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Ugonna Onyenso enters transfer portal: 3 best destinations for Kentucky big man

By Cody Williams

Nov 23, 2022; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Ugonna Onyenso (33) handles the ball during the second half against the North Florida Ospreys at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 23, 2022; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Ugonna Onyenso (33) handles the ball during the second half against the North Florida Ospreys at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports /
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Ugonna Onyenso transfer rumors
Adama Sanogo, UConn Huskies (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

UConn can ready for title defense by replacing bigs with Ugonna Onyenso

We’ve seen it time and again when it comes to national champions. The stars of a team are able to raise their stock throughout the season and particularly in the NCAA Tournament, which then leads to the program having to fill a litany of roster holes with those players then departing. Such is going to be the case for Dan Hurley and the UConn Huskies after their dominant title run.

It’s a foregone conclusion that Huskies star Jordan Hawkins is gone as a surefire first-round pick in the NBA Draft, but it’s also entirely possible that UConn sees two more dominant presences, this time among their big men, depart as Adama Sanogo — fresh off winning Most Outstanding Player in the Final Four — and Donovan Clingan could capitalize on the title run and declare for the draft.

Hurley has done a phenomenal job in building UConn in his image and that’s evidenced by having some reinforcements coming with the country’s fourth-best recruiting class for 2023. However, replacing the presence of Sanogo in particular could be hugely difficult. But Ugonna Onyenso is the perfect answer.

Not only is Onyenso a player with similar potential to Sanogo — and perhaps more offensive versatility — as a two-way force on the interior, but he’s also a Connecticut native who was offered by Hurley and the Huskies as a recruit. That could be enough to swing the big man to move from Kentucky to the reigning national champions.

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