When head coach John Calipari made the surprising decision to leave the Kentucky Wildcats, that created a number of domino effects for all of NCAA Basketball. Over the weeks, all of the players/commits left the program, whether to the NBA Draft or the transfer portal.
One of those players is Ugonna Onyenso, a 6’11 center from Nigeria. He’s a former top-40 prospect in the 2022 class, gifted with elite raw athleticism and shot-blocking ability. It took a while for him to get on the court for meaningful minutes, as he was limited to just 7.0 mpg as a freshman.
Onyenso entered the transfer portal around a year ago to this day but decided to return to Kentucky. Coach Cal rewarded him by making his a starter in 14 of 24 games. He averaged around 19 mpg as part of the rotation, averaging 3.6 ppg and 4.8 rpg, along with 2.8 blocks per game.
Blocks are what he’s known for, averaging around six a game per 40 minutes. That includes a 10-block game against Ole Miss, along with being two blocks shy of a triple-double against Florida. After the season, Onyenso actually had entered the NBA Draft and looked as if he was done with NCAA Basketball.
But with the news of the big man also entering the transfer portal, we could see him in a college uniform one more time. And if he goes to a place where he’s the clear go-to big man, Onyenso could be a breakout star next year. Here’s a look at 12 programs that could be in the mix to land him.
