Former Kentucky Wildcats center Ugonna Onyenso will remain in college after all.
Onyenso, who previously entered the NBA Draft and the transfer portal, has decided to return to school for his junior season.
ESPN’s Jonathan Giovny broke the news first.
When the 7-footer initially declared for the draft back on April 15th, the plan was to stay in the draft, despite no one projecting him to be drafted. Thankfully, Onyenso took the NBA’s feedback and made the correct decision to stay in college, though where he’ll be playing next season is anyone’s guess.
At various points, Alabama, North Carolina, and even Louisville have gotten buzz in this transfer recruitment, but there’s currently no clear-cut favorite.
When Onyenso had his pro day, Adam Zagoria reported that Mississippi State, Oklahoma, and Georgetown were also in the mix. Now that Ugo is out of the draft, expect him to schedule visits in the coming days and potentially weeks.
Of the six schools mentioned above, Kentucky is set to play four of them next season, and there’s a chance it will be five if the Cats draw North Carolina in the ACC/SEC Challenge.
A return to Kentucky is not believed to be on the table.
After initially being very sure about his intention to turn pro, Ugonna Onyenso is going to keep his college options open.
According to Jeff Goodman of The Field of 68, Onyenso will enter the transfer portal after playing two seasons at the University of Kentucky.
The sophomore forward told ESPN’s Jonathan Givony earlier this month he was declaring for the 2024 NBA draft and was “not thinking about coming back to play college basketball.”
Onyenso’s initial decision to turn pro came on April 15, six days after John Calipari confirmed he was leaving Kentucky to become the head coach at Arkansas.