Oscar Tshiebwe wants to be remembered as someone who cared about others

It was perfect timing for Oscar Tshiebwe to be named the Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association.

Tshiebwe averaged 23.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game in wins over Florida and Auburn last week when he went 20 of 23 from the field. He had already been named Southeastern Conference player of the week but now he’s added the national honor as he prepares for what is likely his last home game tonight against Vanderbilt.

The 25-point outing at Florida was Tshiebwe’s third game this season with at least 25 points and the 10th of his career. He also became the 61st player in program history to amass 1,000 points in a career as a Wildcat and first in the John Calipari era. He came back with 22 points and 17 points against Auburn — his 16th double-double this season and 44th in 61 games at UK — the third best total in school history.

Remember Tshiebwe won the Oscar Robertson Trophy as the national player of the season last year by the USBWA and he went on to sweep all the national player of the year honors.

Tshiebwe is averaging 16.4 points and 12.8 rebounds per game this season and is the only player in the nation averaging at least 15 points, 12 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.0 block per game. Yet it still has not been quite as dominant a season for him after he turned down a chance to try his luck in the NBA to return to UK.

Teams have concentrated their defense on him and his defense has been suspect at times. He also had preseason knee surgery that seemed to slow him down until recently.

Tshiebwe has made it clear he values a national championship over personal  numbers and wants UK fans to remember that as he goes through Senior Night before the Vanderbilt game tonight.

“I want to be known as somebody who came in and fight a lot and helped this school win a championship,” Tshiebwe said. “I want to be remembered as somebody who cared about people and wanted people to do good.”

Tshiebwe transferred to UK from West Virginia and became a fan favorite with his play, off-court demeanor and never-ending faith that he shared with others any time he could.

“I still can’t believe how fast these four years have gone, it seems like yesterday I was a freshman,” he said Tuesday.