When University of Toledo freshman center Richard Wonnell took the court for the Rockets against 13th-ranked Illinois on Nov. 10 in Champaign, the Genoa product no longer had to look down at the competition like he usually did in high school.

In most cases, he was eye-to-eye or looking up at his Illini opponent.

“I was guarding Myers Leonard and I handled it pretty well,” the 6-foot-10 Wonnell said of Illinois' 7-0, 240-pound freshman center. “It was just like guarding any other big man. It was just like playing Clay Rolf (Eastwood's 6-8 center) again. Once you get past 6-8, for me, they're pretty much all the same.”

The Rockets, under first-year coach Tod Kowalczyk, lost their opener to the Illini, 84-45. Wonnell, a preferred walk-on, led UT with five rebounds and went a combined 0-for-4 from the field and the free throw line with one steal in 14 minutes.

Toledo played exhibitions against Sienna Heights and UM-Dearborn before opening the season at Illinois. Wonnell didn't play against Sienna Heights and he had four rebounds and two points in seven minutes in a win over UM-Dearborn.

Taking on Illinois' frontcourt was an entirely different animal for Wonnell, who just last winter didn't know if he would play football, basketball or track and field at the collegiate level.

“It was nerve-wracking,” he said of UT's opener. “The first time I went into the game, six minutes into the first half, I was kind of scared playing in front of so many people. Once I started to play, it was just basketball, just a game. I settled in and figured it out. Seeing Illinois on TV all the time, it was a surreal moment playing on that court.”

Wonnell drew a foul and was sent to the free throw line, but he had to wait to shoot his free throws following a TV timeout.

“That timeout just iced my legs,” Wonnell said. “I went to the free throw line and air-balled my first free throw. Right when I shot it, I knew. I thought, 'Oh, man, I just air-balled my first college free throw.' I thought I air-balled my second one, too. When I got to the bench, Anthony Wright said, 'You know I'm never going to let you live that down.' ”

Wonnell's accuracy is sure to improve, as will his offensive and defensive skills. According to his high school coach, Jeff Overmyer, Wonnell isn't the same player who suited up for the Comets four years ago.

“He came off the bench his sophomore year, a few minutes,” Overmyer recalled. “Each year, Richard got progressively better. His main improvement at the offensive end came between his junior and senior year. His strength, post moves and shooting touch inside made big strides.

“One thing that's very important for Richard is for him to become stronger. He'll be playing against kids his own size now. In time he will be able to put on some weight, add some strength and be able to play a more physical basketball game with guys his size and be able to take on the rigors of the college game.”

Wonnell peformed well enough against Illinois that Kowalczyk named Wonnell a starter for last Sunday's game at Temple.

“Richard certainly has a role on our team this year and in this program for the future,” Kowalczyk said. “He continues to get better every day, and he’s lost 25 pounds and is in great shape. More importantly, he’s just doing everything that we ask him to do. We’re very happy with his development and think he has an opportunity to help us in the future. He’s a kid that wants to be coached and wants to improve. He obviously has a long way to go with his skill level, but I don’t think he’s ever really worked at his game to the point where he put in the effort to become a Division I player.”

Wonnell had a solid career at Genoa. He averaged 14.7 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game as a senior, earning first-team All-Suburban Lakes League and All-District 7 honors. In 68 career games, Wonnell averaged 9.8 points and 6.7 rebounds while shooting 56 percent from the field.

He was also an intimidating presence on Genoa's offensive and defensive line in football - he was a first-team all-league pick at defensive end and a second-team pick as a tight end last season. He also competed in the shot put, discus and high jump for three years on the track team.

Wonnell said he was torn between which sport to play in college.

“At the beginning of my senior year I figured I would do track somewhere,” he said. “Going through football season, I did well enough and thought I could do pretty well (in college). Then I did pretty well in basketball. That's when UT was recruiting me to play football, to be a preferred walk-on.”

Wonnell decided he'd try to walk on to the basketball team early last summer. He played in one of the Rockets' open gyms in June, “and the coaches seemed impressed,” he said. “I just kind of went from there.”

Wonnell, who is commuting from his parents' (Steve and Joy) home in Curtice, knows he has a lot of work to do to compete at the D-I level.

“I've got to keep working hard at anything I do,” Wonnell said. “I have to work on free throws and I need to get my left hand a little stronger and gather myself before I shoot on the offensive end. On defense, I need to work on the screen on the ball and I have to talk more on defense.”

Wonnell went scoreless and had one rebound in 13 minutes in Toledo's 82-49 loss against Temple. The only other Genoa boy to go on to play D-I basketball was Ron Hammye, who played at Bowling Green in the mid-1970s.

“Richard is a guy who came in the gym and worked every day and never asked why we're doing this or that,” Overmyer said. “He's come a long way since he was a freshman. Everyone at Genoa is real proud of what he's accomplished and we hope he has a great career.”

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