Kentucky basketball is no stranger to landing top recruits. The program continually turns out NBA-level talent and teams that are capable of competing for an NCAA championship on a yearly basis. The school added another key piece to next year's recruiting class with the news that a member of the 2023 recruiting class had reclassified and committed to Kentucky.
Kingsley Onyenso officially announced these intentions live from Senegal at the NBA Academy Africa. As the 7-footer put it:
“I have two reasons for choosing to play with Kentucky. The first is their track record with their bigs. They know how to develop their bigs to get to the next level. My second reason is that I have seen them play and they play my style of basketball. The way they are positionless and the way they run the floor. After talking to Coach Cal, I knew that would be the place for me.”
Onyenso was previously ranked as the number 21 prospect in the 2023 class but is now considered the 39th ranked prospect after reclassifying to 2022. The addition of the big man bumped Kentucky up to the third-ranked 2022 recruiting class in the country. The roster also will hold Chris Livingston and Cason Wallace who were each McDonald's All-Americans last season. They also added Adou Theiro and Illinois State transfer Antonio Reeves.
A few clips of 6’11 F Ugonna Kingsley Onyenso (@PSAhoops / @TNEBBallClub) from the NBA Academy Games. He averaged 13 PPG, 9 RPG, 3 BPG & shot 64% from the field in 6 games.
Currently on an official to Kentucky per @Andrew__Slater
🎥 @scorebreak pic.twitter.com/ICpcUWqazY
— Brad Winton (@BradWinton) July 21, 2022
It is important to note that reigning national player of the year Oscar Tshiebwe is returning next season. This will give the freshman big man a valuable chance to sit behind another talented center and keep pressure off him early on. At this point in time, Kingsley Onyenso is still regarded as fairly raw. His 7'5″ wingspan and impressive defensive instincts will ensure he still makes an impact but refining his game will be key to him making the leap to the NBA level he seemingly desires.
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