By Rashad Miller, The Uncool Urban

Her father is six-time NBA All-Star Jermaine O’Neal, but her storyI first heard of Asjia when was a standout varsity volleyball player at Southlake Carroll. She achieved many accolades including District 5-6A MVP before attending the University of Texas. We sat down to talk about her story and what she sees for her future in sports.

The O’Neal family moved to Texas when Asjia was twelve years old. Her first day of middle school, she was approached to play volleyball. “I was tall. I was like 5’11” and some girls came up to me and said ‘hey, are you trying for the volleyball team?’ I told them, ‘I don’t know, I’ve never played volleyball before’.” Unknowingly to Asjia, her volleyball career would began in the seventh grade after taking a leap of faith. She describes her younger self as “super shy”, but is glad she did something out of her comfort zone. Asjia made the team and took to the sport quickly.

A health concern would require her to take a moment away from volleyball.  “I was born with a heart murmur and a leak in my valve”. Asjia would explain. During her annual checkup, her physician informed her family that Asjia would have to have open-heart surgery. It was a lot for her to grasp at such a young age and she “started crying immediately”. After a successful surgery, Asjia was back on the court. Her newfound sport would quickly get her noticed by scouts and show her volleyball’s endless possibilities.

“I liked [volleyball], but I think I didn’t really realized how far it could take me until 8th grade”. College letters started coming in with her first letter coming from LSU. Asjia knew then she “can go to college, play professionally, and all these different things” through volleyball. She eventually chose to attend the University of Texas, continuing her athletic career in the place that it started. Asjia “knew I wanted to win a national championship and she “knew I want to be an All-American.”

Redshirted her freshman year was not the beginning of her college career that she planned. “Whether it was physically or just us losing and making it to the championship and then losing the championship. There’s so many things that I obviously did not want to be a part of my journey”. She knew she would never be conditioned as people without cardiovascular restraints, but Asjia still powered through the same rigorous workouts as her teammates.

One day, she would have to skip a spring practice to go to a cardiology appointment. “They said I’d have to quit just because of the state of my heart and obviously that’s not something I [wanted to] hear”. Texas let her finish out her second season before Asjia had surgery in January 2020. “The second time was a lot more emotionally taxing”. She spent her recovery time to return to volleyball stronger and better. “It definitely was a lot more physically challenging than the first time”, she said. After a second surgery, Asjia would help the Texas volleyball team make it to the national championship in 2021. They were defeated by Kentucky, but she leaned on her faith for strength.

“I had to really lean on my faith with God. I felt like there’s so many things that are happening that just were not going right.” Her faith taught Asjia was to trust the process and know that everything’s going to work out for the best. “I know that at the end of all this, it’s gonna work out exactly how God wants it to work out for me”. Asjia also has a tribe that will help her navigate the tough times.  “It’s been such a blessing to have my parents, my brothers, my teammates, my coaches all throughout the whole entire experience, because I knew that even though I was having those really tough times, those dog days, I always have somebody that I can lean on.”

“I was really thankful for that tribe and community that I built in college and with my family and also just me being someone with a strong faith. God has gotten me through a lot of things, and I attribute all of my strength to my relationship with God”, Asjia concluded. She would end her college career as a back to back NCAA champion, something she could not fathom playing out the way that it did. “We were underdogs the whole entire season. A lot of people did not think we’d even make it out of the first round”.

Asjia would not have had this story play out anywhere else other than Austin. “I just think the way that Texas rides for its sports teams is just so special.” She believes that “even though I come from an athletic family, I don’t know if I would have played sports at the level that I do if I wouldn’t have moved here”. Fortunately for Asjia, the decorated middle blocker will be playing in Austin for the Level One Volleyball team. She will also be in the state to watch her brother play basketball at Southern Methodist University. “Austin is a huge sports town but, Dallas is too.”

Asjia is already looking to accomplish another goal; representing the United States in Los Angeles in 2028. “Going from a college program where I was a six year veteran to a national team program where I’m the youngest one in the gym all the time. It’s completely night and day and I think it taught me a lot about myself”. In her second year with USA Volleyball, she is learning from veterans who have been through the same process she is going through now. Asjia used her break from the national team to look back on her journey.

“I really tried to just reflect and realize how awesome and special all these things are because one day I’m going to look back and be sixty years old, not playing volleyball anymore. I wish I would have spent more time just basking in this moment that I worked so hard for”. Asjia O’Neal is just getting started and in due time, the entire world will take notice.

Follow Rashad Miller on all social media @theuncoolurban for more sports content.