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2014 center Chinanu Onuaku verbally commits to attend Louisville

onuaku

Kelly Kline/Under Armour

Another of the nation’s top interior prospects in the 2014 class is off the board, as 6-foot-10 center Chinanu Onuaku verbally committed to attend [school] during a press conference held at Riverdale Baptist High School in Upper Marlboro, Md. Onuaku, the younger brother of former Syracuse center Arinze Onuaku, chose Louisville over Georgetown and Miami.

Onuaku averaged 8.2 points and more than ten rebounds per game as a junior last season, and his recruitment gained steam during the spring/summer due to his play with the D.C. Assault grassroots program. Louisville was the first of the three finalists to host Onuaku on an official visit, with the center taking that trip in late-August.

Riverdale Baptist head coach Lou Wilson stated earlier this week in the Washington Post that he believed Louisville was the favorite to land Onuaku, citing the factors such as academics and the program’s run of success under Rick Pitino.

Wilson reiterated his prior belief that Louisville stands as the front-runner among Onuaku’s choices, citing the school’s strong academics, prestigious coach in Rick Pitino and the Cardinals’ recent success as 2013 national champions.

“From our conversations, it seems he feels like he’ll have an opportunity to play at Louisville, get a good education and be on a winning team,” Wilson said. “He seemed to enjoy being around the coaches and players down there for his visit.”


Onuaku joins forwards Shaqquan Aaron and Jaylen Johnson in Louisville’s 2014 class, and with if players such as Chane Behanan and Montrezl Harrell are as successful as many believe they’re capable of being this season Onuaku would be another valuably front court option for coach Pitino to have at his disposal. Louisville also has centers Akoy Agau and Mangok Mathiang on their current roster, and they’re one of the two finalists (rival Kentucky being the other) for the services of 2014 power forward/center Trey Lyles.

Here are a few clips of Onuaku in action at this summer’s NBPA Top 100 camp in Charlottesville, Va.

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