Ugonna's NBA dream still alive

Throughout the year, there has been lots of hype surrounding the Penn men's basketball team -- and then, oftentimes, the excitement turned to disappointment.

In the beginning, the stir around the Palestra was about repeating as Ivy League champions. And then the Quakers lost to, of all teams, Drexel.

Then, after winning the Ancient Eight title, there were high expectations entering the NCAA tournament. As the No. 11 seed that had torched USC, Penn was a popular pick to upset Oklahoma State, but fell to the Cowboys, 76-63.

Even recent Penn graduate and two-time Ivy League Player of the Year Ugonna Onyekwe had a tumultuous season. Penn coach Fran Dunphy moved Onyekwe out of the starting lineup after his early lackluster efforts that resulted in a 3-4 Penn record.

But the defining feature of the 2003 Quakers squad was that it always seemed to bounce back.

Following the blowout by Colorado, Penn won 19 of its last 20 regular season games, losing only to St. Joseph's.

Even when the expectations were high -- perhaps too high -- Penn remained confident.

It wasn't just the fans that had picked Penn to upset Oklahoma St. -- the players believed it, too.

As the reigning Ivy League Player of the Year, Onyekwe entered the season with the biggest expectations of all - to become the first Ivy player drafted since Jerome Allen in 1995. And, after a 30-point performance versus Oklahoma St., his chance of being selected in the NBA draft seemed quite high.

While an ESPN Insider mock draft did not have Onyekwe being picked the day before the draft, Onyekwe still believed he would be selected.

"I've worked with a lot of the teams in the 30-40 range," Onyekwe said before the draft. "So [I think I'll be drafted] early in the second round."

But Onyekwe was not picked in the NBA draft.

"After [pick No.] 45 I kind of knew that I wasn't going to be drafted," Onyekwe said.

Despite not being drafted, Onyekwe still has a chance at making an NBA roster.

On June 29, just three days after the draft, Onyekwe committed to play for the New York Knicks summer league team that will participate in the Reebok Pro Summer League in Boston from July 14-19 and in the Reebok Rocky Mountain Revue from July 21-26 in Salt Lake City. Recent Penn graduate Koko Archibong also committed to play in an NBA summer league with the Phoenix Suns.

In addition to the Knicks, the Orlando Magic, Atlanta Hawks, and Detroit Pistons contacted Onyekwe and expressed interest.

"I felt the situation [with the Knicks] would give me the most exposure and probably the best chance of making the team," he said.

"I was surprised... but it was a draft with so much uncertainty coming in that I knew I had to be prepared for anything," Onyekwe said. "I was definitely disappointed but I'll use that as motivation to prove I still belong."

Onyekwe already proved he could play with some of the elite players throughout the nation with a strong showing in the Portsmouth Invitational.

But now he'll have to stand out on a Knicks summer roster that includes the Knicks' 2002 and 2003 first-round picks, Georgetown's Michael Sweetney and Illinois' Frank Williams, respectively, and some seasoned NBA players such as Tyrone Nesby.

His chances of making the Knicks' 12-man roster may be slim, but Onyekwe -- as he and Penn have done all season long -- remains confident that he can succeed.

"I think if I play well, play defense, do the all the little things well, I think my chances of making the team are as good as anyone's."

It's been a season replete with unfulfilled expectations for the Penn faithful, with the loss to Oklahoma St. and Onyekwe not drafted.

But the difference now is that it isn't fans or the media putting pressure on Penn to succeed -- Onyekwe has high expectations for himself.

Only time well tell whether Onyekwe's self-confidence and determination will be enough to propel him to make the Knicks roster.

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