Shaq's take

You knew someone would get Shaquille O'Neal to weigh in on the LSU women's basketball coaching situation. I mean, considering O'Neal was playing at LSU when Bob Starkey was an assistant, it was pretty obvious.

Well, the AP got O'Neal to talk about Starkey today.

"Good guy, very knowledgeable of the game, been around a long time,'' O'Neal told the AP. "It's kind of different how he got the job...''

Kind of different? Ya think?

Back to Shaq, "But he really deserves it. So hopefully they give him the contract he deserves.''

To his credit, O'Neal has kept up with his alma mater.

"They can play, especially the big girl, Sylvia (Fowles),'' O'Neal said. "She's a WNBA player. She's good. They've always been good, they've always been focused, they've always been one of the top teams with UConn and Tennessee. They're right there and I hope they get over the hump this time.''