3 things to know about Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky's National Player of the Year candidate
LEXINGTON - John Calipari relied heavily on the transfer portal to build his 2021-22 Kentucky basketball roster. No transfer has been more important to the Wildcats than former West Virginia forward Oscar Tshiebwe, The SEC Player of the Year and Sporting News National Player of the Year.
Here are three things to know about the 6-foot-9, 255-pound junior from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Oscar Tshiebwe is the best rebounder in college basketball
No Kentucky player had recorded 20 rebounds in a game since Jared Pricket in 1994 until Tshiebwe opened his UK career with 17 points and 20 rebounds in a season-opening loss to Duke. He needed just one more game to hit the 20-rebound plateau again with 14 points and 20 rebounds in the home opener versus Robert Morris.
On Dec. 22, Tshiebwe broke Shaquille O'Neal's Rupp Arena record with 28 rebounds in a win over Western Kentucky. A week later he tallied 13 points and 20 rebounds in the SEC opener versus Missouri. On Jan. 25, he totaled 21 points and 22 rebounds against Mississippi State for his first 20-20 game of the season.
Tshiebwe leads the country in total rebounds per game and offensive rebounds per game. He needed just 28 games to break the record for most rebounds in a single season in the John Calipari era.
While Tshiebwe's has evolved into an offensive force for Kentucky as the season has progressed, his identity remains built around grabbing rebounds.
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West Virginia coach Bob Huggins took a shot at Oscar Tshiebwe
The parting between Tshiebwe and West Virginia was not pretty.
After West Virginia’s Nov. 18 win over Elon, coach Bob Huggins issued a challenge to his own players to earn their minutes or “go ahead and transfer.” He then took a not-so-veiled shot at Tshiebwe.
“We lost an alleged McDonald’s All-American because he didn’t like the fact that we were making him do things that were hard,” Huggins said, according to the West Virginia student newspaper. “So, we’re fine.”
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Speaking to reporters a week later, Tshiebwe first declined to respond to Huggins' swipe then commented anyway.
"I know I always work harder and I always try to get better," Tshiebwe said. "Just because things don’t go right doesn’t mean you quit. God has plans for every human being. We always have great plans for ourselves, but we forget what God has for us.
"... I cannot say anything about Bob Huggins. He was a good coach. He coached me and he did everything for me, tried to help me, but I have no comment I can say about that.”
Oscar Tshiebwe has become a fan favorite for Big Blue Nation
Tshiebwe's blue-collar approach to rebounding quickly endeared him to Kentucky fans. Two different groups track his rebound totals each game in Rupp Arena, and Tshiebwe has made a habit of interacting with fans on social media.
After Kentucky's home win over Georgia in January, Tshiebwe signed autographs for more than 100 fans who lined up as he was leaving the arena.
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"Those fans, we got to do whatever we got to do for them, because without them, we can’t do anything," Tshiebwe later said. "...So if they sacrifice to follow us wherever we go, we have to do something for them too. We cannot just get up and go when the people need something, especially little kids. I love spending time with little kids. I can do anything for those kids, because they’re coming to the game."
In February, Tshiebwe spent time with a group of students from Africa at Beaumont Middle School in Lexington.
"“He is the real deal,” Tara Spencer, Beaumont’s English Learning program coach, said. “It is not a show with him. He is as pure of heart as you see on the court, as you read on Twitter and as you see him in interviews. He has a heart for the lord, he has a heart for people and he’s not ashamed to show it, to share it.”
Email Jon Hale at jahale@courier-journal.com; Follow him on Twitter at @JonHale_CJ.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Oscar Tshiebwe: What to know about the Kentucky basketball star
