Ugonna Kingsley Onyenso (born 25 September 2004) is a Nigerian college basketball player for the Kansas State Wildcats of the Big 12 Conference. He previously played for the Kentucky Wildcats in the Southeastern Conference. He also plays for the Nigeria national team, where he is the youngest player to ever play for the team at age 17. Standing at 7 ft 0 in (2.11 m)[1] with a wing span of 7 ft 5 in (2.26 m), he plays the center position.
| No. 34 – Kansas State Wildcats | |
|---|---|
| Position | Center |
| Conference | Big 12 Conference |
| Personal information | |
| Born | 25 September 2004 Owerri, Nigeria |
| Nationality | Nigerian |
| Listed height | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) |
| Listed weight | 225 lb (102 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | NBA Academy Africa (Thiès, Senegal) Putnam Science Academy (Putnam, Connecticut) |
| College |
|
Early career
editBorn in Owerri, Onyenso played football as a kid before a local coach proposed playing basketball to him.[2] Kingsley was a student-athlete at the NBA Academy Africa in Thiès, Senegal, where he played for three years.[3]
In January 2021, he moved to the United States to play for the Putnam Science Academy in Putnam, Connecticut. With Putnam, Onyenso averaged 13.2 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game as the team went 20-0 during his tenure there.[1]
In August 2021, he also played for Team England of the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU). He played in the 2022 NBA Academy Games and averaged 13.2 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game.[3]
College career
editOn August 2, 2022, Onyenso committed to Kentucky, choosing them over Kansas, Memphis and Oklahoma.[4]
National team career
editIn November 2021, Onyenso was selected for the Nigeria national senior team by coach Julius Nwosu. In his debut, he scored 10 points, four rebounds and two blocks in 16 minutes against Uganda.[3] At age 17, he became the youngest player in history to play for the Nigerian national team.
Personal
editOnyenso is the son of Martins and Lilian Chinyere, and he has four siblings.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Ugonna Onyenso". UK Athletics. 2022-08-26. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
- ^ "Ugonna Kingsley Onyenso: The journey so far". Afroballers. 2022-02-26. Retrieved 2022-08-02.
- ^ a b c Abayomi, Tosin (2022-08-02). "D'Tigers star Kingsley Onyenso signs for Kentucky". Pulse Nigeria. Retrieved 2022-08-02.
- ^ Tristan, Pharis (2022-08-01). "5-star center Ugonna Kingsley commits to Kentucky". A Sea Of Blue. Retrieved 2022-08-02.
External links
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