Freshman Ugonna Onyenso will have chances to earn playing time

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Ugonna Onyenso, right, had 14 points on 6-for-9 shooting along with five rebounds and four blocks in the Blue-White Game. (Vicky Graff Photo)

Freshman Ugonna Kingsley Onyenso is a 7-1 center and a five-star recruit but has barely been mentioned as a meaningful contributor for coach John Calipari’s team this season.

He reclassified to the 2022 recruiting class and signed with Kentucky knowing national player of the year Oscar Tshiebwe was returning at center. Not only did Tshiebwe average 17.4 points and 15.2 rebounds per game last season but he also averaged 32 minutes per game.

Speculation has been that Onyenso could redshirt or play just a handful of minutes and use the 2022-23 season as a developmental year. However, he is an elite shot blocker and defender — the kind of player John Calipari likes to have who can protect the rim. Tshiebwe had 55 blocked shots last season but he’s not a dominant rim protector.

So what are the plans for him?

“Plans are for him to keep practicing, compete and get stronger,” said UK assistant coach Orlando Antigua. “Try to carve out ways to get minutes. If there are opportunities for him to play, he will get minutes.”

“The good thing is he is an unbelievable kid. Our fans are going to love him.”

Kentucky fans got a glimpse of what he can do in Saturday’s Blue-White Game in Pikeville. He had 14 points on 6-for-9 shooting along with five rebounds and four blocks. He only had one turnover.

Onyenso runs the court “extremely fast” and Antigua says at times he has outrun Tshiebwe.

“He is also a quick study. He is a really smart kid,” Antigua said. “He did miss the entire summer (because he did not sign with UK until August) and he’s trying to catch up. He has to pick up all the things he missed but I am impressed with him.”

“He is a good shot blocker. He is seven feet with long arms and good timing. He is still getting adjusted to the speed of the game and we also have a couple of guys on our team who are incredible athletes and he has to adjust to that athleticism. But the beauty of this team is our depth and he’s part of that.”

Onyenso, who just recently turned 18, spent two years at NBA Academy Africa and that has helped put him on a faster track to big-time college basketball than originally anticipated.

6 Responses

  1. There is no other team in the country that will allow Onyenso the opportunity to progress as quickly as the Cats! We’ve got two players that aren’t expected to contribute much this year and both could be fantastic surprises, Onyenso and Thiero.

  2. Yes, he will play some quality minutes, and I suspect have significant development before he leaves UK.

    Cal knew about him because of past connections. He offered him a full scholarship because he saw a lot of potential, it was a bit of a gamble, but he was confident in taking the gamble.

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