Time as practice player served UK’s Tshiebwe well in becoming SEC Player of the Year
Sahvir Wheeler made a confession Tuesday. Before Kentucky’s team left campus for the short drive to Rupp Arena and the final home game last week, he was irritated with Oscar Tshiebwe.
“I was kind of mad at Oscar,” Wheeler said. “… He was already kind of late to the bus.”
The problem was several fans were outside the bus. Tshiebwe insisted on signing autographs and posing for pictures.
“That just shows he really cares about every single fan,” Wheeler said. “He wants every single fan to think they had an impact. Or he can make their day with a smile or a picture. That just shows who he is.”
Earlier Tuesday, Kentucky learned that who Tshiebwe is includes being the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year this season. Of course, this has long been a foregone conclusion for the player who heads to the SEC Tournament as UK’s leading scorer and the Division I leader in rebounding.
“If you don’t think he’s Player of the Year, honestly, I don’t think you understand basketball,” Wheeler said. “The impact he has on the game at both ends of the court kind of speaks for itself.”
Tshiebwe thanked God for being named SEC Player of the Year. He said he tried to share the news with his mother, who lives in the family home country of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. She did not answer, he said, but he planned to keep trying.
Before the season, Tshiebwe said he hoped to average 20 rebounds per game. He will go into this week’s SEC Tournament averaging 15.3 rebounds.
His goals for the postseason?
“Try to up to 20,” he said. “When you keep working like I always work, it’s going to help your team.”
Tshiebwe came to UK as a transfer from West Virginia at the semester break of the 2020-21 school year. He said he benefited from being a practice player last season.
“I learned a lot of plays,” he said. “I learned how they’re playing.
“At this moment, I’m just good. Like, I’m good.”
If needed, that goodness could even extend to the three-point line, Tshiebwe said.
UK Coach John Calipari has suggested three-pointers not be a priority, though.
“We have many three-point shooters; we don’t have so many ‘bigs,’” Tshiebwe recalled being told. “… If they need me to make a three to win a game, I’ll step out there and make a three.”
Besides the numbers and on-court presence, Tshiebwe also serves to uplift the Kentucky team, TyTy Washington said.
“It’s really rare you see Oscar being mad or down or anything like that,” Washington said. “Every time you see him, he always has a smile on his face. He has really great energy.”
This leads Washington to tease his teammate in an attempt to rile him. It doesn’t succeed.
“I call him a big, friendly giant,” Washington said.
Tshiebwe expects to carry that upbeat attitude into this postseason.
“The best thing you can do in your life is to stay positive,” he said.
Calipari has seemingly frowned on Tshiebwe on not alerting referees to contact made by opponents. But Tshiebwe did not sound convinced he should.
“I don’t complain,” he said. “I don’t say anything. I Just go out there and fight.
“When you stay positive in every negative situation, you’re always going to be a champion.”
This story was originally published March 8, 2022 at 2:02 PM.
