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Profiles in Terpage - A Countdown to the Basketball Season: Shaquille Cleare

We begin our series with Maryland's starting center, Shaquille Cleare

By Dave Tucker
Shaq will need to have a strong defensive presence for Maryland this season.
Shaq will need to have a strong defensive presence for Maryland this season.
Streeter Lecka

Shaquille Cleare, Sophomore, Center, #44

UMTerps.com

Stats:

Height: 6'9"

Weight: 265

Twitter: @ShaqC44

Collegiate Stats: 3.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg

Recruiting Ratings: Four stars by all four recruiting services, Top 100 player nationally by ESPN (#30), 247 (#46), and Rivals (#53).

High School: The Village School

Hometown: Andros, Bahamas

High School Highlights:


How'd He Get to College Park?

Shaq, who is originally from the Bahamas, went to high school in Houston, Texas, where he played on the Houston Defenders AAU team. As a result, Mark Turgeon was already recruiting Cleare while he was still the head coach of Texas A&M and thus already had a relationship established with him when he made the move from A&M to College Park. Cleare was already interested in going to college at Maryland and playing for head coach Gary Williams. So when Gary announced his retirement and Mark Turgeon was named his successor, Shaq felt comfortable about playing for the Terps and head coach Turgeon.

Career Highlight:

His game against Duke last season, when he held Mason Plumlee to just four points.

Dream Season:

Shaq has to replace a lot with Alex Len's departure and he won't be able to do it all himself. He needs to come up big on the defensive side of the ball and secure rebounds. If he can protect the paint and average around 8 points & 5 rebounds per game, Maryland will be in good shape.

2013 Prospectus:

Shaq has improved his defense over the summer and it's the main reason why he'll be getting the start at center for Maryland to start the season. The loss of Alex Len is going to hurt Maryland more on the defensive side of the ball than on the offensive side. Shaq needs to become a force in the paint, protect the rim, and provide some offense. He doesn't have to average in double digits for Maryland to be successful this season, but he does need to be a factor on defense.

Up Next:

Our next player is a native of Virginia and went to the same high school as Scottie Reynolds.

Next Up In Maryland Football