Daniel McQuade: Just wanted to let you know, U've been great

He's the guy you forget about, somehow. He's the quiet, unpretentious guy who you wouldn't even notice, were he not so tall. He's the guy who doesn't say much, doesn't whine to the officials and doesn't showboat. He's the guy who signs the most autographs for little kids outside the Penn locker room. He's the guy who dunks one play and hits a three on the next, the guy who spends hours after practice working on his game and the guy who the crowd cheers for every time he touches the ball. He's Ugonna Onyekwe, and he's the most unassuming superstar in Penn history. Onyekwe played his last game at the Palestra on March 8, wrapping up his home Penn career in front of someone who had never seen him play before. His mother. When Dorothy Onyekwe asked him if she could watch him play, Ugonna said he'd be embarrassed. Embarrassed? A guy who's so talented he's scored 1,732 points in his career, second all-time at Penn, and has led the Quakers to three Ivy League titles in his four years in University City and won the Ivy League Player of the Year award twice was embarrassed? Most guys would be excited to show off in front of their family. Hell, some moms would be out there holding up a sign that says THAT'S MY BOY #1! Not Dorothy. And so Onyekwe worked to get his mom, his aunt and his cousin overseas to see him play his final weekend in the hallowed Palestra. Most guys wouldn't have done all that work. But Ugonna Onyekwe is not most guys. Here's a guy with all the natural basketball ability in the world, and yet he's not satisfied. Why not, though? He's not a good free-throw shooter. He seems to get lost at times on the court. Some have chided him for not having enough basketball sense. And so Onyekwe's there on the court, after practice, improving his game. He's the hardest working guy on the team, and yet coach Fran Dunphy still seems to criticize him at every press conference. Whether Dunphy's words motivate Onyekwe to improve is debatable, but earlier this year Penn's coach didn't just criticize Onyekwe, he benched him. And what did Onyekwe do? He didn't complain, he worked even harder and he got back in the starting lineup -- and Penn went from 3-4 to 22-5 and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. The other seniors made great contributions -- but there's one reason that Penn is dancing this year, and it's Ugonna Onyekwe. After Penn cut down the nets Saturday night, Andrew Toole was the player who sat on top of the rim, a team tradition. An adult in the stands wondered aloud why it wasn't Ugonna -- the best player on the team -- on top of the rim. Sure, they said, Toole's a good player, but Ugonna is the franchise on this team. Nah, a woman behind him said. That wouldn't be like him. Exactly. Here's to you, U.

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