Onyeka Okongwu

Onyeka Okongwu (born December 11, 2001) is an American basketball player. He played college basketball for the USC Trojans. Listed at 6 feet 9 inches (2.06 m) and 245 pounds (111 kg), he plays the power forward position.

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Onyeka Okongwu
Okongwu (right) in February 2020
Personal information
Born (2001-12-11) December 11, 2001
Los Angeles, California
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight245 lb (111 kg)
Career information
High schoolChino Hills
(Chino Hills, California)
CollegeUSC (2019–2020)
PositionPower forward / Small forward
Career highlights and awards

Okongwu was a four-year starter at Chino Hills High School in California, playing alongside Lonzo and LaMelo Ball. As a freshman, he helped his team win the state championship and achieve national success, while being named MaxPreps co-National Freshman of the Year. In his junior and senior seasons, Okongwu led Chino Hills to two more state titles, earning back-to-back California Mr. Basketball honors. He was considered a five-star recruit by ESPN and Rivals. In his only college season, Okongwu played for USC and was named to the first team All-Pac-12.

High school career

Okongwu attended Chino Hills High School in Chino Hills, California and started on the varsity basketball team since his freshman season.[1][2] In his first year, he was teammates with brothers Lonzo, LiAngelo, and LaMelo Ball, who helped elevate the team into the national spotlight.[3] His team ranked number one in the country with a 35–0 record and captured the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Open Division state title.[4][5] Okongwu shared MaxPreps National Freshman of the Year honors with his teammate, LaMelo Ball, after averaging 7.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.1 blocks per game.[6]

As a sophomore, Okongwu helped Chino Hills reach the CIF Southern Section Open Division semifinals and the CIF State Southern Regional semifinals.[7] In his junior season, he led his team to CIF Southern Section Division I and CIF Division I championships.[8][9] He averaged 28 points, 14 rebounds, and four blocks per game, earning California Mr. Basketball and USA Today All-USA California first team honors.[10][11] As a senior, Okongwu led Chino Hills to a runner-up finish at the CIF Southern Section Division I tournament and its second consecutive CIF Division I state title.[12][13] After averaging 27 points, 11 rebounds, 4.3 blocks, and four assists per game, he repeated as California Mr. Basketball, becoming the fifth player to ever do so,[14] and received USA Today All-USA California first team distinction.[15]

Recruiting

Okongwu finished his freshman season with offers to play college basketball for UCLA and USC.[16] On May 14, 2018, he committed to USC over UCLA and Arizona State. He was drawn to the program because of its proximity and coaching staff. Okongwu left high school as a five-star recruit on ESPN and Rivals and as a four-star recruit on 247Sports.[17]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Onyeka Okongwu
PF		 Chino Hills, CA Chino Hills (CA) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) May 14, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 93
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 30  247Sports: 27  ESPN: 20
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "USC 2019 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  • "2019 USC Trojans Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  • "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 3, 2017.

    College career

    Okongwu immediately established himself as USC's best player.[18] In his collegiate debut on November 5, 2019, he recorded 20 points, 13 rebounds and a school-record eight blocks to lead the Trojans to a 77–48 victory over Florida A&M. He became the first USC player to post a double-double in his debut since Taj Gibson in 2006.[19] On November 19, he scored a career-high 33 points, including 17 free throws, in a 91–84 win over Pepperdine.[20] The performance helped him claim Pac-12 Conference player and freshman of the week honors on November 25.[21] On December 1, Okongwu recorded 27 points on 12-of-14 shooting, 14 rebounds and three blocks in a 77–62 victory over Harvard at the Orlando Invitational.[22] He scored 28 points, 24 of which came in the second half, and grabbed 12 rebounds in a December 15 win over Long Beach State.[23] One day later, Okongwu was named Pac-12 freshman of the week for his second time.[24]

    Okongwu continued his consistency into the Pac-12 season. On January 2, 2020, he had another strong performance, with 27 points on 12-of-14 shooting and 12 rebounds in a 65–56 win over Washington State.[25] On January 24, he tallied 23 points, 14 rebounds and six blocks in a 79–70 double-overtime loss to Oregon.[26] At the conclusion of the regular season, Okongwu was named to the first team All-Pac-12 and the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team.[27] He led USC with 16.2 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game.[28] The Pac-12 Tournament and the NCAA Tournament were canceled due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic.[29][30] On March 25, 2020, Okongwu announced that he would enter the 2020 NBA draft and forgo his final three years of college basketball eligibility. Analysts regarded him as one of the best prospects in the draft.[18]

    Career statistics
    Legend
      GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
     FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
     RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
     BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

    College
    Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
    2019–20[31] USC 282830.6.616.250.7208.61.11.22.716.2

    Personal life

    Okongwu's older brother, Nnamdi, had also played basketball for Chino Hills High School.[32] In 2014, Nnamdi suffered a brain injury in a skateboarding accident and died after spending three days on life support.[33][34] Okongwu has since worn the number 21 jersey in honor of his brother, who had worn the same number while playing basketball.[1] He also has a younger brother, Chukwuemeka, and a younger sister, Chinemya.[35]

    Okongwu is the son of Nigerian parents, Kate and Mike Okongwu.[1] His mother, who is a registered nurse, moved to the United States from Nigeria in 1999.[36]

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    References
    1. Gardner, Michelle (March 3, 2016). "After brother's death, Chino Hills basketball standout Onyeka Okongwu looks to build on legacy". Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
    2. "No. 1 Chino Hills caps unbeaten regular season with 92-72 win over Etiwanda". MaxPreps.com. February 12, 2016. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
    3. Sondheimer, Eric (April 26, 2015). "It's Ball in the family at Chino Hills basketball". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
    4. Sondheimer, Eric (November 20, 2016). "Onyeka Okongwu is Chino Hills' middle man". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
    5. "No. 1 Chino Hills caps perfect season and puts exclamation point on being nation's best". USATodayHSS.com. March 27, 2016. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
    6. Hickman, Jason (April 21, 2016). "2015–16 MaxPreps Boys Basketball Freshman All-American Team". MaxPreps.com. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
    7. "No. 13 Mater Dei (Calif.) takes down Ball brothers, No. 10 Chino Hills in CIF-SS semis". USA Today High School Sports. February 25, 2017. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
    8. Robledo, Fred (March 3, 2018). "Pasadena has no answer for Chino Hills and Onyeka Okongwu in boys basketball title game". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
    9. Smith, Cam (March 24, 2018). "Chino Hills wins Calif. boys basketball title without LaMelo Ball". USA Today High School Sports. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
    10. Hilbert, Evan (April 16, 2018). "2017–18 ALL-USA California Boys Basketball Team". USA Today High School Sports. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
    11. Flores, Ronnie (April 12, 2018). "Mr. Basketball 2018: It's The Big O". CalHiSports. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
    12. Jocks, Matt (February 23, 2019). "Santa Margarita rallies to beat Chino Hills in OT in Division 1 basketball title game". Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
    13. Robledo, Fred (March 8, 2019). "Chino Hills wins back-to-back state championships despite Onyeka Okongwu's foul trouble". Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
    14. "Incoming Freshman Onyeka Okongwu Named California's Mr. Basketball Again". University of Southern California Athletics. April 4, 2019. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
    15. Thompson, Josh (April 20, 2019). "CHHS' Okongwu earns All-USA Today national, state honors". Chino Champion. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
    16. Sondheimer, Eric (February 1, 2016). "Chino Hills freshman Onyeka Okongwu offered by UCLA, USC". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
    17. Borzello, Jeff (May 14, 2018). "Five-star recruit Onyeka Okongwu chooses USC over UCLA, ASU". ESPN. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
    18. Givony, Jonathan; Wojnarowski, Adrian (March 25, 2020). "USC freshman Onyeka Okongwu opts to enter NBA draft". ESPN. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
    19. "Okongwu's double-double leads USC over Florida A&M 77–48". ESPN. Associated Press. November 6, 2019. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
    20. Nguyen, Thuc Nhi (November 19, 2019). "Onyeka Okongwu dominates as USC stays unbeaten in victory over Pepperdine". Los Angeles Times.
    21. "USC's Okongwu first to sweep Pac-12 Men's Basketball weekly awards". Pac-12 Conference. November 25, 2019. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
    22. "Onyeka Okongwu's 27 Points Lead USC Men's Basketball's 77-62 Rout Over Harvard". USC Athletics. Associated Press. December 1, 2019. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
    23. "Okongwu scores 28 in leading USC over Long Beach State 87-76". USA Today. Associated Press. December 15, 2019. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
    24. "Oregon's Pritchard, USC's Okongwu earn Pac-12 Men's Basketball weekly honors". Pac-12 Conference. December 16, 2019. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
    25. "Okongwu scores 27, USC handles WSU Cougars 65–56". Yahoo Sports. Associated Press. January 3, 2020. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
    26. Spratling, Shotgun (January 24, 2020). "Rapid Recap: USC falls to Ducks in 2OT, misses out on Quad 1 win". 247Sports.com. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
    27. "Pac-12 announces 2019–20 Men's Basketball annual major awards". pac-12.com. March 9, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
    28. Kartje, Ryan (March 10, 2020). "USC freshman Onyeka Okongwu snubbed from Pac-12 freshman of the year award". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
    29. Cobb, David (March 13, 2020). "2020 Pac-12 Tournament canceled Thursday amid coronavirus pandemic concerns". CBS Sports. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
    30. "NCAA cancels men's and women's basketball championships due to coronavirus concerns". National Collegiate Athletic Association. March 17, 2020. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
    31. "Onyeka Okongwu College Stats". Sports Reference. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
    32. Gardner, Michelle (July 18, 2014). "Chino Hills basketball player Nnamdi Okongwu, taken off life support, dies after skateboard accident". Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
    33. Klemack, John Cádiz; Khan, Samia (July 17, 2014). "Freak Accident Leaves High School Basketball Star Brain Dead". KNBC. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
    34. Rodriguez, Monica (July 20, 2014). "Chino family grieves at loss of eldest son killed in skateboard accident". Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
    35. Wall, Stephen (July 20, 2014). "Family recalls son as gentle giant". The Press-Enterprise. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
    36. Nguyen, Thuc Nhi (December 31, 2019). "USC's Onyeka Okongwu stays grounded even as he rises on court". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
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