Ugonna Onyenso invited to G League Elite Camp with eyes on NBA Draft Combine

Is Ugonna Onyenso taking his talents to Tuscaloosa to play for Nate Oats? Well, maybe — but he’s trying his hand at the NBA first, just in case.

The standout shot-blocker was not invited to the NBA Draft Combine, but he was added to the G League Elite Camp roster, one of 44 players competing in Chicago next weekend. Standouts from that event will then be brought up to the Draft Combine to compete against the best of the best in hopes of building stock ahead of the 2024 NBA Draft.

ESPN’s Jonathan Givony reported Onyenso as an official participant on Saturday, adding that “at least a half-dozen will move on to the NBA Draft Combine” following next weekend’s camp in Chicago.

Other names of interest include Keion Brooks Jr., Walter Clayton Jr., Johnell Davis, Caleb Love, Baba Miller, Wooga Poplar, Jarin Stevenson and Jaylen Wells among G League Elite Camp invitees.

Onyenso’s invite comes on the heels of the NBA Draft Combine list released Friday, a group of 78 prospects heading to Chicago from May 12-19. That list included the likes of Rob Dillingham, Reed Sheppard, Justin Edwards and Antonio Reeves among former Wildcats. BYU star Jaxson Robinson, a major portal target for Kentucky, was also invited to Chicago for the Combine.

Players returning to college basketball must withdraw from the NBA Draft by May 29 to maintain eligibility for the 2024-25 season.

Included in the Draft Combine invite distribution was a special classification given to Kentucky’s top draft prospects in Dillingham and Sheppard, officially named “top 10” players in the field. They join Alexandre Sarr (Australia), Matas Buzelis (G League Ignite), Stephon Castle (UConn), Donovan Clingan (UConn), Zaccharie Risacher (France), Nikola Topic (Serbia), Ron Holland II (G League Ignite), and Dalton Knecht (Tennessee) on that list.

Switching gears back to Onyenso, he entered the transfer portal on April 23 after putting his name in the draft just a week before. From there, he heard from the likes of Alabama, Oklahoma, Georgetown, Louisville, and Florida before On3’s Jamie Shaw and Joe Tipton registered RPM picks in favor of the Crimson Tide on April 29.

NEW: Kentucky transfer center Ugonna Onyenso has received expert predictions to land at Alabama from On3's @TiptonEdits & @JamieShaw5🐘

Intel: https://t.co/cuK5V88cKO pic.twitter.com/H9rBSRmXde

— On3 (@On3sports) April 29, 2024

He will have two years of eligibility remaining should he decide to return to college.

Last season, Onyenso started 14 games, averaging 3.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks in 19 minutes per contest at Kentucky. Over two seasons in Lexington, he averaged 3.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game.

Will he keep his name in the draft or return to school, likely taking his talents to Alabama? His performance at the G League Elite Camp will help decide that.