritage. They are a big program and I think it would feel good to beat Duke."
That's the icing on the cake.