Claire C. Laurence/Arizona Daily Wildcat Freshman forward Fendi Onobun started his career with a slam last weekend after being pulled from his redshirt. He scored six points in games against both Stanford and California while providing a spark off the bench.

Onobun's talent, moxie a needed spark for inconsistent Cats
By Shane Bacon

To anyone and everyone who has (painfully) watched the (up-and-down) Arizona men's basketball team play its first 18 games, it was apparent that any possible Boy Scout spark might help this team start winning consistently.

First, people believed that the fire would ignite with the improvement of both freshmen forward Marcus Williams and guard J.P. Prince, who continually put up solid minutes and racked up important stats to keep the team afloat for the first portion of the season.

Then it was sophomore guard Jawann "once he returns all will be well in the Old Pueblo" McClellan, who played as extensive a role as Drew Barrymore did in "Scream" before being placed on the injured reserve and making a cameo last weekend with his arm in a sling.

Now the coaches had to turn to someone or something, not only to get the team back on pace but, to get the fans back into a season that almost seems lost.

That blessing has come in the form of 6-foot-6 forward/guard/beast from Houston who used to play football and looks like he could walk onto the Arizona football team right now.

"I think he brings a different style," Williams said. "I don't know if Arizona has had something like him for a long time. As far as just a real physical, strong presence, he may be short, but he's just real strong, physical, throws his body in there, doesn't mind getting banged up."

Williams even compared Onobun to California sophomore forward Leon Powe, who scorched the Wildcats for 23 points and 13 rebounds in Saturday's 60-55 loss in McKale Center.

"You wouldn't say there are a lot of guys like that in the Pac(ific)-10 (Conference)," Williams said. "I mean Leon Powe, but not a lot of big guys like that. He just brings a real aggressiveness that we need inside, and he brings us a lot of confidence in the post area."

The stats on Onobun are pretty simple as well.

He has averaged 11.5 minutes in his two games, shot 75 percent from the floor, scored six points in both games and has provided the biggest cheer off the bench, not to mention having the dunk of the game Saturday.

Also, the only stat the players care about bodes well for Fendi Cent. The Wildcats' record with Onobun in the lineup? 2-0.

"Fendi is such a hard-working young man," Olson said. "He's so coachable that no matter what you talk about, he's totally focused on what you're (saying)."

With a tough road schedule ahead and inconsistency in the post earlier in the season, how can someone not get excited about Fen-Diesel joining the ranks of the Three Kings for good?

Onobun might just be that spark that gets the team its crown.

Frosh's limited impact not worth stripping eligibility later in career
By Roman Veytsman

Chris Coduto/Arizona Daily Wildcat Arizona's Fendi Onobun grabs a rebound over Cal's Eric Vierneisel during the first half of Arizona's game against Cal, Saturday Jan. 21, 2006 at McKale Center in Tucson, Ariz.

Fendi Onobun's athleticism is undeniable, his passion for the game unquestionable and his attitude ... unimportant.

It seems that Arizona head coaches have taken a liking to half-season redshirts - starting with Kirk Walters last season and quarterback Willie Tuitama this season - but while the experience Tuitama gained as a starter in football might make him a better player, the same does not figure for Onobun.

This reminds me of the part in "Wedding Crashers" when Will Farrell makes a cameo appearance as Chazz. It was just too predictable. The movie was great without him, and he didn't really have any memorable lines (except maybe the "Mom, meatloaf, f*@#" line).

Onobun's contribution to this team will be minimal, but the year of eligibility he loses will be significant, despite his willingness to help his team.

The 6-foot-6 Houston native is nothing but a friendly, well-spoken kid who wanted to seize the day.

"It's an opportunity, and I have this tattoo for a reason. It says ' never take for granted God-given opportunities,' and I felt like this was an opportunity to seize, regardless if it was 10 games," Onobun said.

The Wildcats have lost many players already this season, with sophomore guard Jesus Verdejo transferring to South Florida, sophomore guard Jawann McClellan out for the season with a wrist injury and senior guard Chris Rodgers dismissed from the team.

The common denominator among those three: They're all guards. Onobun, or "Fendi Cent," is not, and I don't believe he will ever be.

Onobun is an undersized power forward who can bang in the post and is just now developing a midrange jump shot, which I must admit did look good in his first two games.

"The first thing we had to do was straighten out his shot because he was a jumper and a fader ... it was ridiculous," Olson said. "Like he'd tell you, it was a bullet rather than a rainbow."

Still, the minute distribution for the big men won't change much because they're all still there. Junior forward Ivan Radenovic, junior center Kirk Walters, redshirt senior forward Isaiah Fox, sophomore forward Bret Brielmaier and redshirt freshman forward Mohamed Tangara all figure in the rotation, and Onobun just adds a sixth big man to the mix.

Sure, the first few games Onobun saw a decent amount of playing time, but once the novelty wears off, I won't be surprised to see a DNP(did not play) or two under Onobun's line in the box score.

This is a guy who struggled some with confidence at the beginning of the year, and for his confidence level to fall once again would be detrimental to his development.

"The only doubts I had were 'wow, he's gonna throw me in the fire,' and 'I've never played a collegiate basketball game before,'" Onobun said.

Onobun may be able to overcome his doubts and may be, in the words of Walters, "a real baller," but for only half the season, it's an opportunity wasted.