Texas basketball gets dominant post PF in UTEP transfer Ze’Rik Onyema

The first of two subsequent NCAA Transfer Portal commitments for newly-hired full-time head coach Rodney Terry and the Texas basketball program arrived on the evening of May 4, with the former UTEP Miners junior power forward Ze’Rik Onyema. Terry landed a commitment from Onyema after recruiting him for a second time.

It just so happened that this time is when Onyema was in the transfer portal instead of a recruit coming out of high school. Terry originally recruited Onyema when he was the head coach at UTEP a few years ago. UTEP was one of just a handful of D1 schools that offered Onyema out of John Jay High School in San Antonio, TX.

Terry also coached Onyema during his first season at UTEP, during the 2020-21 campaign. Yet, Terry left UTEP to take an assistant coach job under Chris Beard at Texas a couple of offseasons ago.

But Onyema and Terry will be reunited once again in Austin heading into the 2023-24 season.

Moreover, Onyema announced his commitment to Texas out of the portal on May 4 on social media. He committed to Texas over other top schools pursuing him in the portal such as the Vanderbilt Commodores, Ole Miss Rebels, and Texas Tech Red Raiders.

The two schools that Onyema took official visits to in the last couple of weeks were Vanderbilt and Texas. He visited Vanderbilt from April 24-27, and head coach Jerry Stackhouse made a real impression on the third-year big man.

But Terry and the Longhorns were able to swing this portal recruitment in their favor this week with a successful multi-day official visit that Onyema took to Austin starting on May 1. Texas was able to push the right buttons with both Onyema and the former UT-Arlington Mavericks freshman guard Chendall Weaver during their respective visits to Austin this week, leading to both of them committing to the Longhorns on May 4.

What Texas basketball is getting out of UTEP junior transfer PF Ze’Rik Onyema

The 6-foot-8 and 220-pound power forward Onyema is an overwhelming presence in the paint. His skill set fits that of a traditional post scorer with the physical upside to become one of the more menacing post defenders at the four in the Big 12 next season.

Onyema has a lengthy wingspan, excellent leaping ability, and a strong frame which allows him to have his way down low, leading to some easier finishes around the rim. He’s also the type of player that can live on the offensive glass as he is an improving rebounder with the length and strength to get inside positioning on opposing post players.

Onyema’s physical tools will allow him to dominate down low

A lot of the highlights that Texas hoops fans will see of Onyema heading into next season will be him bringing down some crazy rebounds and banging bodies in the post to get some clean finishes at the basket.

In fact, more than half of Onyema’s field goal attempts last season came at the rim (per CBB Analytics).

Onyema also made good use of the abundance of touches he got in the paint at UTEP last season. He registered an impressive 75 percent field goal clip at the rim last season, which was good for the 91st percentile among D1 power forwards.

A lot of Onyema’s points in the paint came by way of hook shots. He averaged 1.25 points per possession last season on hook shots, which was good for top 20 in the nation.

Impact on rebounding

One of the biggest areas that the addition of Onyema will have an impact on Texas is rebounding. Onyema is a great vertical athlete that is a lot quicker than most people would assume a 6-foot-8 post-up power forward to be. He’s got quick feet, which when combined with his length and sturdy frame, allows him to get the proper positioning on opponents seemingly in the blink of an eye when he’s anticipating the rebound.

Consistency and technique will still need to be improved for Onyema when he arrives on campus at Texas, but he’s got the foundation to be built into something special in terms of his impact on the boards.

Last season, Onyema averaged 4.4 rebounds per game, with a total rebounding percentage a little north of 13.0. But a player with the type of physical upside that Onyema brings to the table should be somewhere around the 15-18 mark in terms of rebounding percentage.

I think with a more spaced-out floor with the improved supporting cast he’ll have at Texas combined with the tweaks that Terry and Co. can make to his game this offseason that Onyema will be a much more consistent force on the glass on both ends of the floor.

Fit at Texas

Onyema is a huge get for Terry and the Longhorns out of the portal this offseason, especially after the losses of five-star Duncanville forward commit Ron Holland and potentially freshman forward Dillon Mitchell. Texas doesn’t have much returning frontcourt depth for the 2023-24 season in terms of what the current projected roster looks like.

Adding Onyema gives Terry and the Longhorns a solid go-to third big man that can provide a lot of spark and energy off the bench. Onyema can also learn and develop his game under some experienced and proven bigs on both ends of the floor such as redshirt junior center Virginia Cavaliers transfer Kadin Shedrick and returning redshirt senior big man Dylan Disu.

With Onyema in the mix, this is what I think the Texas rotation is going to look like with the current projected roster as of the night of May 4.

• PG: Max Abmas
• SG: Tyrese Hunter (assuming he withdraws from the 2023 NBA Draft)
• SF: Chendall Weaver
• PF: Dylan Disu
• C: Kadin Shedrick
• 6th man: Brock Cunningham
• B: Ze’Rik Onyema
• B: Alex Anamekwe

Onyema is also a different type of athlete than what Texas has in the mix in the frontcourt unit at the moment. He is a much twitchier and more explosive athlete that can still dominate in the post than what Texas has in Shedrick and Disu.

Onyema is now one of four portal commits for Terry and the Longhorns so far this offseason. Texas has also landed portal commitments from the former Oral Roberts senior guard Max Abmas, Shedrick, and Weaver. According to the 247Sports Team Transfer Rankings, the 2023 Texas portal class ranks at No. 11 in the nation.