Louisville’s Chinanu Onuaku drafted by Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets drafted Louisville’s Chinanu Onuaku with the 37th overall pick in the NBA Draft on Thursday night in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Onuaku, a 6-foot-10, 245-pound center who played two seasons at Louisville, nearly averaged a double-double with 9.9 points and 8.5 rebounds to go alock with two blocks per game. He played in all 31 games for the Cardinals, who were among the top teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference but missed the postseason due to a self-imposed ban by the university.

The native of Lanham, Md., was projected as an early second-round pick. He was selected to the 2016 All-ACC Defensive team.

“I really, firmly believe he's going to be a first-round pick,” Louisville Coach Rick Pitino told WDRB in May. “He's young . . . and that's what the NBA looks for. He's also a great defensive player, he improved his passing, he improved his free-throw shooting, and he's got a great upside, and that's what the NBA looks for."

Onuaku underwent a cardiac procedure in May to correct a condition called Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.

This story was originally published June 23, 2016 at 11:22 PM with the headline "Louisville’s Chinanu Onuaku drafted by Houston Rockets."