Cavalier Centers Spell Double Trouble for OpponentsCavalier Centers Spell Double Trouble for Opponents

Cavalier Centers Spell Double Trouble for Opponents

By Jeff White (jwhite@virginia.edu)
VirginiaSports.com

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — One 7-footer is a 20-year-old freshman from Germany, the other a 22-year-old senior from Nigeria. Neither Johann Grünloh nor Ugonna Onyenso speaks the other’s native language, but they converse easily in English and have forged a strong bond on and off the basketball court.

“They love each other,” University of Virginia forward Devin Tillis said. “In games, when they're subbing out, they give each other confidence. They build off each other.”

In Grünloh and Onyenso, who wear jersey Nos. 17 and 33, respectively, the Virginia Cavaliers have a “two-headed monster,” as head coach Ryan Odom put it early in the season, and opposing teams have come to dread the sight of the 7-footers around the basket.

In UVA’s win over NC State last month at John Paul Jones Arena, Grünloh blocked eight shots and Onyenso rejected four.

“They were playing volleyball at the basket,” Wolfpack head coach Will Wade said.

Virginia Tech, too, learned some hard lessons in its two regular-season games with UVA.

“You're not going over 17 or 33,” head coach Mike Young said Saturday after the Hokies’ 76-72 loss at JPJ. “You’re not. You can go through their chest. You might shot-fake them and go around them, but you're not going over them. Of course, we wanted to test that a couple of times, and it didn't work out very well.”

The postseason starts Thursday for Virginia (27-4), the No. 2 seed in the ACC tournament. In the noon quarterfinal, UVA meets No. 7 seed NC State at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C.

The Wahoos, ranked No. 10 nationally, have prospered with a nine-player rotation in which Grünloh and Onyenso split time at center.

The 238-pound Grünloh, who starts, averages 21.9 minutes per game, to 17.8 for Onyenso. Their other averages are comparable, too: 7.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game for Grünloh, who’s shooting 52.9% from the floor, and 6.4 points and 4.9 rebounds per game for the 245-pound Onyenso, whose shooting percentage is 54.9.

“Those two understand they're a big part of our success,” Odom said. “They want to play well when they're out there, and they want their buddy to play well when they're not out there, and I think that's huge.”

Each has shown promise as a 3-point shooter, especially Grünloh, though Onyenso made a pivotal trey late against Virginia Tech last weekend. The Hoos’ centers, however, are probably best known for their shot-blocking prowess.

Onyenso, who was named to ACC’s All-Defensive Team this week, has 80 blocks this season, to 73 for Grünloh.

“Of course it motivates me,” Grünloh said with a smile Monday. “I want to have more blocks than him, so I gotta get to work in the tournament.”

Onyenso transferred from Kansas State to UVA after the 2024-25 school year. He’s blocked at least two shots in 20 games this season and altered or discouraged countless others. His season high for blocks? Eight against Butler in November.

“I love the fear in their eyes when [opposing players] see me down there,” Onyenso said Saturday with a smile after Virginia’s regular-season finale.

Grünloh has recorded multiple blocks in 19 games this season. Twice he’s had more than six blocks: against North Carolina Central (seven) and NC State (eight).

The rim protection that his centers provide is “huge,” Odom said. “You see guards sometimes go down in there, and then they run into Johann or Ugo, and then they just keep moving out.”

Ugonna OnyensoUgonna Onyenso

Early in the season, Odom occasionally played Grünloh and Onyenso together. In ACC play, one usually comes out when the other checks in, and they’ve become each other’s biggest supporters.

“They get along really well,” Odom said, “and I know they both individually have had some really high moments, and they've had some moments where they needed some assistance.”

Onyenso said: “Whenever one of us is not playing good, the other one is cheering for the other. That's what makes us special. Nobody's really pouting about how they're playing or how many minutes they're playing. We would love to play as much as we can, but if someone is doing really good, we just support one another. So it doesn't matter who's playing the most, as long as you're producing and helping the team. And me and Johann, we have a really special relationship.”

After every UVA victory, Odom singles out a player who had a particularly important role in the game. That Cavalier is handed a saber that he brandishes in the locker room, to the amusement of his teammates.

After the NC State game at JPJ, Odom chose point guard Dallin Hall, who’d totaled eight points, seven rebounds and four assists. But Hall awarded the sword to Grünloh after Onyenso spoke up and noted the impact of No. 17.

“Ugo was actually the one that said, ‘He had eight blocks in the game. This guy was pretty good today,’ ” Odom recalled. “And so I think it just is an example of the teamwork and the camaraderie that this group has.”

Grünloh is shooting 35% from 3-point range, and his touch allows the Cavaliers to spread the floor on offense. Onyenso is less accomplished from the perimeter—he’s shooting 28.1% on 3-pointers—but that’s partly because he wasn’t encouraged to attempt such shots until he arrived at UVA last June.

“He practices it every day,” Odom said, and that work paid off against Virginia Tech last weekend. Onyenso, who finished with 16 points, went 2 for 3 from long range. His second trey gave UVA a seven-point lead with 1:43 to play.

“Give me a break,” Young said, shaking his head in disbelief during his postgame press conference. “And I take nothing away from 33. He's a heck of a basketball player, and I commend him on his toughness to step up and make that shot. He looked like he knew what he was doing, but I think he'd made three in league play coming into the game.”

Onyenso began his college career at Kentucky, where in two seasons he shot one 3-pointer. (It missed.) He didn’t attempt any at K-State last season.

At UVA, the coaches told him that if he put in the work and showed in practice that he could make 3-pointers, he’d have the green light to shoot them in games.

“It's an amazing coaching staff, an amazing group of players,” Onyenso said. “I’ve really enjoyed my time here ... One thing I love about this team is how connected we are, both on and off the court.”

That’s allowed Onyenso and Grünloh to embrace smaller roles than many college players would like.

“Both of those guys could easily be starters on any team in the country, but they know that they work well off each other,” Tillis said.

The big men’s games are similar, Tillis noted, “especially when Ugo's making 3s, and it's great to have those two dudes working together [and not] being upset about the roles that they have. They take on those roles and they share the load together.”

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Johann Grünloh blocks shot against NC StateJohann Grünloh blocks shot against NC State