Oscar Tshiebwe believes Kentucky is a good team that is only going to get better. (UK Athletics Photo)
What is it like having to practice against 255-pound Oscar Tshiebwe daily? Let Kentucky sophomore Lance Ware, UK’s backup center, explain.
“It’s fantastic. He brings physicality, energy,” said Ware. “Oscar and I are some of the happiest guys on the court. Every practice we are ready to go against each other.
“Some days he might get the best of me, some days I might get the best of him. But we all know there’s a common goal. We are all trying to get each other better. I’m getting him better, he’s getting me better, we are helping the team get better. Oscar has a high motor and I definitely have to work more just to get in the same shape he is.”
Freshman point guard TyTy Washington quickly realized the importance of having a powerful center like Tshiebwe as a teammate.
“I remember there was a possession tonight where I missed a shot, but Oscar rebounded it,” Washington said after the Blue-White Game. “I always know that when I’m playing with him and he’s underneath the rim, anything we put up is either in or a reset for another possession.”
Tshiebwe had 25 points and 21 rebounds in the Blue-White Game. No matter what Ware did, he could not stop him.
“He’s 260. I’m 220. He’s a big guy. I try, but I need to work on positioning and try to not fight him as much and get the ball when it’s up top. But you know just, his motor helps him a lot,” Ware said.
The good thing about Tshiebwe is that he is just as impressed with his teammates as they are with him.
“We are getting better. We have a good team, and we are going to do good this year. We got more (to give) and we got a lot of energy to compete with others,” the West Virginia transfer said.
“Whenever you go 100 percent, all the time, like the coach says, ‘If you aren’t coming in here to fight, don’t expect to play because we are going to put in somebody who wants to fight.’ That’s why we always go 100 percent so we can help each other. We want to win it all every game, but if we don’t do our best, go hard all the time, we aren’t going to beat people who are working harder.”
