Just prior to his freshman year of high school, Oscar Tshiebwe made the move to the United States from his home country of the Congo, in pursuit of a basketball career. Yet, there was a problem, he wasn’t very good at basketball.
“When I tell you he was not good at basketball when he got here, he was not good at basketball,” Jay Cinco, Tshiebwe’s grassroots coach, said in an interview with The Athletic. “Always had the motor, but not much else.”
That motor is what has helped develop Tshiebwe into the player he is today, the reigning consensus National Player of the Year and someone who has set program and national records. However, Tshiebwe wants to be remembered for more than the accolades and impressive stats. “My trophies, nobody will probably remember those,” he said last summer. “A trophy for the school is going to be talked about forever.”
Tshiebwe’s quest for a championship is a primary reason that he returned for a second season at Kentucky, but if he is not able to accomplish that this season, could he return for a third year and team up with 2023’s impressive recruiting class?
It’s not likely, especially given the depth of the frontcourt – Onyenso, Bradshaw, & Collins – but Tshiebwe’s agent, Nate Conley, says it’s not out of the realm of possibility. “I’ll be honest, he’s not opposed to it,” Conley says. “He wants to do what’s right for him and his career and his life, and there is that option to come back, so you never know. I think a lot of people would be surprised, but I would tell you Oscar is very open-minded.”
Whether or not he wins a national title, and whether or not he returns for another season, Tshiebwe will still be remembered amongst the greats in Kentucky lore. While his video-game like performances is one reason for that, I would argue it’s not the biggest, that would be his heart and passion for the state of Kentucky.
“I feel like I’m home. I even told my mom, I said, ‘listen, I’m not leaving Kentucky,’” Tshiebwe said last summer. “I’m gonna live in Kentucky. I love farms. I’m going to live in Kentucky one day, on a farm. Because this place, people love me a lot, and I love them.”
That love can be seen with any fan interaction, ranging from children to the those remember the days of Adolph Rupp, creating lasting memories for thousands in the Big Blue Nation. While many great players have donned the Kentucky blue and white, few have been as personable.
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