At some point, Chinanu Onuaku will be fouled and free throws will be awarded by the referees.. It will happen this Sunday against Barça at the Palau Blaugrana, the first ACB match, and if not in the following Joventut matches this season. Onuaku, Penya's star signing, a 2.08 meter American power forward, will stand on the line, look at the rim and oh, surprise! “What does he do?” fans will ask.. “Pull the spoon!” they will exclaim later. In fact, Onuaku is destined to be one of the sensations of this beginning of the course due to his unique style from 4.60 meters: he throws from the bottom up, 'underhand', a technique that has not been seen for decades.
Because? I decided to change my technique my second year of college [at the Louisville Cardinals].. It wasn't a long process, really, almost overnight.. In my first year my free throw percentage had been a disaster [46.7%] and during the summer, my coach, Rick Pitino, proposed the change.. He showed me videos of Rick Barry, a player who pitched like that in the 70s, I tried him and discovered that I scored more, that I did better. My second season was already better [58.9%].
At the Palau Olímpic in Badalona, Onuaku attends to EL MUNDO without complexes. At 26 years old, after traveling around South Korea, Croatia, Israel and Italy, he knows that some fans recognize him for the way he shoots free throws, but he hardly cares, he only asks not to pose for the photographer by throwing a spoon.. “People know me from this release, I know. It's not something I'm looking for.. I neither like nor dislike. “It's a technique like any other,” he comments, although he acknowledges that on occasions he has tried to return to the most common technique..
Onuaku, at the university. EM
“This summer I was playing The Tournament in the United States [a summer competition with many ex-NBA] and I shot like the rest, but the public asked me to use the 'underhand' and I did. Why not? In ACB I will shoot from the bottom up because that is what gives me a better percentage,” Onuaku analyzes with free throws still a weak point.. Despite his change in technique and his improvement, last year in the Eurocup, with Hapoel Tel Aviv, he achieved a 62.8% success rate, far from the 75% or even the 80% required of a player of his weight..
The life of a globetrotter
Because beyond his 'spoons', Onuaku has made a name for himself in Europe with his aggressiveness near the rim and his strength in defense. Drafted at number 37 in 2016 by the Houston Rockets, he played six games in the NBA – where he also pitched low – before beginning a somewhat strange journey around the world.. Because to begin with he had no place in Europe and had to go to Wonju DB Promy in Busan, South Korea. And because it took years and a lot of work to stand out in European competition.
DAVID RAMÍREZ / ARABA
Last year, in Israel, he was MVP of the national league and led his team to the quarterfinals of the Eurocup to end up signing for his executioner in that tournament, Joventut. “I still think I can return to the NBA. It has been my dream since I was a child and I believe it is possible.. I have improved a lot, I am focused on work and I am still on the path, although it is being long. “I'm enjoying basketball, but as a professional there is no other place like the NBA,” admits Onuaku, who has recently become the father of a girl.
What is the life of an American player in Europe like? It is comfortable because the clubs treat you well, they help you get situated, but at the same time it is very hard because of the distance from your family. There are players who live with their partners and children, but it is very complicated: too many trips, too many moves between countries. For me it is the most difficult. My daughter is in the United States and I can't be with her. I would like nothing more than to be a present father, take her to school, make her food, but I have to work. I'm waiting for February to arrive and there will be a FIBA break so I can go see it.
Of Nigerian parents who emigrated to the outskirts of Washington before he was born, little brother of Arianze Onuaku, formerly of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Orlando Magic, Chinanu Onuaku was one of the best players in his country in high school to the point of being called up by the Yankee team for the 2015 U19 World Cup alongside current stars like Jalen Brunson and Jayson Tatum. In college, with the Louisville Cardinals, he didn't quite explode, but he discovered a technique for shooting free throws that this year in the ACB League will cause a sensation. In Joventut's matches this season he will stand on the line, look at the rim and, oh, surprise! What are you doing? Throw a spoon!