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Men's Basketball

Oscar Tshiebwe Becomes Kentucky’s First Unanimous Player of the Year in Program History

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Photo by Elliott Hess | UK Athletics

Yes, you read that correctly. Of all the talented players through the storied history of Kentucky basketball, Oscar Tshiebwe became the first unanimous Player of the Year in program history after winning the John R. Wooden Award.

Tshiebwe’s historic season can’t be understated, I mean just take a look at all the major honors that he has collected.

  • John R. Wooden Award
  • Naismith Player of the Year
  • Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award
  • USBWA Oscar Robertson Trophy
  • Associated Press Player of the Year
  • NABC National Player of the Year
  • NABC Pete Newell Big Man of the Year
  • NCAA Consensus All-America First Team
  • Wooden Award All-America Team
  • USBWA First-Team All-America
  • NABC First-Team All-America
  • Associated Press First-Team All-America
  • Sporting News First-Team All-America
  • Wooden Award All-America Team
  • NABC All-District 20 First Team
  • Southeastern Conference Player of the Year (coaches/media)
  • All-SEC First Team (coaches/media)
  • All-SEC Defensive Team (coaches)
  • USBWA District IV Player of the Year
  • USBWA All-District IV team
  • CBS Sports National Player of the Year
  • USA Today National Player of the Year
  • USA Today First-Team All-American
  • The Athletic’s National Player of the Year
  • Sports Illustrated First-Team All-American
  • The Field of 68 National Player of the Year
  • The Field of 68 First-Team All-America
  • College Hoops Today National Player of the Year
  • USA Today SEC Player of the Year
  • USA Today First-Team All-SEC unanimous selection

Averaging 17.4 points and 15.1 rebounds per game, Tshiebwe was a force to be reckoned with, and unsurprisingly, he also rewrote the Kentucky and NCAA record books when it came to rebounding.

  • Recorded 28 double-doubles, the most in Kentucky history.
  • Finished 3rd in rebounds in a single season with 515. Only behind Bill Spivery (1950-51) and Cliff Hagan (1951-52).
  • Recorded 20 rebounds against Duke, the most for a Kentucky debut.
  • Recorded 28 rebounds against Western Kentucky, 6th in Kentucky single-game history, and the most since 1976.
  • Only the second player to average 15 or more rebounds since 1980, and the first player from a Power Five school since 1968.

With all of his success, Oscar Tshiebwe cemented himself as one of the greatest players to ever wear a Kentucky uniform. Unlike most successful Calipari players, there are rumors that Tshiebwe would like to return for a senior season if the powers that be can clear up his NIL situation.

As much as the Big Blue Nation hopes for that to happen, I know regardless of the outcome, we all enjoyed watching him this past season and hope the best for the young man.

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You can watch Oscar Tshiebwe accepts John R. Wooden Award on SportsCenter below.

Men's Basketball

John Calipari Highlights Changes for Next Season

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John Calipari draws up a play at Kentucky's season opener. Said he made a "tweak".
UK Athletics

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” – Albert Einstein.

Many Kentucky fans have referred to this quote over the last few days, expressing a desire for a change from John Calipari. However, Calipari will be back on the sidelines for the Kentucky Wildcats next season for his 16th season, confirmed by Mitch Barnhart on Tuesday.

That doesn’t mean there won’t be any changes.

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On Monday, John Calipari went on his season-ending radio show, giving his first comments to fans since Kentucky’s upset loss to Oakland last Thursday. It was easy to see why is a good recruiter, as he said all the right things.

For the better part of an hour, Calipari spoke with humility, answered some direction questions from Tom Leach, and accepted criticism. The main takeaway was that he understands that he has not met the Kentucky standard or his own standard, and changes need to take place.

“We’ve got to evaluate everything,” Calipari said. Here are some changes that have been outlined.

Getting Back to “Grinding”

Kentucky basketball offseason has often consisted of international trips to the Bahamas, or Canada last season, but not this year. Calipari emphasized a desire to get back to what his early Kentucky teams were characterized by, defense and physicality.

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“What about in the summers, instead of the Bahmas or Toronto, we’re grinding,” Calipari proposed. “We’ve got to get back to where we’ve been defensively and with physicality. Your defense steadies you.”

Those trips are good for team bonding and chemistry, but it’s clear that time can be used better for getting into the weight room and instilling defensive principles. Calipari did note that he does not want to take a step back on offense.

Getting Older

Calipari is the coach who made the “one-and-done” approach popular, relying heavily on elite freshmen. However, with college basketball getting older, he has expressed a willingness to get older.

“We’re relying on freshmen too much. In those kinds of games, you better have some vets,” Calipari said of his takeaway from Oakland. “For us, we need to get older.”

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It should be noted that Calipari relied on transfers in 2022 and 2023, albeit most not being the elite transfers, but more supporting pieces (i.e. CJ Fredrick) and developmental players (i.e. Jacob Toppin). That said, two transfers have been the leading scorer for Kentucky in three straight seasons, Oscar Tshiebwe and Antonio Reeves.

Calipari is looking more for a middle ground between young talent and transfers. “I like the combination of both. We just got to get the right transfers.”

Program Changes

When you are winning, you have more freedom, but when you have just one NCAA Tournament win in the last four seasons, you’re not going to have that luxury. This was not publicly said by Calipari, but more oversight will come as a result of his meeting with Barnhart on Tuesday afternoon.

Expect 1-2 staff changes and likely a support staff change. One of the staff changes should be filled with a defensive mind, and the support staff should be (suggestion) filled with someone in a general manager-type role. There will also be some operation changes such as having a more definitive practice schedule, rather than getting a text the day before/of, and some changes with the NIL model.

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Men's Basketball

Mitch Barnhart Speaks On John Calipari Coming Back As Kentucky Basketball Coach, “He Will Return”

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Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart confirms that John Calipari will return as Kentucky Wildcats basketball coach.
Mike Weaver/Special to the Courier Journal

After days of speculation, Kentucky Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart confirms that John Calipari will be back, coaching his 16th season for the Kentucky Wildcats. The two had a conversation at Barnhart’s farm on Tuesday afternoon.

“As we normally do at the end of every season, Coach Calipari and I have had conversations about the direction of our men’s basketball program and I can confirm that he will return for his 16th season as our head coach,” Barnhart said in a statement.

While there was some fan outcry for a head coaching change, there was no real indication that a change would be made.

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Barnhart was put in a difficult situation. Calipari has not led the Wildcats to the second round of the NCAA Tournament since 2019, but he is one of just a few active Hall of Fame coaches. With no clear option as a replacement, Barnhart decided to retain Calipari for another season.

Kentucky Insider has been told that Tuesday’s meeting between the two was “good”, despite some disagreement. As a result of the meeting, there will be some expected changes in the program, specifically some staff changes, and changes in day-to-day operations.

On Monday, Calipari recognized his shortcomings and closed out his show with a commitment to the Kentucky fans:

“That standard of national titles has been here from coach Rupp on. The only thing I am saying to all our fans. I’m going to work… That is a commitment that I give to the fans. I love it. This is what I want. This is it. Let’s come together and let’s do something.”

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Calipari is set to meet with players individually on Wednesday to discuss their stay/go decisions. The process of rebuilding next year’s roster (and staff) begins now.

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Men's Basketball

John Calipari Makes A Commitment to Kentucky Fans, “I’m Going to Work”

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John Calipari at Kentucky men’s basketball practice.
Photo by Chet White | UK Athletics

Since Kentucky’s upset loss to Oakland last week, there has been speculation on whether the program would move on from head coach John Calipari, who has failed to reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament since 2019.

Now four days later, there has still been no official statement from either Calipari or the Athletic Department. That said, Calipari spoke on his season-ending radio show on Monday and it certainly sounded like a man who expects and wants to be coaching at Kentucky next season.

For the better part of an hour, Calipari spoke with humility, answered some direction questions from Tom Leach, and accepted criticism. The main takeaway was that he understands that he has not met the Kentucky standard or his own standard, and changes need to take place. Of course, to many, those are empty words when the results have not been there.

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Calipari closed his show by making a commitment to the fanbase. “That standard of national titles has been here from coach Rupp on,” Calipari said. “The only thing I am saying to all our fans. I’m going to work. That is a commitment that I give to the fans. I love it. This is what I want. This is it. Let’s come together and let’s do something.”

Calipari is expected to meet with Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart on Tuesday afternoon, as he does annually after the season. A lot still weighs on the meeting, but it is expected that Calipari will return. It seems to be heading for a be-all-end-all season for Calipari.

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