Team USA experience shows big man is much improved
By: Raashaan Myers
When news came
out that University of Louisville sophomore-to-be Chinanu Onuaku was headed to
Colorado Springs to try out for the USA Basketball Under-19 basketball team the
news was met with both questions and optimism. So much so that even his own
coach UofL head man Rick Pitino questioned if Onuaku could even make the roster
playing against a lot of high profile competition.
Well not only did Chinanu make the roster
playing alongside both hot shot 5-star studs of tomorrow like Harry Giles, Jayson
Tatum, and Josh Jackson, but he started several games over Michigan State
freshman and McDonald’s All-American Caleb Swanigan. A shocking revelation to
some UofL fans who questioned if Onuaku would be wearing the Red and Black this
fall. It’s a good thing for all involved that Onuaku decided to stick it out as
he appears to be on the brink of a much improved sophomore season.
As I watched
Chinanu through his journey with Team USA I wanted to take a look at some of
the same concerns that Rick Pitino pointed out as deficiencies in his game.
HUSTLE. I wanted to see improved conditioning and a more consistent motor. It
was said during training camp that Onuaku was praised by USA U-19 Head Coach
Sean Miller and his staff about his consistent hustle, hard work, and
leadership. Well you could see it out on the court during the US run to the
Gold Medal. Being asked to play extended minutes vs Croatia in the Championship
game Onuaku took the lead and stepped into a very vocal role huddling the team
and motivating his guys when things got close in the hotly contested overtime
game. He also showed improved focus and
consistently brought energy, activity, and hustle on both ends. If he can bring
that same type of intensity to UofL this fall that will go a long way to a
successful 2015-16 campaign.
Statistically
playing less minutes per game than he averaged for UofL last year Onuaku was
across the board better. To me the most impressive stat as I evaluate the
numbers was the 12 blocked shots (1.7 bpg) for Nanu had which was good for 1st
for Team USA and 5th overall in the tournament. What’s more
impressive was the fact that he played 6 minutes or more less than all the other players in the
top 5 in blocks. Also the most talked about aspect of improvement talked about
coming into the tournament was Chinanu’s new free throw stroke. After shooting
46% from the FT line last year Coach Pitino mentioned that Onuaku has dedicated
himself to learning the Rick Barry style underhanded free throw. Well the early
returns were favorable though I would have liked to see a larger sample size
Onuaku finished his maiden voyage of his brave new free throw world going 6-10 FTs
good for 60%. That is a number that is good enough to keep the talented young
center on the floor at the end of close games.
Here is a sample of the beautiful new Chinanu Onuaku free
throw style coming to the KFC Yum! Center this fall!
All in all this
trip and experience has been as encouraging as could have been expected for
Chinanu heading into his quest to be a part of USA basketball and I expect to
see him come back with confidence and a new sense of urgency this fall. Coach
Pitino mentioned at the beginning of this process that Chinanu had to see that
he is not the only guy that will yell at him to play hard all the time and that
he would have to be better and improved if he didn’t want to get embarrassed
during trials. Well mission accomplished as far as I am concerned and I am very
excited to see the progress of Onuaku and what he can bring as the potential
new defensive anchor of the 2015-16 edition of the University of Louisville.
Stay tuned!
No comments:
Post a Comment