Let's do some talking about the Shaq half of the proposed Shaq-n-Mac Attack. Shaquille Cleare showed out yesterday in Orlando for the AAU Super Showcase, keeping super-prospect Nerlens Noel in check while garnering himself a double-double (and a championship). But the big highlight of the night for Shaq was this thunderous dunk over Noel, whom essentially everyone has called the best young shot-blocker since the days of Mutombo.
One word: posterization.
And if you're kinda "meh" about it, remember two things: 1) it was over Noel, who is again the best shotblocker in the country, and 2) Shaq is 280 lbs. The degree of difficulty and true unexpectedness of the dunk is really what made it - when Shaq went up, I don't think a single person thought "Oh, he's about to flush it in Noel's face." All things considered, a fantastic jam.
But Cleare isn't one to get complacent. As Testudo super-poster Charlotte NC Terp pointed out, he has his eyes set on another big sight: a certain four-letter school whose name rhymes with Puke.
"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."
Exactly how I like 'em: excited to be Terps, and excited to beat Duke. Cleare, for the record, is still "speaking very highly" of Maryland, and based on the whole "I want to beat Duke" comment, I'm feeling as confident as ever that he will, eventually, at some point, officially be a Terrapin.
Would like to be sooner than later, though.