Drake Ellison U'u (born January 18, 1990) is an American-Australian former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player. He played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for the

University of Hartford The University of Hartford (UHart) is a private university in West Hartford, Connecticut. Its main campus extends into neighboring Hartford and Bloomfield. The university attracts students from 48 states and 43 countries. The university and it ...

and California Polytechnic State University, before playing two seasons in the Australian National Basketball League (NBL) with the

Perth Wildcats The Perth Wildcats are an Australian professional basketball team based in Perth, Western Australia. The Wildcats compete in the National Basketball League (Australia), National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at Perth Arena, ...

, where he won a championship in 2014. He was part of the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

organization between 2015 and 2020, including serving as the assistant general manager of the Stockton Kings.

High school career

U'u attended

Rio Americano High School Rio Americano High School, colloquially known as Rio, is a public high school in Arden-Arcade, California, just outside Sacramento, serving students in grades 9 through 12 as part of the San Juan Unified School District. Rio Americano students co ...

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, 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, with All-America honors in both the 50- and 100-yard freestyle events.

College career

As a freshman for

Hartford Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since t ...

in 2008–09, U'u appeared in 18 games with five starting assignments and averaged 2.9 points and 1.7 rebounds per game. In 2009, U'u transferred to California Polytechnic State University and subsequently redshirted the 2009–10 season due to NCAA transfer regulations. 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 a 55–48 victory over Loyola Marymount on November 24, 2010. He finished the season averaging 2.7 points and 2.1 rebounds per game. 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 3-pointers to finish with a season-high 13 points against

Mississippi Valley State Mississippi Valley State University (MVSU, The Valley or Valley) is a public historically black university in Mississippi Valley State, Mississippi, adjacent to Itta Bena, Mississippi. As a senior in 2012–13, U'u averaged 5.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 32 games (20 starts). He recorded career highs of 14 points and eight assists against

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

on January 24, 2013.

Professional career

In August 2013, U'u arrived in Australia to trial with the

of the National Basketball League. On September 16, he signed with the Wildcats as an injury replacement for

Mathiang Muo Mathiang Mauot Muo (born 4 March 1987) is an Australian-South Sudanese professional basketball player for the Joondalup Wolves of the NBL1 West. He played four seasons of college basketball in the United States between 2009 and 2013 before jo ...

, who was ruled out of the 2013–14 season with an Achilles injury. On January 10, 2014, U'u scored 10 of his season-high 13 points in the second quarter of the Wildcats' 102–87 win over the

Townsville Crocodiles The Townsville Crocodiles were an Australian professional men's basketball team based in the North Queensland city of Townsville. They competed in the National Basketball League (NBL) and played their home games at the Townsville Entertainmen ...

. He finished the game 4-of-4 from 3-point range. He helped the Wildcats reach the 2014 NBL Grand Final series, where they defeated the

Adelaide 36ers The Adelaide 36ers, also known as the Sixers, are an Australian professional men's basketball team in the National Basketball League (NBL). The 36ers are the only team in the league representing the state of South Australia and are based in th ...

2–1 to win the

championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...

. He came off the bench to score eight points in the deciding game of the grand final series against Adelaide. On September 17, 2014, U'u re-signed with the Wildcats on a three-year deal. On December 14, 2014, he scored a career-high 20 points on 7-of-7 shooting, including 5-of-5 from 3-point range, in a 97–76 win over the 36ers. On May 15, 2015, U'u decided not to take the option on his contract which would have allowed him to stay at the Wildcats until 2017. In 61 games for the Wildcats over two seasons, he averaged 2.8 points and 1.2 rebounds per game.

Front office career

In August 2015, U'u joined the

' front office as manager of player development. In August 2018, he was appointed the assistant general manager of Sacramento's

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA De ...

affiliate, the Stockton Kings. In September 2020, he was furloughed by the Kings organization following the delayed start to the

2020–21 NBA G League season The 2020–21 NBA G League season was the 20th season of the NBA G League, the official minor league basketball organization owned by the National Basketball Association (NBA). The season was indefinitely postponed following the previous season's ...

due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. He ultimately did not return to the Kings.

Personal life

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

References

External links

Cal Poly bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:U'u, Drake 1990 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in Australia American men's basketball players Basketball players from Sacramento, California Cal Poly Mustangs men's basketball players Hartford Hawks men's basketball players Perth Wildcats players Point guards Shooting guards