Dave Zeitlin: Ugonna start him, Dunphy?

EASTON, Pa. -- Ugonna Onyekwe's face was completely stoic, as it always is, and his words were in a complete monotone, as they always are. As he sat there in the Kirby Sports Center's sparkling- new press conference room after a 76-66 Penn victory over Lafayette last night, Onyekwe looked gloomier than the puny Leopards' cheering section. Penn head coach Fran Dunphy, meanwhile, talked as if Onyekwe just had a mediocre, if not subpar, game. "I didn't think he played all that well in the second half, to be honest with you," Dunphy said. "He's got to do better." Who would have guessed Onyekwe just had a game most players dream of? Dunphy forgot to mention that Onyekwe dominated last night's contest, scoring inside at will, taking the ball aggressively to the hoop and playing ferocious defense. He didn't mention how Onyekwe led the team with 23 points, 10 rebounds and five steals. Or how he dished out four assists and held his man, Mike Farrell, to one lousy point all game. This is nothing new, though. It's no secret Dunphy is hard on his star forward, harder than on most of his other players. He jumps on the opportunity, it seems, to ride Onyekwe in press conferences. Take, for instance, last year's game against Lafayette (just for symmetry). The Quakers defeated the Leopards, 73-66, but Dunphy was still quite perturbed that Onyekwe picked up two early fouls." "He's done this more than once," Dunphy said last year. "[His first foul] was just a foolish over-the-top foul he can't make. He's got to learn to pick his spots a little. [But] we play without him enough that we understand that we have to have someone else step up." Imagine, for a second, how isolated you would feel if your coach just told the media that the team knows how to play without you. And now, most recently, Dunphy has taken Onyekwe out of the starting lineup in favor of the athletic but foul-prone Adam Chubb. For the last four games, Onyekwe, arguably one of the best players in Penn basketball history, has started the game from the pine. And yes, the Quakers have won those four games, all in convincing fashion. But that doesn't mean Dunphy is doing the right thing. Last night, Penn was outscored, 11-9, when Onyekwe was on the bench (at the start of the first and second halves). As soon as he checked in three minutes into the second half last night, Onyekwe made his presence felt, scoring two quick buckets and simply not allowing Farrell any touches in the paint. But you wouldn't have guessed he had his best game of the season from listening to what he said during the press conference. "I shot the ball well I think," Penn's 6'8" forward said, glancing at the stat sheet and simply relaying the numbers back in words. "I had four turnovers, that's not good. I did a decent job rebounding. I did all right today, but I can do better." The truth is, trying to figure out exactly what Onyekwe is thinking is tougher than hitting a full-court bank shot. He does not let on what he's truly feeling -- or if he does, he's made of steel. "It's not something I let bother me," Onyekwe said on his demotion. "The first game I went to the bench, I was like 'Fine. Whatever.' I just have to be ready to play when I get in. I really have not done anything differently." C'mon, U. Are you serious? You're the best player on this year's team, the best player in the Ivy League and arguably one of the top forwards in the nation. You have -- or at least had -- serious NBA draft potential. You've done wonders for Fran Dunphy and the Penn basketball program. Now, Coach Dunphy, it's time to do something for Ugonna -- start him.

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