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KoriEllis
03-11-2003, 01:55 PM
Onyekwe: The Great Quake
By ANTHONY STITT
phillyBurbs.com

www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dy...56222.html (http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/56222.html)


Princeton orange and black flashed before him, at a shutter-speed pace. He spun from the school's Gothic dormitories to the quaint town square, as a clique of Princeton basketball heads wooed him like the Bachelorette. Man, they wanted this kid. But no.

Ugonna Onyekwe, with a shot softer than baby down, united with Princeton's Darth Vader - the ultimate enemy, the University of Pennsylvania. "Would [Onyekwe] have fit in here?" Princeton coach John Thompson said. "Hell, yes."

And so, Thompson is left trying to stop Onyekwe one final time when the Tigers battle the Quakers at 7:30 tonight at Princeton's Jadwin Gymnasium.

Throughout his four-year Penn crusade, Ugonna Onyekwe, the 6-8 senior forward, has mutated into the most awesome force the Ivy's seen in years. "It's his versatility that hurts you," said Thompson, who, as an assistant under then-coach Bill Carmody, participated in the recruiting of Onyekwe.

During this Onyekwe era, the Quakers have hurt the Ancient Eight, especially the past two seasons. Penn has won 22 consecutive Ivy games, and, after a Saturday win against Cornell, the Quakers wrapped up the Ivy League title for the second straight year.

"Ugonna has added a lot to our program," Penn coach Fran Dunphy said. "I don't even want to think about him going to another school, and certainly not to Princeton, our archrival."

Still, Dunphy knows it: Onyekwe almost never became a Quaker. Or a Tiger, for that matter. In 1998, Onyekwe signed a letter of intent to play for Long Beach State in California. But he changed his mind, saying he made his decision too quickly.

The only way out under NCAA rules: Onyekwe had to play at a non-scholarship university, such as those in the Ivy. And a couple facets swayed him away from Princeton and to Penn.

"The city of Philadelphia was really the big drawing card for me," Onyekwe said. "And you throw in the Big 5, and it wasn't really close. Philadelphia is a great city to play sports in."

The names ooze with Penn greatness - Matt Maloney, Keven McDonald, Michael Jordan and on and on. Onyekwe has passed them all in all-time points scored at Penn. Only one remains, the grandest Quaker: Ernie Beck (1950-53), with 1,827. Onyekwe has 1,712 points and won't surpass Beck.

Doesn't matter.

"Ugonna's an athlete they'll be talking about for a long time at Penn," Dunphy said.

Truthfully, Onyekwe just might be superior on the other side of the floor - on defense.

"He's absolutely the best defensive player I've ever had," Dunphy said, "and he could be as good as any defensive player in the country. He can run, jump, and can anticipate as good as anybody."

Dunphy said it's Onyekwe's defense that will boost him into the highest echelon - yes, the NBA.

In the past 22 years, Penn has sent three players to the NBA - one fringe player (Matt Maloney) and two guys (Jerome Allen and Ira Bowman), who barely blipped across the league's radar.

But Onyekwe is different. He could become the first Penn player to become an NBA force. Even the great Beck had only marginal NBA success with the Philadelphia Warriors, from 1953-60.

But Onyekwe?

"He's still scratching the surface," Dunphy said. "He's got to become a more consistent shooter, but his defense can carry him into the NBA. He can guard in the perimeter and in the post. He could make a significant impact in the NBA."

Onyekwe, who plays about 30 minutes a game averaging 16.1 points and 6.5 rebounds, can twirl off graceful ballet-esque layups or hooks. Or shake the Palestra with colossal dunks.

So, it's tough to imagine him partaking in Princeton's pass-around-the perimeter trapdoor tradition.

"Generally," said Onyekwe, "Princeton is a lot more structured, not much leeway for creativity. Their system is great, but I just didn't think I'd fit into it. But here at Penn they take more advantage of what we can do as individuals."

And the Onyekwe advantage has been obvious for Penn, with the Quakers gunning for their 23-straight Ivy triumph and heading to the Big Dance again. And, of course, nobody at Penn's complaining.

"Hey," Dunphy said, "I'm just grateful he's been with us. His athleticism has been special."

Anthony Stitt can be reached at 215-949-4209 or [email protected].