Drake U'u

Drake U'u
No. 22 – Perth Wildcats
Position Shooting guard / Point guard
League NBL
Personal information
Born January 18, 1990
Sacramento, California
Nationality American / Australian
Listed height 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight 215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school Rio Americano
(Sacramento, California)
College Hartford (2008–2009)
Cal Poly (2010–2013)
NBA draft 2013 / Undrafted
Pro career 2013–present
Career history
2013–present Perth Wildcats
Career highlights and awards
  • NBL champion (2014)

Drake Ellison U'u (born January 18, 1990) is an American-Australian professional basketball player who currently plays for the Perth Wildcats of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). He played college basketball for the University of Hartford and California Polytechnic State University.

High school career

U'u attended Rio Americano High School in Sacramento, California where he was a three-time first-team All-Capital League honoree. As a senior in 2007–08, he averaged 17.9 points and 5.0 rebounds per game as he earned Sacramento Bee third-team All-Metro honors after helping the Raiders finish with a 22-6 record. U'u also earned two letters in swimming where he garnered All-America honors in both the 50- and 100-yard freestyle events.[1]

College career

As a freshman for Hartford in 2008–09, U'u appeared in 18 games with five starting assignments, as he averaged 2.9 points and 1.7 rebounds per game.[1]

In 2009, U'u transferred to California Polytechnic State University and subsequently redshirted the 2009–10 due to NCAA transfer regulations.[1]

As a redshirted sophomore for Cal Poly in 2010–11, U'u appeared in 18 games and averaged 14.0 minutes per game. He scored a season-high 10 points during the 55-48 victory over Loyola Marymount on November 24, 2010. He finished the season averaging 2.7 points and 2.1 rebounds per game.[1][2]

As a junior in 2011–12, U'u started during 18 of 26 appearances, averaged 21.2 minutes played and finished sixth among Mustangs with 6.1 points per game; also averaged 3.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.0 steals per game. He hit three three-pointers to finish with a season-high 13 points against Mississippi Valley State on November 26, 2011. He later missed Cal Poly’s final seven games of the season after injuring his left hand.[1][2]

As a senior in 2012–13, U'u averaged 5.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 32 games (20 starts).[2] He recorded career-highs of 14 points and 8 assists against Hawaii on January 24, 2013.[3]

Professional career

Perth Wildcats (2013–present)

U'u went undrafted in the 2013 NBA draft. On September 16, 2013, he signed with the Perth Wildcats as an injury replacement for Mathiang Muo who was ruled out of the 2013–14 season with an Achilles injury.[4] On January 10, 2014, he recorded a season-high 13 points in a 102-87 win over the Townsville Crocodiles. 10 of his 13 points came in the second quarter where he shot 4-of-4 from the field.[5][6] In 32 games, he averaged 2.3 points per game.[7]

On September 17, 2014, U'u re-signed with the Wildcats on a three-year deal.[8] On December 14, 2014, he scored a career-high 20 points on 7-of-7 shooting as he led the Wildcats to a 97-76 win over the Adelaide 36ers.[9][10]

Personal

Despite having a Samoan father, Al, and an Australian mother, Caroline, U'u was born in the United States and has dual American and Australian citizenship.[11] He also has two younger siblings, a sister named Greer and a brother named Parker.[1]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "22 - Drake U'u". GoPoly.com. Retrieved October 27, 2013.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Drake U'u Stats". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Drake U'u Game-by-Game Stats – 2012–13". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Perth Wildcats sign Drake U'u". Wildcats.com.au (NBL.com.au). September 16, 2013. Retrieved October 27, 2013.
  5. ↑ "R13 Report: Perimeter blitz puts Perth past Crocs". NBL.com.au. January 10, 2014. Retrieved January 15, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Perth Wildcats smash Townsville Crocodiles at Perth Arena". Wildcats.com.au (NBL.com.au). January 11, 2014. Retrieved January 15, 2014.
  7. ↑ "Player statistics for Drake U'u". FoxSportsPulse.com. Retrieved May 2, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Drake U’u Re-Signs". Wildcats.com.au (NBL.com.au). September 17, 2014. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Perth Wildcats thump Adelaide 36ers". Wildcats.com.au (NBL.com.au). December 14, 2014. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Wildcats vs 36ers". FIBALiveStats.com. December 14, 2014. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  11. ↑ "Perth Wildcats - Drake U'u signs with Wildcats - 17 September 2013". YouTube.com. September 17, 2013. Retrieved October 27, 2013.

External links