5/8/2025 | Women’s Basketball
BOCA RATON, Fla. – Florida Atlantic women’s basketball Head Coach LeAnn Freeland added a dynamic offensive and defensive playmaker in junior college transfer forward Vivian Onugha on Thursday.
Onugha, a native of Lagos, Nigeria, arrives in Boca Raton after playing her first two collegiate seasons at Barton Community College.
“Vivian was one of the best junior college post players in the nation this season,” said Coach Freeland. “She was ranked No. 28 in scoring and led the NJCAA in rebounding. Due to her athleticism and high energy, she is highly productive on both ends of the court. She has an infectious competitive spirit and a tremendous will to win. Due to her overall production at the JUCO level and her growth mindset, I am confident she will be a high-impact player for us this season. Our staff is excited to announce that Vivian is an Owl!”
Onugha had a record-breaking career at Barton Community College. She finished her career with the Cougars ranking first in career rebounds (828), career rebounding average (12.9), single-season rebounds (514), single-season rebounding average (16.1), single-season offensive rebounds (197), single-season offensive rebounds per game (6.1), single-season defensive rebounding average (9.9), and second in single-season defensive rebounds (318). She also tied for the program record in free throw attempts with 20, finished second in single-season free throw attempts with 208, and fifth all-time with 325 career free throw attempts.
During the 2024-25 season, Onugha played in and started all 32 games and helped lead the Cougars to a quarterfinal finish in the NJCAA Region 6 Tournament. She earned numerous accolades, including NJCAA All-America Third Team, becoming the 10th All-American in Barton Community College history, in addition to Division I All-KJCCC/Region 6 First Team, NJCAA National Player of the Week, and three KJCCC Player of the Week honors. Onugha was dominant on the defensive and offensive ends of the court. She led the nation in rebounding, averaging 16.1 rebounds per game, including 9.9 defensive boards per contest, and was second in offensive rebounding, collecting 6.1 rebounds per game. Onugha also led the Cougars in scoring, averaging 17.4 points per game, which ranked 28th in the nation. She finished the season with an incredible 26 double-doubles, including 21 in KJCCC play.
As a freshman, Onugha appeared in 32 contests for the Cougars and earned All-KJCCC/Region 6 Second Team honors and was named KJCCC Player of the Week. She finished as the Cougars’ second-leading scorer, averaging 11.8 points per game. She led the team in field goal percentage, shooting 50.3 percent from the field, ranking fifth in the KJCCC and Region 6. On the defensive end, Onugha finished second on the team in rebounding, averaging 9.8 boards per game, good for sixth in the league. She ranked second on the team with 13 double-doubles, scoring double-figures 20 times and eclipsing double-digit rebounding in 18 games. She posted a career-best 29 points, shooting 13-of-19 from the field against Independence. Onugha also finished with seven games with 12 or more rebounds and collected a season-high 18 boards vs. Cloud County.
Onugha played in high school at Top Field College, competing as a tri-sport athlete in basketball, rugby, and flag football. In basketball, she broke the rebounding record and was recognized as the female MVP in flag football and rugby.
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