The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Former Yale star Oni making an impact
The indelible images of the late great Kobe Bryant doing his thing with the Los Angeles Lakers captivated more than a few athletic Southern California youngsters.
Before Miye Oni celebrated his 13th birthday, Bryant played a starring role on five NBA championship teams so each time he headed out to the local basketball hoop he had dreams of one day following Bryant into the NBA.
However, a guard ranging from 5-8 to 5-11 who struggled to move off his high school’s junior varsity team, the pragmatic part of Oni’s personality led him to hit the brakes. Oni thought it was best to reevaluate his dreams and aspirations.
“When I was younger and didn’t know any better, the NBA was on my radar for sure but as I was growing older, it was growing off my radar because I was being realistic with myself and the position I was in especially early in high school,” said Oni, the former Yale star and 2019 Ivy League Player of the Year. “It was later for sure when I started going to prep school [Suffield Academy] that I realized that this could be a reality for me especially since I grew to about 6-5 with my ability to shoot the ball. I felt like I had a chance realistically so I kept working hard every year until I reached my goals and I was able to make it.”
Oni was indeed “able to make it.”
Entering the NBA Draft after his junior season after leading Yale to the Ivy League title and into the NCAA tournament, Oni became the first Ivy Leaguer in nearly 25 years to get drafted when Golden State made Oni the 58th overall pick in 2019. Oni’s rights were traded to Utah and it was with the Jazz where Oni made some more history.
With four starters including dynamic shooting guard Donovan Mitchell held out of Friday’s game against San Antonio, Oni became the first Yale product to start an NBA game since Chris Dudley made the final of his 347 NBA starts on Jan. 11, 2002.
Oni figured he would have an expanded role against the Spurs after combining to play less than 16 1⁄2minutes in his first six NBA games, but it wasn’t
until shortly before the opening tip when Oni was told he would be starting.
“I think it is better to go out there and just play for sure, not thinking about it but just go out and play,” Oni said.
Oni had 14 points, seven rebounds and a steal in 30 minutes. The next day he would play another 10 minutes and led the Jazz in plus/minus in a loss to Denver before playing 27 minutes in Monday’s loss to Dallas. Oni averaged 7.3 points, 3.7 rebounds with four 3-pointers, two assists, two steals and a blocked shot in the last three contests.
“I’ve been working towards this, it is pretty rewarding but there is a lot more to be accomplished for sure,” Oni said. “I like the energy that I’ve brought, I’ve been able to make some shots but I am really more focused on what I can bring on the defensive end, I don’t want to get beat off the dribble by anyone. I want to keep everyone in front of me, keep people out of the paint and not allow people to score on me. That is really the main thing I am focusing on. I for sure get upset if someone scores on me but as long as I do my job defensively and giving 110 [percent] effort, I can’t be mad at myself.”
It is a mindset that Oni showed during his three seasons at Yale.
“Miye has a lot of pride as a player and he takes it as a great disrespect if somebody scores upon him and he always has,” Yale coach James Jones said. “He has really worked hard to improve because especially at that level, you know he’s going to do that to earn playing time.”
Jazz coach Quin Snyder made a point of praising Oni’s defensive work after the San Antonio game.
“That is why I was on the floor first and foremost is for defense,” Oni said. “I know that and I know that I have a job that I need to do defensively whether it was taking the primary assignment in spot minutes or just helping on defense, just trying to make some plays on defense, then I just have to do that and do my job.”
When Oni wasn’t with the Jazz, he was helping with the Salt Lake City Stars post the best record in the Western Conference in
the NBA G League before COVID-19 shut the league down.
Oni averaged 12.7 points, 6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.6 blocks in 30 minutes during the 23 games he played in Salt Lake City. His 28-point effort in a win over Memphis on Jan. 10 was one of 17 double-digit scoring games. He had four doubledoubles and came an assist shy of a triple-double against Stockton on Feb. 26.
“I was LA training with my trainer Jonathan Kelly,” Oni said. “We trained almost every day, I never took any time off like it was offseason, I trained like the season was starting the next day.”
Oni also took a couple of online classes during the pandemic as he moves closer to graduating from Yale.
The Jazz wraps up regular-season play on Thursday (6:30 p.m., TNT) before heading into the playoffs. The feeling is Oni has shown enough this week to have a role as a reserve once the postseason getting going. Oni plans on continuing to work on his game so his coaches and teammates can count on him.
“All areas that I can shore up, clean up and get better,” Oni said of his goals. “I
always work on my ball handling every day, my shooting and staying better at the stuff that Coach asks of me. A lot of times people just try to work on their individual skills but you can also work on your closeouts, you can work on your rotations and everything. It is working on your body too just to make sure you are in the best shape you can be, those things are important.”
The support he has received from high school, prep school and college teammates and coaches is also important to Oni. Jones has been in contact with his former star pupil on a regular basis.
“I am ecstatic,” Jones said. “To tune into an NBA game and see one of your guys doing his thing, having the opportunity to play, it is great to see he is having so much success.
“I think he is excited but at the same time, I think he knows that he is good enough and is just excited for the opportunity, he wants more and he wants to work hard to become the best he can be.”