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Oscar Tshiebwe Announces Decision to Enter NBA Draft, Maintains College Eligibility

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© Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

Oscar Tshiebwe’s dream was to play basketball for the University of Kentucky, and he did so at an elite level for two seasons.

On Friday, Tshiebwe announced that he will put his name in the NBA Draft while maintaining his college eligibility. He made the announcement on Instagram. This comes as recent buzz has suggested a return to Kentucky is possible, but for now, Tshiebwe is seeing what the NBA thinks of him.

Following a heartbreaking loss to Kansas State, Oscar Tshiebwe looked at his locker, full of emotion, disappointed that he could not accomplish his goal of winning a national championship at Kentucky. However, that will not change what he accomplished in his two years in Lexington.

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Becoming arguably the greatest rebounder in modern college basketball, Tshiebwe rewrote the records books. In just two seasons, Tshiebwe recorded 952 rebounds, just 126 short of Kentucky’s all-time record, and in doing so, putting up numbers not seen since the 1960s. His long list of accomplishments is headlined by being the only unanimous National Player of the Year in program history.

As much as Tshiebwe impacted the game and the Kentucky Wildcats on the court, he may be even more so remembered for the person he is off the court.

Of the many memories and stories that Tshiebwe has created for people, one such story happened at Vanderbilt’s Memorial Gymnasium. Two fathers brought their sons to a game this past January. When they got close to the floor, they cheered “Oscar!” with no expectation of seeing him. Tshiebwe responded by running over with a smile on his face and picking the two kids up onto the elevated court to take a photo.

With that said, is this truly the end of Tshiebwe’s journey in Lexington? Recent buzz has suggested a return is possible, with those around him believing that he could return to college and make an estimated $2 million next season. This money is likely more than he would compared to the contract of a second-round draft pick.

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However, it should be expected that he will be heading out of town until he says otherwise. That is at least until his playing career is over, as he has also mentioned Lexington being his home and wanting to own a horse farm one day.

Best of luck to Big O as he begins the NBA Draft process!

Also published on A Sea of Blue.

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Men's Basketball

Mark Pope Addresses Otega Oweh’s Potential NBA Departure

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Otega Oweh before facing his former team, the Oklahoma Sooners
Chet White | UK Athletics

Kentucky guard Otega Oweh recently declared himself as “all in” on preparing himself for the NBA. 

Oweh’s return to Kentucky is in limbo. Most fans expected Oweh to exercise his final year of eligibility to stay in Lexington, but the 21-year-old has his eyes set on the NBA.

“So, (Oweh) got a lot of room to grow, he’s a phenomenal player who had a great season last year, and it’s pretty fun to talk about,” Kentucky head coach Mark Pope told the media on Tuesday. “We’re talking to all of our guys that are going through this (NBA) process all of the time.”

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Last season, the 6-foot-4 guard led the Wildcats in points and steals per game. Throughout the season, Oweh was a proven piece of Kentucky’s road to the Sweet Sixteen.

“He has so much room to grow,” Pope said. “I think his ceiling as a playmaker, he hasn’t even begun to tap into that, I think he can become an elite-level playmaker.”

To Pope’s point, Oweh only averaged 1.7 assists per game with 1.5 turnovers per game, a near one-to-one ratio.

“Otega’s physicality is elite,” Pope said. “His physicality on the offense and defensive end… shows up in contact, hits, it shows up in his explosiveness, it shows up in his first step, it shows up in his ability to kind of navigate guarding guys off the ball through screens by creating space with his chest.”

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On May 2, the NBA announced their invitees to the NBA Combine ahead of the NBA Draft this summer. Guard Koby Brea and Oweh and two Kentucky players were invited out of the 75-prospect pool.

This week prospects will showcase their talents and measurements at Wintrust Arena and the Marriott Marquis in Chicago for scouts. 

Last season, Kentucky endured several injuries. However, Oweh started all 36 games and had to step up with guards Jaxon Robinson and Lamont Butler missing significant time. 

Oweh was recognized as one of the conference’s best players, as he was named to the 2024-25 All-SEC Second Team. 

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“These are lifelong relationships that we build, and as these guys go pursue the next step, it’s really exciting for us and exciting for them, and we’re on it,” Pope said.

If Oweh gets signed or drafted by an NBA squad, it would be a massive loss for Kentucky.

Brea, Butler, Robinson, Ansley Almonor, Andrew Carr, and Amari Williams have exhausted their college eligibility in addition to Travis Perry and Kerr Kriisa leaving the program via the transfer portal.

From the nine confirmed departures, five of them are guards. Losing Oweh would be a sixth guard gone from last season’s squad. 

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Thankfully for Pope and his staff, Oweh is still eligible to return to Kentucky. However, a decision has to be made by June 15 at the latest, 10 days ahead of the NBA Draft.

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Men's Basketball

Kentucky’s Own Malachi Moreno Shows Out In Chris Brickley Invitational

Kentucky pledge and native Malachi Moreno nearly tallied a double-double in the Chris Brickley Invitational.

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Malachi Moreno shows out in Brickley Invitational.
UK Athletics

Held in Chicago, the Chris Brinkley Invitational is a gathering of young superstars under the wing of famous basketball trainer Chris Brickley. This year, Kentucky commit Malachi Moreno was invited to participate in the event, allowing his hard work to pay off in direct competition with his peers.

Moreno, who will join a consensus top 10/15 (at least) Kentucky roster this fall, stood tall at the invitational this past Saturday, nearly logging a double-double with 18 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and one block.

The big man would have his way in the paint, notching multiple highlight worthy dunks as well as a full-court pass, boasting his playmaking capability.

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Slotted at 25th in ESPN’s freshman recruiting rankings, Moreno became Kentucky’s only McDonald’s All-American earlier this year, and has since turned heads with not only his play on the court, but his treatment of people and the program off it.

He’s been spotted all throughout Lexington, including at Rupp, taking pictures with fans and talking titles in-between. Hailing from Georgetown, KY, Moreno’s hometown ambitions make him a likely fan favorite, and with four years of college basketball ahead of him, his journey is excitedly only getting started.

While Moreno’s role on next year’s roster has yet to take complete shape, his performance at the Brickley invitational is a good indicator of a high ceiling; and besides, it doesn’t hurt to keep it in-house once in a while. The sun shines bright when a Kentucky kid stays home.

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Otega Oweh Is “All In” On NBA Draft Process

While Otega Oweh is “all in” on the NBA Draft process, his ultimate fate at Kentucky still hangs in the balance.

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Otega Oweh is "all in" on the NBA Draft.
Chet White | UK Athletics

While Kentucky’s incoming roster of freshman, transfers, and returners may seem complete to many, a once crucial piece has been taken for granted by folks eager to get the season started: Otega Oweh.

One of the primary driver’s of much of last year’s success, Oweh found his footing as a source of energy for his teammates, and found the ball in his hands more often than not when the team desperately needed a bucket.

Now, he’s testing the NBA Draft waters, and, according to Oweh himself, he’s “all in.”

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A Pro Goal

“I have one more year of eligibility, but my goal is to play in the NBA,” he said. “So I’m not doing this process one foot in, one foot out.”

This potentially worrying tidbit came out of a segment with the Portland Trail Blazers media following a session with the team. Oweh was also asked about the rumor that he’d return to Kentucky if he wasn’t granted a first round selection in the draft, to which he said, “I wouldn’t say it’s completely false.”

“I believe I’m a first round guy, so I’m just gonna go through all these workouts, give it my all, then when it’s all said and done, I’ll see where I’m at and I’ll make that decision.”

“That decision” will mean a lot for Kentucky’s incoming roster whichever way it goes. If Oweh returns, the team will likely be in final, or near-final, form; barring any crazy shake-ups, we’d be looking at a finalized roster and rotation sooner rather than later.

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If he doesn’t? Well, it’d be hard to imagine that the team would be left as-is – a late foray into the transfer portal on Mark Pope’s part would almost be imminent. And he couldn’t land just any player; he’d be replacing a potential SEC player of the year favorite, given a return. The stakes are at an all-time high.

It doesn’t help that the wait isn’t close to being over, either. Oweh has until June 15 to make his final decision, assuming he doesn’t sign an agent before then. With the BBN at his back, Kentucky’s would-be senior star is facing down what may be the most important decision of his career thus far… and all fans can do in the meantime is hurry up and wait.

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