HARKER HEIGHTS, Texas — The number "00" will live in immortality at Harker Heights High School after the school honored basketball star and Heights graduate Royce O'Neale by retiring his jersey Friday night.
O'Neale is a graduate of Harker Heights and Baylor University. He currently plays for the Utah Jazz of the NBA.
As a senior at Harker Heights, O'Neale led the Knights to a 28-6 record and an appearance in the 5A regional quarterfinals. In his senior season, he averaged 16.7 points and 10.4 rebounds a game, posting 18 double-doubles and two triple-doubles.
He was the school record-holder in single-game scoring (39) and rebounding (21).
O'Neale graduated from Harker Heights High School in 2011, before playing collegiately at Denver and Baylor. He helped lead the Bears to their first-ever back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in program history.
After college, he played overseas for a couple seasons before finally breaking into the NBA with the Utah Jazz. This season, he has started 39 games, averaging 7.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.4 steals per game.
