Chin Coleman says "success is waiting" for freshman Ugonna Onyenso

ZGeogheganKSR

When Ugonna Onyenso first arrived in Lexington as a late summer addition, many assumed he might not see the floor at all until next season, instead taking a redshirt and learning behind the reigning national player of the year. The 7-footer reclassified from 2023 to 2022 and joined the Kentucky men’s basketball program a year early, but he was clearly a work-in-progress as a prospect despite his five-star status out of high school. However, a preseason surgery on Oscar Tshiebwe‘s knee opened up an unexpected opportunity from the jump for the native of Nigeria.

In Kentucky’s first two regular-season games of the 2022-23 season, Onyenso played 20 minutes against Howard then 19 more against Duquesne. He went for six points, four rebounds, and four blocks in game one then posted nine points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks the next time out. It was an eye-popping start for the should-be high school senior, but once Tshiebwe returned and the competition evolved, Onyenso’s minutes understandably tanked.

Ever since then, Onyenso’s playing time has been a topic of discussion seemingly every other week. After 39 combined minutes to begin the season, he’s been on the hardwood for just 69 total minutes across 13 games played, or 5.3 minutes per outing. Onyenso has played just three total minutes since the road loss to Alabama on Jan. 7 in which he saw the court for 11 minutes.

Head coach John Calipari has gone back and forth with who should soak up the backup center minutes behind Tshiebwe, fluctuating between junior Lance Ware and sophomore Daimion Collins. But during his radio call-in show on Monday night, Calipari hinted that Onyenso might be in line for another chance.

“The other guy that I’ve got to put in the game is Ugonna,” Calipari said. “He’s the one guy who has not had the chance to be in there and he’s the greatest kid. On my birthday, he came into my office, I said ‘What’s up?’ he said ‘I didn’t want to text you, I wanted to see you face-to-face and tell you Happy Birthday.’ Come on. You don’t love to coach that guy? He has a smile on his face. I gotta get him in and let him go and see what happens.”

Let’s also keep in mind that Calipari has said similar lines before, including earlier this season with Onyenso. So the question becomes will he actually go through with it? Calipari mentioned during the same radio show that he also wants to find more minutes for Ware and Collins while potentially trimming down playing time for Tshiebwe, who has struggled to play up to his usual standards over the last few weeks. Kentucky can’t split all of those frontcourt minutes between four players and expect to hit a groove.

But it’s clear that Onyenso brings something… different… to the floor. He rebounds and blocks shots at a high rate — a true rim protector in every sense of the word, even more so than the pogo-stick that is Daimion Collins, who is just 6-foot-9. It’s the other end of the floor where there is plenty of work to be done. But with just six games left in the regular season and Kentucky trending on the wrong side of the NCAA Tournament bubble, maybe a change in approach can help save the Wildcats down the stretch.

If you don’t believe Calipari when he says that Onyenso is on the verge of seeing the court more consistently, listen to what his assistant coach, Chin Coleman, had to say during Kentucky’s Tuesday morning press conference. Onyenso’s potential value is growing within the staff.

“He’s working hard every day. I enjoy coaching him, enjoy being around him, he’s a beacon of light,” Coleman said. “He’s got an infectious personality and he’s very smart. As an eye-witness to what’s going on — obviously, he’s not playing as much — he has a lot of knowledge and a lot of input. I talk to him all the time about what he sees, what he thinks, and how is the locker room. He’s got great insight and he’s working his tail off and he may get an opportunity.

“If he gets his opportunity, one thing he’s gonna do is he’s gonna give you everything he’s got. He’s gonna give us some collective intelligence because he’s a smart kid, he understands the schematics, and we need that. And he gives us rim protection. I know that he’s ready, we feel confident that he’s ready, it’s just waiting on that opportunity and I think he’ll be ready once he gets it.“

Who knows if/when that opportunity will come. Kentucky faces Mississippi State on Wednesday night in Starkville, which might not be the ideal situation for Onyenso to get tossed into the mix. During SEC play, the Bulldogs have been one of the top rebounding teams on both ends of the floor. 6-foot-11 redshirt senior big man Tolu Smith is one of the best players in the entire conference. Regardless of how much the staff feels like Onyenso deserves a chance to prove himself, Kentucky is still fighting for its NCAA Tournament lives. Every minute played is going to be especially important the rest of the way.

There are reasons for and against feeding frontcourt minutes to Onyenso as the season winds down, but one thing we know for sure is the program is high on his potential. While it might not be in the coming weeks, he’s going to make some sort of significant impact at UK before his time in college is all said and done.

“He’s gonna be a big-time player,” Coleman added. “He’s gonna be one of those guys, he’s gonna be one of those ones that they’ve had here before: seven-footer that can run, block shots, shoot, he’s gonna be one of those players. And because his spirit is right — and he’s got a great spirit. Success is waiting for him because he’s the right kind of person that success follows those kind of people.”