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Drake U'u

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Drake U'u
Personal information
Born (1990-01-18) January 18, 1990 (age 34)
Sacramento, California
NationalityAmerican / Australian
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High schoolRio Americano
(Sacramento, California)
College
NBA draft2013: undrafted
Playing career2013–2015
PositionShooting guard / point guard
Number22
Career history
2013–2015Perth Wildcats
Career highlights and awards

Drake Ellison U'u (born January 18, 1990) is an American-Australian former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the University of Hartford and California Polytechnic State University, before playing two seasons in the Australian National Basketball League (NBL) with the Perth Wildcats, where he won a championship in 2014. He was part of the Sacramento Kings organization between 2015 and 2020, including serving as the assistant general manager of the Stockton Kings.

High school career

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U'u attended Rio Americano High School in Sacramento, California, where he was a three-time first-team All-Capital League honoree. As a senior in 2007–08, he averaged 17.9 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, as he earned Sacramento Bee third-team All-Metro honors after helping the Raiders finish with a 22–6 record. U'u also earned two letters in swimming, with All-America honors in both the 50- and 100-yard freestyle events.[1]

College career

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As a freshman for Hartford in 2008–09, U'u appeared in 18 games with five starting assignments and averaged 2.9 points and 1.7 rebounds per game.[1]

In 2009, U'u transferred to California Polytechnic State University and subsequently redshirted the 2009–10 season due to NCAA transfer regulations.[1]

As a redshirted sophomore for Cal Poly in 2010–11, U'u appeared in 18 games and averaged 14.0 minutes per game. He scored a season-high 10 points during a 55–48 victory over Loyola Marymount on November 24, 2010. He finished the season averaging 2.7 points and 2.1 rebounds per game.[1][2]

As a junior in 2011–12, U'u started during 18 of 26 appearances, averaged 21.2 minutes played and finished sixth among Mustangs with 6.1 points per game; also averaged 3.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.0 steals per game. He hit three 3-pointers to finish with a season-high 13 points against Mississippi Valley State on November 26, 2011. He later missed Cal Poly's final seven games of the season after injuring his left hand.[1][2]

As a senior in 2012–13, U'u averaged 5.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 32 games (20 starts).[2] He recorded career highs of 14 points and eight assists against Hawaii on January 24, 2013.[3]

Professional career

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In August 2013, U'u arrived in Australia to trial with the Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball League.[4] On September 16, he signed with the Wildcats as an injury replacement for Mathiang Muo, who was ruled out of the 2013–14 season with an Achilles injury.[5] On January 10, 2014, U'u scored 10 of his season-high 13 points in the second quarter of the Wildcats' 102–87 win over the Townsville Crocodiles. He finished the game 4-of-4 from 3-point range.[6][7] He helped the Wildcats reach the 2014 NBL Grand Final series, where they defeated the Adelaide 36ers 2–1 to win the championship. He came off the bench to score eight points in the deciding game of the grand final series against Adelaide.[8]

On September 17, 2014, U'u re-signed with the Wildcats on a three-year deal.[8] On December 14, 2014, he scored a career-high 20 points on 7-of-7 shooting, including 5-of-5 from 3-point range, in a 97–76 win over the 36ers.[9][10]

On May 15, 2015, U'u decided not to take the option on his contract which would have allowed him to stay at the Wildcats until 2017.[11][12] In 61 games for the Wildcats over two seasons, he averaged 2.8 points and 1.2 rebounds per game.[13]

Front office career

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In August 2015, U'u joined the Sacramento Kings' front office as manager of player development.[14] In August 2018, he was appointed the assistant general manager of Sacramento's NBA G League affiliate, the Stockton Kings.[15][16] In September 2020, he was furloughed by the Kings organization following the delayed start to the 2020–21 NBA G League season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[17] He ultimately did not return to the Kings.[18]

Personal life

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U'u has a Samoan father, Al, and an Australian mother, Caroline.[19] He was born in the United States and has dual American and Australian citizenship.[20] He has two younger siblings, a sister named Greer and a brother named Parker.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "22 - Drake U'u". GoPoly.com. Retrieved October 27, 2013.
  2. ^ a b c "Drake U'u Stats". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  3. ^ "Drake U'u Game-by-Game Stats – 2012–13". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  4. ^ "TEN News Report: Perth Wildcats set sights on Dante Exum". YouTube.com. August 22, 2013. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  5. ^ "Perth Wildcats sign Drake U'u". Wildcats.com.au. September 16, 2013. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved October 27, 2013.
  6. ^ "R13 Report: Perimeter blitz puts Perth past Crocs". NBL.com.au. January 10, 2014. Archived from the original on January 15, 2014. Retrieved January 15, 2014.
  7. ^ Robinson, Chris (January 12, 2014). "Perth Wildcats rookie Drake U'u grabs his chance". HeraldSun.com. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
  8. ^ a b "Drake U'u Re-Signs". Wildcats.com.au. September 17, 2014. Archived from the original on December 14, 2014. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
  9. ^ "Wildcats beat 36ers in Perth". Yahoo.com. The West Australian. December 14, 2014. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
  10. ^ "Wildcats vs 36ers". FIBALiveStats.com. December 14, 2014. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  11. ^ "Drake U'u has opted not to sign with the Wildcats for next season". Wildcats.com.au. May 15, 2015. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
  12. ^ "U'u, Ross to leave Perth". NBL.com.au. May 15, 2015. Archived from the original on February 4, 2016. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
  13. ^ "Player statistics for Drake U'u". FoxSportsPulse.com. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
  14. ^ Santamaria, Liam (September 7, 2015). "Walking With Kings". DownTownBall.net. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
  15. ^ "Kings Announce Basketball Operations Additions and Promotions". NBA.com. August 28, 2018. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  16. ^ "Stockton Kings add to staff". recordnet.com. August 29, 2018. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  17. ^ Ham, James (September 5, 2020). "Sources: Kings furloughs hit basketball ops, G League staff". nbcsports.com. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  18. ^ "Drake U'u". prospectiveinsight.com. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  19. ^ Hope, Shayne (September 24, 2014). "Perth a divine play for U'u". Yahoo.com. The West Australian. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
  20. ^ "Perth Wildcats - Drake U'u signs with Wildcats - 17 September 2013". YouTube.com. September 17, 2013. Retrieved October 27, 2013.
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