With roster needs in the frontcourt, the Virginia men’s basketball program continued its strong week in the transfer portal with another commitment on Wednesday. The Cavaliers picked up Kansas State transfer Ugonna Onyenso, a four-star recruit out of high school with three years of experience in power conferences.

Multiple outlets announced the news with 247 Sports and On3 among them.

The Onyenso commitment gave the Hoos their second big man addition of the week. On Monday, they signed center Johann Grünloh out of SC Rasta Vechta, a club that plays in Basketball Bundesliga, the highest level league of professional club basketball in Germany. ESPN NBA Draft analyst Jonathan Givony rated Grünloh as a “projected second round pick” for this year’s draft he had entered.

Onyenso (7'0", 247) brings some talent and potential to the table as well. Coming out of Putnam Science Academy, he carried a 4-star rating from 247 Sports as the No. 39 prospect in the Class of 2022. That drew suitors from around the country with Kentucky eventually winning out over Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Clemson, and many others.

With the Wildcats, he showed a defensive presence worthy of high ratings. As a 14-game starter in his sophomore year, he played 18.8 minutes on the way to 3.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.8 blocked shots per game. That season, he had 13 points, 16 rebounds, and 8 blocked shots in an overtime game against Florida and a 10-block game against Ole Miss.

The shot-blocking numbers are the real eye opener as Onyenso turned away shots at a high rate while only committing 1.4 fouls per game. Over two years with Kentucky, he had block rates of 15.9% and 15.3% (an advanced stat for estimating the percentage of opponent two-point field goal attempts that the player blocked while on the floor.) In 2024, he carded a blocks per foul ratio of 1.9, good enough for third in the nation.

Onyenso transferred to Kansas State last season and did not have as big of an impact. He cracked 20 minutes just three times and blocked 10 shots across a four game-stretch in February. He started just two games and averaged 11.0 minutes, 2.8 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 0.9 blocks. That led to the decision to re-enter the portal for his final year of eligibility.

Onyenso joins a roster with wide open opportunities. Newly hired coach Ryan Odom ended up flipping almost the entire roster and multiple incoming players will try to gel for the season ahead. After starting with multiple transfer targets on the wings and in the backcourt, the one-two portal punch this week provided the needed frontcourt balance. The pair of 7-footers join Sam Lewis (Toledo), Jacari White (North Dakota State), Dallin Hall (BYU), Martin Carrere (VCU), and Devin Tillis (UC Irvine) as well as high school recruits Chance Mallory and Silas Barksdale plus the returning Elijah Gertrude and Carter Lang on the roster.

Highlights for Onyenso can be seen in YouTube videos here and here.

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