Why Oscar Tshiebwe feels 'no pressure' entering Year 2 with Kentucky basketball
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky men's basketball ended last season as the top rebounding team in the SEC, averaging more than 40 per game.
That was in large part due to rebounding machine Oscar Tshiebwe, the reigning national player of the year who pulled down an NCAA-best 15.1 a night — one-and-a-half more than his closest competitor, Utah Valley's Fardaws Aimaq (13.6).
Tshiebwe expects the Wildcats to be similarly dominant on the boards this season; asked to name a strength of the team heading into the 2022-23 campaign, he pointed out his teammates regularly challenge him for rebounding supremacy in practice.
Key word there being "practice."
"In the game, you're not getting that," Tshiebwe said during UK men's basketball media day Tuesday, a smile on his face and a finger wag punctuating his words. "In the game, any rebound belongs to me."
Tshiebwe's rebounding prowess is unquestioned. What's up in the air, however, is when he'll take the floor again in live competition. Tshiebwe underwent knee surgery in early October. He didn't play in Kentucky's Big Blue Madness event Oct. 14 or suit up for the Blue-White scrimmage last week in Pikeville. The team's first exhibition contest is on tap at 7 p.m. Sunday versus Missouri Western State, followed by another exhibition affair against Kentucky State on Nov. 3.
Kentucky's 2022-23 gets underway Nov. 7, when it hosts Howard at 6:30 p.m.
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Tshiebwe, while declining to provide a timetable for his return, isn't losing sleep over his status.
"I'm not worried about it," he said. "I don't think I'll miss a game. I just follow up with the doctor and (do) whatever he says."
Coach John Calipari also wasn't sure when Tshiebwe would be cleared.
"But he's moving pretty good. He's moving around," Calipari said. "He's got to stay off his feet. … When he trains, it may swell a little bit, but it will go away. It will swell a little bit, it will go away. But he's telling me, he says, 'I feel really good. My leg feels good. I don't have the same pain."
It's a balance, Calipari said: The Wildcats won't hold back Tshiebwe, but they're not going to force the issue, either.
"His pace and timing may be different than someone else," Calipari siad. "Someone else may be longer. Someone else may be shorter. I don't know. But I do know he's 252 pounds. He's big. Seven percent body fat on top of it."
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Even with his best player temporarily sidelined, Calipari said he likes what he's seen from his squad during the preseason — the guard play, the talent of his wings and even the other big men. But Tshiebwe is the fulcrum.
"You put Oscar in, it makes it a little bit different," Calipari said. "What will happen is, they will expect him to rebound. Right now, they're having to go get balls, which is a good thing. But we're better with him."
As Tshiebwe continues to work his way back to health, an ever-present optimism envelops him. He views every day as a blessing, peppering nearly every answer by praising God, quoting scriptures. It's that faith that helps Tshiebwe deal with a level of pressure, and notoriety, unfamiliar to most college basketball players. Simply put, he's the most recognizable player for one of the nation's most high-profile programs.
He won every major national player of the year award last season.
When asked what he can do for an encore, Tshiebwe looked upward again.
"People are asking me, 'Do you feel the pressure because all this is happening around you?'" he said. "I say, 'I don't feel no pressure.' That is the motivation for me: to be in the gym, to show what God has put in me, for the people."
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After just one season, he's already a fan favorite with UK supporters.
It's a symbiotic relationship.
"I've been giving them love — and they love me back. I really appreciate it, for everything they do for us," he said. "I'll love them forever. This is my home."
His generosity is renowned — particularly when it comes to signing autographs. He signs for hours on end. Free of charge.
Some don't understand. They can't comprehend why he doesn't attach a dollar figure to his name.
"I tell them, 'Sometimes, it's not all about money. You can do something like this for love,'" Tshiebwe said. "That means a lot (more) than money."
His teammates couldn't be happier to see him succeed.
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"He's a good guy," junior forward Lance Ware said. "If anybody deserves what's coming to him and what he gets, it's him. Just how passionate he is about his teammates, his team and Kentucky as a whole, he's the perfect spokesperson for our team."
Tshiebwe takes it all in stride.
Call it karma.
"You get what you've given," he said. "If you're not getting something good, you've got to look around and see what you've been giving. I feel like I've been giving good things."
Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @RyanABlack.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky basketball: Oscar Tshiebwe eager for epic encore in Year 2
