Jermaine O’Neal built something big in Dallas. He wants to do the same in Columbia
Jermaine O’Neal has had his hand in building a successful youth sports program in Texas. Now, he hopes to do the same one day back in his hometown.
The former Eau Claire High School standout and six-time NBA All-Star talked Friday night about starting something back in Columbia like he has done with his Drive Nation organization in the Dallas area, where he now lives. Drive Nation fielded 42 basketball teams and eight volleyball teams and opened a state-of-the-art facility last year.
O’Neal is in South Carolina this week, coaching Drive Nation’s 17U team at the 23rd annual Peach Jam Nike EYBL finals in North Augusta. He planned to make the 70-mile trip to Columbia on Saturday to see family and friends before heading back to Texas.
“I’m looking for an opportunity to talk to the city because inner city kids like myself use the game of basketball to bring calmness, organization and a standard to my life. I want to make sure I am able to do something in my hometown,” said O’Neal, whose team defeated the PSA Cardinals on Friday night. “That is incredibly important to me. I would love to partner with the city and private venture area to do something that is impactful, to keep our kids out of streets and prisons.
“I’m going to be working to try and talk to legislation, city members and get with the mayor. It can be a public sports complex. We have a strong business model and we aren’t about suiting up and playing sports. It is a standard about how you are going to keep to be involved with these things. Kids like myself, you don’t have a lot to look forward in some areas so things like basketball and mentorship can drive you in the right direction.”
O’Neal, who moved to Texas after his NBA career ended, got the vision for Drive Nation when his daughter Asija started to get heavily involved with volleyball. He saw there weren’t any programs for young athletes that stressed the importance of academics as well as training. Asija was one of the top high school volleyball players in the country and is beginning her freshman year at Texas.
O’Neal’s Drive Nation program has been a big success. In October, it opened a $12.7 million, 91,000-square foot facility by the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport. The building features six basketball and 10 volleyball courts, an indoor performance training area with a 10,000 square-foot weight room, 50-yard, all-purpose turf playing surface and a 55-yard speed track. It also has player lounges, mezzanine viewing areas, a made-to-order kitchen and multi-purpose conference rooms.
The facility hosted one of the stops on the Nike EYBL circuit in April. In addition to the sports programs, Drive Nation also emphasizes community service. O’Neal hopes one day to even start a school.
O’Neal is a hands-on owner, not only giving his money but also his time. He is the head coach of the 17U team, which features top 50 recruit Drew Timme.
O’Neal joked that the coaching part has caused him to lose a little hair, but he is definitely enjoying it.
“Drive Nation is something I am passionate about. Not only giving back to kids and parents, but community as well,” said O’Neal. “We are creating a template of togetherness and standards by using the tool of sports to elevate quality of life. For these kids, using the game of basketball, volleyball, football or soccer to use as opportunity to go to next level, which is college and better yourself and family is something that I believe in.”
With Drive Nation, he is able to have the impact, just like people did for him growing up in Columbia. O’Neal was raised by a single mother and didn’t meet his father until he was 30 years old. He relied on coaches George Glymph, Ben Trapp, Carl Williams and players such as Alex English, Xavier McDaniel and Tyrone Corbin to influence his life.
Of those, Glymph had the most profound effect on him — O’Neal got a little emotional talking about the legendary Eau Claire coach. O’Neal said there are so many stories and memories he has of Glymph, including his coach buying suits for his award ceremonies and almost weekly trips to Lizard’s Thicket with him and other players to just talk about life.
“I feel more than ever the effect of leaders that had their hand print on me. You don’t understand it until you get older,” O’Neal said. “In some ways, I have become coach Glymph. He saved my life in many ways. I just try and do things now to try and emulate in a small way what he did for me. If I can do that, it would be a complete blessing for me.”
This story was originally published July 15, 2018 at 5:50 PM.