In what was likely a moment of reflection, Oscar Tshiebwe sat facing his locker, looking straight forward, refusing to turn and talk to the media for nearly five minutes after Kentucky’s Round of 32 loss Sunday to Kansas State.
Arguably a top-five player in John Calipari’s 14 years at Kentucky and worthy of his jersey being hung in the Rupp Arena rafters, Tshiebwe’s a legend.
Unfortunately, his two-year career as a Wildcat is likely over and will include only one NCAA Tournament win.
Tshiebwe and Kentucky were upset by No. 15-seeded Saint Peter’s last year and were bounced in the Round of 32 Sunday, ending its 2023 tournament run after just one win, which was over 11th-seeded Providence.
“I’m probably going to say sorry to Big Blue Nation because when I came here, my dream was to do something great. But two years in a row, it did not happen,” a dejected Tshiebwe said in Kentucky’s locker room when he finally turned around to speak to the media.
The senior does have the chance to return next season, but with five-star center Aaron Bradshaw on the way and Ugonna Onyenso, who sat on the bench learning from Tshiebwe this season, ready to take on a larger role, Tshiebwe likely will leave Lexington and begin his pro career.
Calipari all but confirmed that would be the case when he said after the Cats’ season-ending loss, he expects all six of the team’s seniors to leave.
“Not everybody is able to make their dream true,” Tshiebwe said. “For me to be here for two years, I just give all the glory to God. I am very appreciative for Kentucky and everybody for the opportunity.”
In two seasons at UK, Tshiebwe scored a combined 1,117 points, collected 952 rebounds, 363 offensive rebounds, logged 48 double-doubles, blocked 87 shots and shot 58.4% from the field.
Despite just two years at Kentucky after transferring from West Virginia, Tshiebwe ranks sixth all-time in program history in total rebounds, tied for second with Cotton Nash in double-doubles and 48th in points scored.
He became the program’s first consensus national player of the year during the 2021-22 season by averaging 17.4 points per game, a nation-leading 15.1 rebounds, 1.8 steals, 1.6 blocks and logging 28 double-doubles.
With his NBA stock still low, he opted to come back for his senior season.
For an encore performance, he averaged 16.5 points per game and a nation-leading 13.7 rebounds while logging 20 double-doubles. He was named a second-team AP All-American and First Team All-SEC selection despite undergoing a knee procedure just weeks before the start of the season.
In three career NCAA Tournament games, Tshiebwe averaged 21 points per game and 19.6 rebounds despite UK’s 1-2 record.
He grabbed a program single-game record 25 rebounds in Kentucky’s victory over Providence that led Friars coach Ed Cooley to compare him to some of basketball’s all-time great rebounders.
“It’s not the first time he had 20-plus rebounds in a game,” Cooley said postgame, calling Tshiebwe elite. “He was the National Player of the Year for a reason, and his defensive and offensive rebounding was probably the number one reason why he was awarded that last year. He is very quick to the ball. He has a knack for the ball. Sometimes you just have an ‘it,’ ala Dennis Rodman, Ben Wallace. Those guys just have an ‘it’ for it. Some guys have an ‘it’ to score. Some people have an ‘it’ to pass. He has an incredible ‘it,’ an elite ‘it’ to rebound.”
Perhaps the most dominant rebounder in UK history, a double-double machine and one of the kindest souls ever to wear the blue and white, there should be no questioning what Tshiebwe’s legacy will be when he departs Lexington.