If Ugonna Onyekwe's 30-point performance against Oklahoma State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament was not enough to convince scouts that he is an NBA-caliber player, then his play this weekend at the pre-draft Portsmouth Invitational in Portsmouth, Va., certainly helped his case.
The Penn senior averaged 10.7 points and 8.0 rebounds in three games, helping his Norfolk Naval Shipyard squad to second place among the eight teams that were assembled for the camp.
"I think he solidified his performance in the NCAA Tournament in Boston... by playing well in Portsmouth," an Eastern Conference scout said, adding that Onyekwe is probably a second-round pick at the moment. "That's probably getting him an invitation to Chicago's pre-draft camp."
The Chicago pre-draft camp will take place this year from June 3-6 at Chicago's Moody Bible Institute and unlike Portsmouth, will include underclassmen and high school players.
The Portsmouth Invitational, meanwhile, featured 64 seniors -- including Onyekwe, Penn's Koko Archibong and Oklahoma State guard Victor Williams.
Archibong was not initially aware that he would be invited to the camp, and according to Onyekwe, received a call on the day of the camp informing him that he had been invited. Archibong averaged 6.5 points and 2.5 rebounds in two losing efforts for the Norfolk Sports Club.
Onyekwe was most impressive in his first game of the tournament, notching 15 points and 13 rebounds -- five on the offensive glass -- in 30 minutes of play. The senior started all three games, going 15-for-30 from the field.
Williams joined Onyekwe and Colorado forward Stephane Pelle -- a 1999 graduate of Mercersburg Academy with Onyekwe -- to form a core of the Norfolk Naval Shipyard team that was familiar with each other's play.
"I kind of had a good idea of what [Williams] did on the court," Onyekwe said. "Obviously, there's a learning curve, especially in the first game."
Onyekwe, who while at Penn played several top-level teams, was unfazed by the caliber of the athletes at Portsmouth.
"To be honest, it's really not something that I'm conscious of," Onyekwe said of the disparity in talent between the Ivy League and other competition. "To me, I go out and play the same way... I feel I have enough stuff that I can do to counter anyone who I'm up against."
The scout said that Penn's non-conference schedule and Onyekwe's performance in Boston verify that he can perform against the top players in the country.
An ESPN Insider article quoted a scout who said that Penn' s offensive system "really concealed some of the things that [Onyekwe] does well."
"They ran a very structured ship up there," the scout added in the article.
The Eastern Conference scout strongly disagreed, however, saying, "That's a totally ridiculous quote."
"To me, that's someone that doesn't know basketball," the scout added. "To watch Penn play, Ugonna had no trouble getting shots."
Penn coach Fran Dunphy could not be reached for comment, but Onyekwe said that the Quakers run a "team-oriented" offense that has taught him "to play within the system and how to work well with the system."
The Wharton senior added, however, that he could have showcased his individual talents more than he did.
"In some ways, it held me back and I didn't have the freedom that others did and were able to make the most of."
