Asjia O’Neal is Texas’ resident veteran middle blocker and the daughter of former NBA player Jermaine O’Neal.
Texas volleyball’s improbable upset over Stanford was spearheaded by two dominant players. Outside hitter Madisen Skinner, and the Longhorns’ wall of a middle blocker, Asjia O’Neal.
It’s O’Neal’s final year with Texas, and she’s been instrumental in leading the team to a second consecutive Final Four appearance. With a difficult matchup against No. 3 Wisconsin, the Longhorns will be relying on O’Neal’s wealth of experience as the pressure builds throughout the match.
Here are five things to know about O’Neal:
A heart for volleyball
In sports, overcoming challenges is inevitable. At some point or another, an athlete is going to come across a hill that will require all of their will to climb over.
O’Neal’s biggest hill was her own literal heart. The middle blocker was born with a mitral valve leak, a condition that forces the heart to work extra hard to pump enough blood in the right direction. Despite getting surgery at a young age to fix it, the condition came back with a vengeance in 2019, putting her career at risk.
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Despite recommendations to stop playing, O’Neal persisted. She had another open heart surgery in 2020 and fought through rehab in order to make it back onto the court. Before the operation, running even 15 minutes on the treadmill was a chore. Afterward, she was able to push herself even harder than she had ever been able to do.
O’Neal received the Honda Inspiration Award in 2021 as a testament to the trials she had overcome to make it back to the sport she loves.
Her dad may be Jermaine O’Neal, but she’s a fan of Dennis Rodman
The daughter of former NBA player Jermaine O’Neal, the middle blocker actually chose a different player as her inspiration.
The scrappy, unapologetic Bulls legend Dennis Rodman is a player that she says speaks to her. While she still has admiration (and a t-shirt) for her dad, the Menace’s bold, vibrant ability to be himself is something O’Neal admires.
“Obviously, everyone loves Michael Jordan … but I saw myself more like a Dennis Rodman,” O’Neal said. “I’m not leaving the city and leaving practice to go to Vegas or something like that, but I just think his aggression and his fiery energy is something that I tried to emulate.”
Pro volleyball
Professional volleyball hasn’t taken off yet in the U.S. However, O’Neal does have some prospects in it if she wishes to go down that route after graduation.
The new league, called the Pro Volleyball Federation, had its first-ever draft in December, and the Texas middle blocker was the first overall pick. Middle blocker Chiamaka Nwokolo and setter Emma Monks of Pitt, and opposite Temi Thomas-Allar of Wisconsin were also picks.
It’s definitely an option for O’Neal, who nearly left for the pro scene before coach Jerritt Elliott convinced her to come back for a sixth year. She may leave for the new league, or seek more success in an overseas league where volleyball is more popular.
Fighting for more than herself
O’Neal is an active participant in the Black Lives Matter campaign. After the death of George Floyd, she and her teammates came together to make a video to raise awareness. Her and teammate Logan Eggleston co-wrote the script and it was played before home games in 2020.
She was also among the UT athletes who participated in the “We Are One” movement that protested systemic problems on campus along with the origins of “The Eyes of Texas.”
An allegedly shy speaker when she arrived on campus, O’Neal has become more comfortable as she’s grown throughout her college career.
“I think she has so much respect; everyone has so much respect for her,” Eggleston said. “She has such a strong voice. I just really am inspired by the way that she uses her voice and the way that she stands up for what she believes in and rallies people around her.”
Not a great blocker?
Elliot had O’Neal redshirt in her first year in Texas. Why? Her terrible blocking skills.
“Jerritt told me I was a bad blocker,” O’Neal said.
It may have taken her a while to get used to it, but she’s got the hang of things now. 594 total blocks in her career, with a season-high of 157 in 2023.
She’ll be adding to the total as the Longhorns attempt to overwhelm the Badgers in their Final Four matchup.