Another John Calipari player is clearing out Kentucky. This one plans to remain within the NBA draft.
Another College of Kentucky men’s ball player made an declaration with respect to his future Monday night.
Ugonna Onyenso — a 7-foot sophomore on this past season’s UK group — will announce for the NBA draft. Onyenso plans to enlist an specialist and do without his remaining two a long time of NCAA qualification, agreeing to ESPN.
He said that he made his choice some time recently assembly in individual with unused Kentucky coach Stamp Pope.
“As of nowadays, I do not arrange on entering the exchange portal,” Onyenso told ESPN. “I feel like I am prepared for the NBA. I haven’t met with Check Pope. I as it were talked on the phone with him three days back. I’m prepared to go to the another level and appear what I can do, but I’m not closing any doors.”
Onyenso, a 19-year-old post player from Nigeria, had a more authoritative explanation within the same meet with ESPN, who ranks him as the No. 47 in general prospect within the 2024 draft.
“I’m not considering almost coming back to play college basketball,” he said. “I’m 100% centered on the NBA.”
The exchange portal closes on May 1, and any players who have not entered their names by that point would stay with their current schools in the event that they returned to college ball. The ultimate NBA draft due date is May 29.
Onyenso played sparingly as a first year recruit — arriving on campus fair some time recently the begin of the 2022-23 scholarly calendar — some time recently rising as the Wildcats’ beginning center in year two in spite of lost the complete preseason and the primary month of recreations with a foot damage endured over the summer.
He found the middle value of 3.6 focuses, 4.8 bounce back and 2.8 blocked shots in 18.6 minutes per amusement, making 14 begins in 24 appearances as a sophomore. He made his make a big appearance within the Cats’ win over North Carolina on Dec. 16 and blocked 10 shots in a triumph over Ole Miss two months afterward, setting a modern UK record for most pieces in a game in Rupp Field and tying the by and large check held by Navy’s David Robinson, who swatted 10 Kentucky shots in a misfortune in Lexington in 1987.
Onyenso is the most recent Kentucky player to take off the program within the wake of John Calipari’s flight. The longtime UK coach ventured down final week after 15 years with the Wildcats to require over the Arkansas Razorbacks’ program.
All three of UK’s 7-footers from this past season — Aaron Bradshaw, Zvonimir Ivisic and Onyenso — have presently declared that they’re clearing out the program. Bradshaw, who entered the exchange entrance final week, committed to Ohio State on Monday. Ivisic announced Saturday night that he was entering the entrance, and the 7-2 forward from Croatia uncovered Monday that he is attending to exchange to Arkansas to play a moment season beneath Calipari.
Pope was formally named the new head coach of the Cats on Friday, and he was presented to UK fans in a ceremony at Rupp Field on Sunday evening. So distant, none of the 10 players with remaining qualification from the 2023-24 Kentucky group have vowed to return to the Cats and play for Pope next season, in spite of the fact that that’s not essentially a astonish. Calipari was anticipated to lose at slightest half of that bunch — counting Onyenso — indeed in the event that he’d returned for a 16th season.
Prior on Monday, first year recruit point guard D.J. Wagner entered the exchange portal. Sophomore forward Adou Thiero and first year recruit protect Joey Hart were as of now within the exchange entrance. Individual first year recruit Ransack Dillingham and Justin Edwards have as of now declared for the NBA draft.
That clears out as it were national first year recruit of the year Reed Sheppard and save first year recruit Jordan Burks as the remaining UK players who have not however made choices on their prompt prospects.
As of Monday night, Pope had zero players fully committed to Kentucky for the 2024-25 season, though tall school select Travis Perry — the state’s ruling Mr. Ball — gone to Pope’s presentation in Rupp Field on Sunday and gotten a shout-out from the modern UK coach. Perry is anticipated to confirm soon that he will stay with the program. He’s likely to be the as it were player from Calipari’s 2024 selecting course — previously ranked No. 2 within the nation — to stay with the Wildcats for following season.
On Tuesday morning, former top-40 select Collin Chandler — Pope’s beat approaching first year recruit at BYU and the school’s highest-ranked commitment in about a decade — uncovered that he is presently committed to Kentucky for following season. Chandler — a 6-4 combo protect — has spent the past two a long time on a mission trip and was the No. 37 overall enroll within the 2022 lesson, agreeing to the 247Sports composite rankings.
Pope said Sunday that he and his unused coaching staff will be talking to “every player within the portal” moving forward as they see to construct their first roster at Kentucky.
“We are planning to find the folks that fit here, the way we play, and the folks that will come here and get it what a blessing it is to play here at the College of Kentucky,” Pope said.
The approaching coach as of now has visits set up with two frontcourt exchange conceivable outcomes.
One of Pope’s key players from BYU this past season — Aly Khalifa, a 6-11, 270-pound center — will take an official visit to Louisville this week and has as of now contracted his list to Kentucky, U of L and a return to the Cougars.
UK will have Drexel’s Amari Williams — a 6-10 forward with a 7-5 wingspan who already played at Drexel — for an official visit beginning this weekend. Williams found the middle value of 12.8 focuses, 7.8 rebounds, 1.9 helps and 1.8 pieces per diversion this past season, gaining Coastal Athletic Association Defensive Player of the Year respects for the third straight year.
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Former Kentucky ball player Aaron Bradshaw exchanging to a Huge Ten school
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Travis Perry, still a Kentucky signee, talks approximately his potential UK future with Stamp Pope
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