EJ Onu (born July 31, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for Río Breogán of the Liga ACB. He played college basketball for the Shawnee State Bears.
![]() EJ Onu in 2024 | |
Río Breogán | |
---|---|
Position | Power forward / center |
League | Liga ACB |
Personal information | |
Born | Cleveland, Ohio | July 31, 1999
Nationality | American |
Listed height | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) |
Listed weight | 240 lb (109 kg) |
Career information | |
High school | Richmond Heights (Richmond Heights, Ohio) |
College | Shawnee State (2017–2021) |
NBA draft | 2021: undrafted |
Playing career | 2021–present |
Career history | |
2021–2022 | Texas Legends |
2022 | Memphis Hustle |
2022 | Niagara River Lions |
2022–2023 | Memphis Hustle |
2023 | Santa Cruz Warriors |
2023 | Niagara River Lions |
2023–2024 | Brose Bamberg |
2024–present | Río Breogán |
Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Early life and high school career
editBorn to Nigerian parents, Ejiofor Onu grew up near Cleveland, Ohio. He started playing basketball at age 14 and stood under 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) as a high school freshman.[1] Onu played for Richmond Heights High School in Richmond Heights, Ohio, earning Division IV All-Northeast Lake District honors from the Associated Press. He also ran track in high school.[2]
College career
editDuring his freshman season at Shawnee State, Onu set a program single-game record with 11 blocks against the University of the Cumberlands.[2] As a freshman, he averaged 9.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and a nation-leading 3.4 blocks per game, earning Mid-South Conference (MSC) Defensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year honors.[3] He set a program single-season record for blocks.[4] In his sophomore season, he averaged 12 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game. Onu was selected to the Second Team All-MSC.[3]
As a junior, Onu averaged 11.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and a nation-leading 5.7 blocks per game. He was an Honorable Mention National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) All-American, First Team All-MSC and MSC Defensive Player of the Year.[5] As a senior, Onu averaged 16.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 4.5 blocks per game, earning First Team NAIA All-American, MSC Player of the Year and First Team All-MSC honors.[6] For a third time, he was named MSC Defensive Player of the Year and led the nation in blocks. Onu became Shawnee State's all-time leader in blocks while ranking third in points and rebounds.[7] He helped his team win an NAIA national championship.[8] After the season, Onu declared for the 2021 NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility and entering the transfer portal.[9][10][11] On July 6, 2021, he announced that he was remaining in the draft.[12]
Professional career
editTexas Legends (2021–2022)
editAfter going undrafted in the 2021 NBA draft, Onu joined the Dallas Mavericks for the NBA Summer League.[13] On August 21, 2021, the Mavericks announced that they had signed Onu,[14] but was waived by the on September 4.[15] He returned to Dallas on October 15, 2021, but was waived a day later.[16] On October 23, he signed with the Texas Legends as an affiliate player.[17] Onu was then later waived by the Legends on January 13, 2022.[18]
Memphis Hustle (2022)
editOn January 14, 2022, Onu was acquired via available player pool by the Memphis Hustle.[18] In 25 games, he averaged 5.96 points and 3.72 rebounds.[19]
Niagara River Lions (2022)
editOn April 5, 2022, Onu signed with the Niagara River Lions of the Canadian Elite Basketball League.[19] He was named the CEBL Defensive Player of the Year after averaging a league record 3.3 blocks per game, establishing Niagara as one of the best defensive teams in the league.[20]
Return to Memphis (2022–2023)
editOnu joined the Memphis Grizzlies for the 2022 NBA Summer League.[21] On November 4, 2022, Onu was named to the opening night roster for the Memphis Hustle.[22]
Santa Cruz Warriors (2023)
editOn January 22, 2023, Onu was traded to the Santa Cruz Warriors in exchange for Tremont Waters.[23]
Return to the Niagara River Lions (2023)
editOn April 4, 2023, Onu returned to the Niagara River Lions.[24]
Brose Bamberg (2023–2024)
editOn July 14, 2023, Onu signed with Brose Bamberg of the easyCredit BBL.[25]
Río Breogán (2024–present)
editOn June 29, 2024, he signed with Río Breogán of the Liga ACB.[26]
Career statistics
editGP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
College
editYear | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2017–18 | Shawnee State | 30 | 30 | – | .517 | .256 | .723 | 5.2 | .4 | .2 | 3.4 | 9.4 |
2018–19 | Shawnee State | 30 | 29 | – | .570 | .346 | .728 | 6.5 | .2 | .2 | 3.1 | 12.0 |
2019–20 | Shawnee State | 32 | 32 | 30.7 | .451 | .270 | .679 | 7.8 | .4 | .3 | 5.7 | 11.7 |
2020–21 | Shawnee State | 33 | 33 | 29.6 | .573 | .400 | .748 | 8.1 | .5 | .7 | 4.5 | 16.9 |
Career | 125 | 124 | – | .528 | .330 | .721 | 6.9 | .4 | .3 | 4.2 | 12.6 |
References
edit- ^ Chepkevich, Jon (May 27, 2021). "The Draft Files: Why EJ Onu Could Be the NAIA's Sleeping Giant". The Analyst. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
- ^ a b "EJ the Eraser". Portsmouth Daily Times. January 20, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
- ^ a b "One-on-one: EJ Onu". Shawnee State University. December 9, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
- ^ Colley, Kevin (January 28, 2018). "Onu you didn't!". Portsmouth Daily Times. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
- ^ "SSU MBB picked for 4th in MSC poll". Portsmouth Daily Times. October 16, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
- ^ Givony, Jonathan (April 30, 2021). "Two-time NAIA All-American EJ Onu to explore transfer market". ESPN. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
- ^ "SSU's Onu, Jones named NAIA All-Americans". Portsmouth Daily Times. March 27, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
- ^ Quinn, Justin (June 8, 2021). "Celtics reportedly working out E.J. Onu, potential sleeper stretch big man". Celtics Wire. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
- ^ Schumann, Mike (April 30, 2021). "Transfer portal names to know: NAIA All-American EJ Onu". The Daily Hoosier. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
- ^ Foinon, Julien (May 17, 2021). ""Zooming On" : EJ Onu (Shawnee State), de la NAIA à… la NBA ?". Midnight on Campus (in French). Retrieved June 15, 2021.
- ^ "Shawnee State's Onu To Enter NBA Draft, Keep Eligibility Open". Victory Sports Network. April 9, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
- ^ "Shawnee State's Onu to keep name in NBA Draft". The Highland County Press. July 6, 2021. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
- ^ Fisher, Mike (August 2, 2021). "LOOK: Dallas Mavs Release NBA Summer League Roster & Schedule". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
- ^ "Mavericks finalize training camp roster with three signees". mavs.com. August 23, 2021. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
- ^ "Mavericks add two-way player McLaughlin". mavs.com. September 4, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
- ^ "Mavericks add two familiar faces". Mavs.com. October 15, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
- ^ "Legends Draft Three, Announce Training Camp Roster". NBA.com. October 23, 2021. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
- ^ a b "2021-22 NBA G League Transactions". NBA.com. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
- ^ a b "River Lions Sign American EJ Onu". CEBL.ca. April 5, 2022. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
- ^ "2022 CEBL Award Winners Announced at Championship Weekend". www.cebl.ca. August 11, 2022. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
- ^ "Memphis Grizzlies 2022 NBA2K23 Summer League Roster". NBA.com. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
- ^ "Memphis Hustle Announce Roster Moves; Finalize Opening Night Roster". oursportscentral.com. November 4, 2022. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
- ^ "2022-23 NBA G League Transactions". gleague.nba.com. January 22, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
- ^ "River Lions Re-Sign 2022 CEBL Defensive Player of the Year, EJ Onu". CEBL.com. April 4, 2023. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
- ^ "BAMBERG BASKETS VERPFLICHTEN EJIOFOR "EJ" ONU". Bamberg.basketball (in German). July 14, 2023. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
- ^ "Rio Breogan signs EJ Onu". Sportando. June 29, 2024. Retrieved June 30, 2024.