How can UK fill the void left by his departure?Ĭhris Livingston is staying in the NBA Draft. This could be an unprecedented exodus for Kentucky basketball. What should John Calipari do now to get Kentucky fans back on board? But what does Kentucky basketball need most? John Calipari is still looking for players. The zeal with which Oscar Tshiebwe played made him a blast to watch. There’s a strong case to be made that Tshiebwe is the best rebounder UK has ever had. Wherever you rank Tshiebwe overall among the all-time greats in Kentucky men’s basketball history, two things seem clear: Nash, who was Kentucky’s all-time points leader (1,770) before Issel broke his record and is still UK’s fifth all-time rebounder (962), was the star of teams that went 1-3 in the NCAA Tournament - albeit with one of the defeats in a consolation game. Issel, UK’s all-time leading scorer (2,138 career points) and rebounder (1,078), played on teams that went 3-3 in the NCAA Tournament - with one of the victories in a consolation game. It is no more fair to dock Tshiebwe’s Kentucky legacy for his teams’ lack of NCAA tourney success than it is to knock prior UK greats such as Dan Issel and Cotton Nash for the same. In the three NCAA Tournament games in which Tshiebwe played for Kentucky, he averaged 21.0 points, 19.7 rebounds, 2.3 steals and made 59 percent (23 of 39) of his field goal tries. Tshiebwe had 21 points and 20 rebounds, but UK lost to Vanderbilt 68-66. Kentucky star Oscar Tshiebwe breaks through the hoop on Senior Night in Rupp Arena on March 1.
While it is inarguable that Tshiebwe’s difficulties as a defender against high pick-and-roll actions hurt Kentucky (22-12) in 2022-23, including in the Wildcats’ season-ending 75-69 loss to Kansas State in the 2023 NCAA Tournament round of 32, it is unfair to take the frustrations of what has been a relatively unrewarding period in UK basketball history out on Tshiebwe. With Tshiebwe on its roster, UK went only 1-2 in the NCAA Tournament. In terms of legacy, some will hold it against Tshiebwe that Kentucky won no SEC championships, regular season nor tournament, during his two seasons in Lexington. “I wish we could have won more, but he gave everything he had to Kentucky.” “Oscar achieved things that no other player has in decades,” Calipari said in a tweet after Tshiebwe announced his intention to turn pro. In the larger context of UK basketball history, for a two-year player to be departing Kentucky as the school’s 48th all-time leading scorer, sixth all-time rebounder and its 14th-most accurate field-goal shooter (58.43 percent) is pretty strong. If Anthony Davis is the best player of the John Calipari coaching era (since 2009-10) and John Wall the most impactful, Tshiebwe is just ahead of Tyler Ulis in the battle to be considered the most productive. Now former Kentucky star Oscar Tshiebwe leaves UK as the 48th all-time scorer (1,117 points) and sixth all-time rebounder (952) in Wildcats men’s basketball history.ĭetermining Tshiebwe’s proper place in Kentucky men’s basketball lore is a multilayered task. Mississippi State in 2021-22 37 points and 24 boards against Georgia in 2022-23 and 21 points and 20 rebounds against Vanderbilt on Senior Night in 2022-23. ▪ Three times as a Wildcat, Tshiebwe produced a “double double-double” in games - 21 points, 22 rebounds vs. ▪ Tshiebwe had a points/rebounds double-double in 48 of his 66 Kentucky games. 18, then followed that up with four rebounds in an 82-74 victory at Florida four days later. This past season, he had seven boards in UK’s 66-54 win over Tennessee on Feb. ▪ Only one time during his two-season Kentucky career did Tshiebwe go two straight games without a double-digit rebounding effort. According to UK, all other Wildcats players since 1970-71 have combined for seven such games. ▪ Eight times as a Wildcat, Tshiebwe pulled down 20 rebounds or more in a contest. ▪ In 31 of the 66 games he played for Kentucky, Tshiebwe had 15 rebounds or more. ▪ In the 66 games in which Tshiebwe wore a UK uniform, he had 10 or more rebounds in 57 contests. Yet crazy as this is to say about so decorated a player, I can’t help but wonder if Tshiebwe’s UK career isn’t somewhat undervalued.Ĭonsider some of the crazy numbers Tshiebwe produced: Oscar Tshiebwe announced his departure from Kentucky via Instagram on Wednesday afternoon.
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