What do you get for the team that has everything?
How about a 7-foot, 217-pound shotblocking machine who can also handle and shoot the ball like a guard?
Because that’s what the Putnam Science Academy Prep team — undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the country at the beginning of last week — got in midyear transfer Ugonna Kingsley, whose play in his first four games helped keep the Mustangs unbeaten and No. 1 in the country at the end of the week as well.
“Ugonna is a game-changer for us,” said coach Tom Espinosa. “He’s a 7-footer who’s athletic, skilled. He’s something. With him in the game, guys get into the rim and instead of going up, now they’re looking to pass the ball. He changes the whole game. He’s going to be really good for us.”
He already has been. In four games over four days last week, the 17-year-old native of Nigeria averaged 11 points, eight rebounds, and a shade more than four blocks. He nearly became the third player in school history to register a triple-double, finishing with eight points, 10 rebounds, and 10 blocks in his debut, a 90-87 win over No. 2 Mt. Zion.
“Blocks … even if I close my eyes, I get blocks. That’s my specialty,” said Kingsley, a member of the Class of 2023. “When I started playing basketball, all of my attention was on defense, protecting the rim, rebounding, because I had the length. I was told to keep doing what I do on defense, and the offense will come. I’m not worried about offense. My main focus is still to do my job protecting the rim and blocking shots.”
Kingsley only started playing basketball in 2016, after the death of his father, who did not want him to play any sports. But he wanted to give it a shot, and played for his local team in Nigeria for two years, then spent three years in Senegal where he earned a spot at the NBA Academy there. That was where he really started growing as a player. And PSA is reaping the immediate benefits, especially with starting center Momo Cissé (also a 7-footer) out with an injury.
Kingsley said he was about 6 feet tall when he first started playing, so he’s got some guard skills in his toolbox, but quickly hit a growth spurt, for which he is quite thankful.
“I love my height because I am capable of doing what the guards can do,” he said. “I just need to work on my craft. I’ve got that guard stuff in me. So I actually prefer being tall like this, and doing my thing.”
He put it on display in a 91-78 win over Woodstock Academy Gold when he went coast-to-coast and finished with a monster dunk.
“Getting a big block on someone, it doesn’t move me because that is my thing,” he said. “But getting dunks like that…yeah. I don’t celebrate when I do something big. I just go back (and play). But plays like that, it gets me hyped.”
PSA held off Mt. Zion in the clash between the top-two ranked teams, as Arturo Dean had 21 points, Desmond Claude added 19, and Darryl Simmons turned in a strong performance with 15 points. PSA then took care of up-the-road rival Woodstock Academy Friday, behind DayDay Gittens’ 15 points and four steals, Claude’s 17 points, and Barry Evans’ 11 points and six boards.
The Mustangs moved to 22-0 after a 76-58 win over Upper Room Christian Academy Saturday (Mouhamed Dioubate had 14 points and seven rebounds) and a 115-81 victory Bridgeport Prep Sunday (Evans led five players in double figures, finishing with 18 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists).
In other PSA boys’ basketball action last week, the Elite team lost twice, both times by one point. Ned Fitzpatrick scored a team-high 17 points, Jorge Trueba had 11, and Jaiden Brown 10 points in a 67-66 loss to St. Thomas More. New York Military Academy rallied late and made two free throws inside the final seven seconds to steal an 85-84 win from the Mustangs Feb. 5. Jalen Claude had 17 points, five rebounds, and four assists, while Fitzpatrick and Lamar Watkins both had 11 points for the Mustangs.
The Varsity team also lost a one-score game, falling 66-64 to Hillside, despite getting 16 points from both Taylan Cengiz and Ethan Senkyire, 13 from Pau Amengual, and 11 from Joseph Magne. The Mustangs trailed by 14 midway through the second half before mounting a comeback that fell just short.
Stephen Nalbandian
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy

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