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Ugonna Onyenso

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Ugonna Onyenso
No. 34 – Kansas State Wildcats
PositionCenter
ConferenceBig 12 Conference
Personal information
Born (2004-09-25) 25 September 2004 (age 20)
Owerri, Nigeria
NationalityNigerian
Listed height7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
Listed weight225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High schoolNBA Academy Africa
(Thiès, Senegal)
Putnam Science Academy
(Putnam, Connecticut)
College

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.

Early career

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Born 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

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On August 2, 2022, Onyenso committed to Kentucky, choosing them over Kansas, Memphis and Oklahoma.[4]

National team career

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In 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

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Onyenso is the son of Martins and Lilian Chinyere, and he has four siblings.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Ugonna Onyenso". UK Athletics. 2022-08-26. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
  2. ^ "Ugonna Kingsley Onyenso: The journey so far". Afroballers. 2022-02-26. Retrieved 2022-08-02.
  3. ^ a b c Abayomi, Tosin (2022-08-02). "D'Tigers star Kingsley Onyenso signs for Kentucky". Pulse Nigeria. Retrieved 2022-08-02.
  4. ^ Tristan, Pharis (2022-08-01). "5-star center Ugonna Kingsley commits to Kentucky". A Sea Of Blue. Retrieved 2022-08-02.
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