PHILADELPHIA -- They call him, simply, "U." He hears that all day long. When he dazzles them with a dunk or drains one from deep, his fans bellow that vowel from the bottom of their lungs. When he bumps into them on campus, his teammates serenade him the same way.

But there's much more to "U" than his first initial. His name is Ugonna Onyekwe. It means "father's pride" in Edo, and he's proud of it. He wears No. 1 for the Pennsylvania Quakers. Not to feed his ego, but because his three initials spell UNO.

He's lived on three continents, but dreams of one more destination. He might be too talented for the Ivy League, but he just might have enough talent for The League.

"U" wants to go where everybody knows your name.

	Ugonna Onyekwe could go from the Ivy League to The League.

Thirty minutes after practice, the only two people left on the Palestra floor are the 6-foot-8 Onyekwe and a manager seemingly half his size. He runs through a series of drills, swishing shot after shot from spot after spot. This is nothing new. The reigning Ivy League player of the year is usually the last to leave the court.

"I feel like people over here have an advantage over me, playing the game since they were little kids," says Onyekwe. "I still feel like I'm playing catch-up."

Growing up in his native Nigeria, Onyekwe did have a hoop behind his house. But he did not play organized basketball until his family moved to London when he was 14. Then he came to the United States to complete his final two years of high school, at Mercersburg Academy in Pennsylvania.

While at Mercersburg, Onyekwe signed a letter of intent with Long Beach State -- an assistant coach at Long Beach was close to Onyekwe's former coach in England. But he soon realized he had made this decision too hastily, without considering all his options, and asked for his release. Long Beach State would not cooperate, refusing to allow him out of his commitment. Long Beach called him and his parents every day, week after week, trying to change his mind, to no avail.

In order not to sit out for a season, Onyekwe's only alternative was a total U-turn, enrolling at a school with no athletic scholarships.

"I have no regrets whatsoever," says Onyekwe. "Everything happens for a reason. I believe I was meant to be here."

"Here" is the University of Pennsylvania, which was happy to have him -- especially men's basketball coach Fran Dunphy. "We didn't have any off-the-wall expectations," says Dunphy. "He was a phenomenal athlete who was just scratching the surface of the basketball player he could become. And he's still doing that."

"Scratching the surface" has equaled great success. As the conference freshman of the year, Onyekwe played a pivotal role in Penn's undefeated Ivy League season and trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2000. The team struggled his sophomore year, losing several key players, but Onyekwe led the Quakers back to the Big Dance last season, averaging 17.5 points and 6 rebounds a game, shooting 55 percent from the field.

Onyekwe also has a knack for coming up big against big-time opponents. Last year he dropped 30 points in their season-opening upset of Georgia Tech. He followed that up with 28 against No. 2 Illinois in a seven-point loss.

	“	We didn't have any off-the-wall expectations. He was a phenomenal athlete who was just scratching the surface of the basketball player he could become. And he's still doing that. ”
		— Fran Dunphy, Penn head coach

But there's more. "His greatest attribute is the fact that he can defend anybody," says Dunphy. "On the perimeter, down low, on the ball, off the ball. That's where he is very skillful. The offense, he's still learning how to play."

But he's working on it, after practice, every day.

During practice, Onyekwe puts on a show. In a span of five minutes, he nails two treys, a lefty jump hook and a windmill-esque slam -- all with a straight face.

Neither his play nor his reaction surprises anyone in the gym. "He'll dunk on someone and we'll be jumping around and excited, and to him it's just another ordinary play," says his teammate Andy Toole. "I don't understand it personally. If I ever dunked on somebody like he does, they'd T me up for sure."

These are not ordinary plays -- particularly in the Ivy League. They get fans and teammates leaping out of their seats -- but even more importantly, they can demoralize an opponent and change the course of a game. Onyekwe can deliver deadly hooks with either hand in the post. Or he can step out and bury you from beyond the arc. But his ability to fly above the rim and sky for blocked shots is what makes him so tough to stop.

Onyekwe's no robot. He's not immune to getting animated. "Every once in a while, he'll take an elbow or a shot he doesn't like, and then he gets his revenge," says Toole. "But he lets his game do most of his talking."

That's always been his way. He's lived by himself all four years in Philadelphia, while many of his teammates live together right around the corner. He's religious. He doesn't drink or do drugs. And he's not into the college party scene.

But there's another side to him -- one he's revealed more and more over the past four years. Now, every Sunday night at 9 and every Tuesday night at 10, Onyekwe treks over to his teammates' house to watch his favorite TV shows with them, "The Sopranos" and "The Real World." They love to see him get so worked up over particular episodes. "I remember one night he could barely breathe he was laughing so hard, jumping up and down," says Toole.

Does he have a favorite character from "The Sopranos"? "I like Tony the best," says Onyekwe. "I just like the dynamic between him being the tough mob boss and then he goes to see a psychiatrist and you see a softer side of him."

Onyekwe reveals his softer side when he's home alone, too. His living room is better described as a miniature music studio, filled with synthesizers and software and recording equipment. Onyekwe played piano and drums growing up, and now his second-favorite pastime is making his own remixes of his favorite artists.

He says, "What I love is making the music, and letting other people sing."

As much as he enjoys just making the music, Onyekwe is the lead singer on this year's Penn squad. Expectations are high, returning all five starters from last year's 25-7 Tournament team. If he can lead his team even farther this season, his NBA stock would soar right along.

But after this season, one thing's for sure: Ugonna Onyekwe will be playing basketball, somewhere in the world. "Basketball is my passion right now," he says. "It's what I want to do, for as long as I can do it."

At least now you know his name.

Kieran Darcy writes for ESPNMag.com. He can be reached at kieran.d.darcy@espn3.com.