Knicks release Ugonna from summer roster

Two weeks ago Ugonna Onyekwe promised to spend the summer league season "showing them my stuff with no holds barred."

Two weeks ago Onyekwe was getting glowing press from the New York Knicks. They said he was "doing it all in practice -- seeing eye passes, soft threes, even a spectacular dribble-drive ending with a flying lefty half-hook."

Two weeks ago Onyekwe was on a summer league roster. Unfortunately, the intervening timehas not been good to the two-time Ivy League Basketball Player of the Year.

On July 11, Onyekwe was released by the Knicks -- the same team who had announced a committment from him less than three weeks earlier with enough fanfare to garner him a mention in The New York Times.

Knicks President and General Manager Scott Layden apparently made the decision.

According to representatives from the Knicks, the decision to release Onyekwe was something of a fork in the road for the team. "We decided to go in another direction," Knicks spokesman Sammy Steinlight said.

Other representatives from the team would not officially comment on the issue.

However, insiders confirmed rumors that Onyekwe had be included on the roster before it was clear if Europeans players -- like Maciej Lampe and Slavko Vranes -- would be available for the games in Boston and Salt Lake City this summer.

For now, Onyekwe will have to take the road less traveled if he hopes to break into the league.

He was released too late to try and gain a spot on other teams' summer rosters. Subsequently, he has disappeared from the NBA's radar during the past few weeks.

Other options remain for the former Quakers star -- who may opt to take the same approach as those who edged him out in this year's draft by going to Europe for a chance to play. What comes next is anyone's guess, but one thing is for sure -- Onyekwe's not walking out or giving up on his dream.

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