He kind of stands out on campus. If not for his 6-foot, 5-inch, 225-pound stature, it might be his mile-wide smile and gentle nature. Radar Onguetou came 5,657 miles from his home in Yaounde, Cameroon to Durham and is leaving his mark on and off the court.
Onguetou grew up in the capital city of Cameroon before attending the New Hampton School in New Hampton, N.H. After graduating in 2006, Onguetou joined the Wildcats.
In his first season, he led the team in scoring percentage (50 percent), while playing in all 30 games. Only one other player achieved that mark.
After getting sidelined last year with a knee injury, Onguetou looks to regain the momentum of two years ago.
Coming from a western African country, Onguetou faced quite the switch.
"Cultural differences? Everything is different," said Onguetou.
The time he spent in prep school helped for the transition to college.
"When I came to UNH," he said, "it wasn't that different."
After years at the New Hampshire prep school, Onguetou was ready for life as a college student, but had to adapt to the pace of the college game.
"You have to practice hard everyday," he said. "In prep school, coaches sometimes take it easy on a player. Here, you have to be ready to practice hard everyday."
He's blended into the team. Now, in his third year at UNH, Onguetou has stepped into the role as a quiet leader.
"You always have to know what your role is," he said. "And I feel like I can do good things. I'm trying to play hard all the time and to be coachable. To kind of show an example to my teammates that I can take criticism and lead the team by example."
The tight-knit team allows for constant support. Onguetou, as one of the elder teammates now, has also taken it upon himself to welcome the younger guys.
"We're close together on the team and so we talk a lot," he said. "No one takes it personal even when it's a negative remark. It's just to construct and build the team spirit. Because we are looking in the same direction. You want to do well as a team and win some games. So we have to pull for all each other."
Like the rest of the team, Onguetou has high expectations for this season.
"Pretty much we just have to take one day at a time," he said. And give everything on the floor. We've been working pretty hard during practices and the coaches are pretty supportive and they're coaching us hard because that's what it takes. Play hard every game as if it was the last one."
Onguetou doesn't want to be limited to his role on the court.
"I like to be involved in anything I can," he said. "Any organization where I can meet people out of the sport."
Onguetou has been involved with the Black Student Union, among other organizations during his tenure at UNH. Recently, he was named Mr. UNH, sweeping the competition with his vocal talents.
If you spot Onguetou on campus, stop and say, "hi."
"There's nothing wrong with saying 'hi' and meeting new people," he said. "I was smiling at someone, a stranger. Pretty much you have to let people know who you are. And I feel like there's nothing wrong with that. Basketball isn't everything. People might get to know you, not just as a basketball player but outside of the sport."
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