Improved Onyenwere leading charge for reloading Bruins
When the UCLA Bruins graduated center Monique Billings and point guard Jordin Canada last year, it left a massive hole in their starting lineup. Replacing WNBA draft picks isn’t the easiest thing to do (especially for teams not located in Storrs, Connecticut), and Billings and Canada took with them a significant portion of the Bruins’ scoring, rebounding, and most other statistical categories.
Such large roster turnover meant that head coach Cori Close would be looking for someone new to step up and lead her team this season. Statistically speaking, that’s been a sophomore.
Michaela Onyenwere, a 5’11” forward from Aurora, Colorado, has risen to the challenge of becoming the Bruins’ new #1 offensive option. A former multi-sport athlete and gifted leaper, it was never a question of whether Onyenwere would put it together, it was when, and luckily for Close, that time has arrived rather quickly.
Though she might be considered undersized (especially in a conference featuring players like Cal’s Kristine Anigwe, Oregon’s Ruthy Hebard, and Utah’s Megan Huff), Onyenwere’s quickness and athleticism more than even the playing field. Her explosion and smooth touch in the paint make difficult shots like this look routine:
In addition to the obvious leaping ability that has always made Onyenwere such an intriguing prospect, she’s put considerable work into other areas of her game, namely her 3-point shot. After attempting a total of six 3-point shots in her freshman season (and making just one), Onyenwere has shot 8–25 thus far as a sophomore. While this isn’t going to set the conference on fire, it makes her a tougher check on the perimeter; increased respect for Onyenwere’s outside shot has opened up more room for her to toast bigger, slower players off the bounce.
Still, no matter how much her guard skills develop, Onyenwere’s main strength will always be her activity in the post and on the glass. Even at 5’11,” she’s averaging 4.0 offensive rebounds per game, putting her in the 99th percentile among all qualified Division I players (and second in the Pac-12 to Anigwe). The Bruins as a team rank 4th among DI teams in offensive rebounding rate (44.4%) and Onyenwere’s consistent second and third efforts when pursuing the basketball are a big part of that.
Unfortunately for UCLA, Onyenwere’s gaudy individual stats haven’t been enough to carry the Bruins past the Pac-12’s best. They’re winless in their past three games, losing to Stanford, Oregon State, and Oregon (each result more lopsided than the last) and just don’t seem ready to take that next step.
For Close and the Bruins, that’s OK. It’s difficult to stay competitive after losing multiple players to the WNBA, and in Onyenwere, they have a solid building block for the future. If she continues to improve at the rate we’ve seen thus far, not only will UCLA soon be back in the mix, but they’ll also have a strong candidate for Pac-12 Player of the Year.
If you like this content, please support our work at Her Hoop Stats by subscribing for just $20 a year. All stats are from Her Hoop Stats for games through Saturday, January 19.
