Seth Greenberg Expects Oscar Tshiebwe to Return to Kentucky

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Vicky Graff Photo

ESPN analyst Seth Greenberg understands the roster construction problems that Kentucky coach John Calipari faces now with NIL and the transfer portal changing the college basketball landscape.

However, Greenberg is the first prominent national media member I know who expects two-time all-American Oscar Tshiebwe to return to Kentucky for another season.

Greenberg was on the “Dan Patrick Show” earlier this week and talked about what Calipari should be doing with his roster for next season now that the “one-and-done” players are not the key to winning national championships.

“That’s why he’s got to complement it in the (transfer) portal,” Greenberg told Patrick. “He’s got to get Oscar Tshiebwe to come back, first and foremost, which I think he will end up coming back.”

That’s different from what the majority of those close to the Kentucky basketball program believe but Greenberg is close — and I mean really close — with Calipari so he may have information many others are not privy to.

However, even if Tshiebwe returns, Greenberg knows Calipari has to do more to have a championship contender next season.

“He’s gotta complement DJ Wagner and that recruiting class. He’s gotta complement them with juniors and seniors that will be great role players. Juniors and seniors in the portal that will basically coach their locker room,” Greenberg said.

“You’re only as good as your locker room. Whatever we do, you’re only as good as the people you surround yourself with.”

The ESPN analyst used NCAA champion Connecticut as an example of the new roster construction in college basketball.

Greenberg then pivoted to how UConn’s season unfolded one day after it won the national championship.

“You can’t win, I don’t think with five freshmen, you need veteran maturity, toughness, that can coach your locker room that when you go and lose six of eight (games like UConn did),” he told Patrick.

44 Responses

  1. That NIL and Transfer Portal sure presents such difficult problems for Calipari. All of his defenders tell us this non-stop.

    However, they never have an explanation about how other coaches manage to succeed with NIL and the transfer portal.

    1. Funny how only one of those “successful coaches” won the NCAA tournament this year. I guess that when your fan base considers “success” to mean something less than winning it all, it’s a lot easier.

    2. Cal is the only coach that had to deal with Covid.

      He’s the only coach dealing with the transfer portal.

      He’s the only coach dealing with fans that have high expectations.

      He’s the only coach that deals with players injuries.

      Poor pitiful Cal.

      1. You complete dipshit. Cal is one of the few coaches who took Covid seriously. While other programs were shut down for weeks, UK didn’t miss any games because of its strict protocols that hurt the team.

        1. Cal defenders have every excuse in the book for his shortcomings. They learned from the used car salesman themselves.

    3. Absolutely no one has proven they can consistently succeed with NIL and the portal. Even if last year you thought you had figured NIL and the portal out, it is all rapidly evolving. Look at the number of well established key players that have entered the portal this year. Why can’t we see this?

        1. Elite 8 finishes in 2017 and 2019 and we didn’t get to see what the 2020 team could’ve done. So where is his failing? Sorry he ran into GREAT TEAMS in the elite 8and didn’t win it all.

          1. When playing against better competition is when you need good coaching and Calipari does not possess that ability anymore.
            He has not evolved with the times.

          2. Auburn without their best player in 2019 was a great team?
            How about Kansas State in 2018?
            Indiana in 2016?
            St. Pete 2022?
            Kansas State 2023?

            We don’t even want to bring 9-16 2021 up!!

            In 2017 he did lose to a UNC team equal in talent.

            In 5 of his last 6 tournaments he has lost to a less talented team 5 times.
            An equally talented team once.

            And had the worst season in 100 years for KY basketball.

            He Sucks!!

      1. cal is an average couch who is one of the great recruiters.
        No, I am not a Cal hater because I might disagree with your train of thought.

    4. Uhh cause 1 team a year wins the title lol. Theres your answer it took one second to think of it lol. Who are these coaches winning multiple championships in the NIL era? Oh yeah 0 cause it been around 2 years lol. Also coaches arent winning multiple championships in the 1 and done era either, it keeps getting harder thats why an FAU can be a predicted top 10 team next season. Never could have happened in the past. If you cant handle that your team will win the title once every 15ish years at best then your watching the wrong sport. Kentucky fans being such unrealistic babies puts Cal in an impossible spot until the fans come to the realization of college basketball nowadays, this isnt the 50’s, I know most kentucky fans are from that age group but they better learn quick whats going on before they die.

      1. We are not all whining crybaby fans at Kentucky,but I have to say there is a lot of them and unfortunately they are the loudest.Its because of these idiots a coaches shelf life in Lexington is about 10 years and Cal is expired milk to them.They don’t understand its not our right to win it all every year,lol.Cal had years like this early on in between the final 4 appearances hell even in years we made final 4 runs.I could have made this comment shorter and said I’m in agreement with you we have far too many useless idiots in our fanbase

  2. Calipari’s problem is that he falls in love with a pet and sacrifices team success to make that pet a lottery pick. Onyenso is gone as a result of that. Oscar may be back, but he needs to play the 4 spot and Crawford is already calling for that spot. Oscar pretty much has to come back since he didn’t do what the pros said he needed to do…develop an outside shot. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Oscar go the transfer route to a team that will let him do that. It won’t matter much because Wagner and Dillingham will be taking 60% of the team’s shots next year. Maybe Calipari will leave if he produces one more lottery pick.

    1. NO he’s not the problem. Half of the fans are because they jump off of the band wagon and gripe about them winning

      1. Calipari is taking a once Elite basketball program to the scrap heap and many of his loyal followers cannot see that.

        I choose the success of our Kentucky Basketball Program over the Calipari ‘used car sales pitch’.

    2. Would love to see the Billy Gillespie days come back ehh? Lol You think anyone is gonna come in and recruit or bring in transfers anywhere near Calipari? Well history says otherwise. I would love for Cal to leave to a fan base that actually cared abt him and appreciated him, and was under 75 years old. Kentucky is nothing without him so pay him his 80 mil and let him leave I am sure he would be happy too. Then Mitch can keep putting the resources into making the football team a perennial .500 team lol. He has turned so many of Cals requests down that any school who wants to compete would do. There was a big story abt it in the lexington herald I think its called abt 2 months ago, go read it. Then you will see what Cal has to deal with.

      1. Cameron, why don’t you go with Calipari when he leaves and he will leave in a couple of years.

    1. Oscar’s FG % for 2021- 2022 : 60.6%; for 2022 – 2023: 56%; leading rebounder in NCAA division 1 two seasons in a row. Seems pretty unskilled but, every other player in college basketball must be unskilled as well. I guess the facts don’t matter if they don’t fit with your opinion.

  3. I continue to be amazed by the lowering of the bar.

    I don’t know if Oscar will be back or play elsewhere next year, but he will be playing at the collegiate level.

    UGonna is Gonna.

    First Round Exits are not satisfactory. To attempt to make an equivalency with demanding championships is absurd on its face, but that is because the Calipari defenders have no real defense of the indefensible.

    1. I can agree with that! He’s a true 4 in the NBA, so needs to learn that position. He had to sacrifice bc UK didn’t have true centers that were ready!

  4. I’ll take Oscar for another year and Another 13.7 or 15.1 rebounds a game. Hes the only all american player in the history of college basketnall that has some stupid fans not wanting him back.
    Come on back big O and show the disrespectful ones you can win a title.
    If he transfers he will kick our ass if we meet him down the road, ‘MARK IT DOWN’ 20+ BOARDS AND 20+ POINTS and I would be for him on that night😁

  5. I’ve thought Oscar was being pushed by Calipari to leave. The two of them apparently don’t get along very well. Now that Onyenso has hightailed it out the program, perhaps Greenberg’s comments are what Calipari wants Oscar to know since Oscar’s rebounding prowess will be key to next season’s results.

  6. It is hilarious how the arm chair coaches think they know best. If you were that smart you would be a Coach. How did the "basketball benny" lineup work out. I would say the Cats have over a million fans. It’s the same 0.00001% that whine everyday. Misery loves company.

    1. Failures love failing in life. It’s like a family raised on welfare. They continue to be on welfare because they thinks it’s normal.

      People accepting of the current state of our program have t be failures in life waiting on that government check to roll in.

  7. My mom and I were on welfare when I was a kid. She worked a job everyday but couldn’t make ends meet. My so called dad was a rich prick like you who ran off and left us. By the way I am a engineer now making 6 figures, so your racist welfare theory isn’t really true.

    1. Poor example by me.

      I just don’t understand how Cal defenders continue to accept mediocrity while he takes the program to all time lowes.

      1. Don’t let what that guy said about your comment guilt you into taking back what you said or saying it was a poor example because the way you worded it was perfect. Your example had absolutely NOTHING and I repeat NOTHING to do with race. He is the one who made it about race. And it’s folks like him that keep the whole racism issue a big deal. Because he obviously has no clue on how to let things go and move on and apparently has to make everything into a race thing. So again I say your comment was spot on and couldn’t have been worded any better.

  8. Give me Dickerson for Ugonna
    Ware for Damion Collins
    Chris Ledlum for Livingston (if he enters draft)
    Dalton Knecht for CJ
    & Jamarion Sharp (7’5 from WKU & Ky)….. Then bring back Reeves,Thero, & Ware…. Plus the Five freshmen coming in 💙🤍💙🤍 #9 #bbn

  9. Cal method of operation is to " out talent" other teams. He thought this crop would be his best chance but they’re average at best and he can’t develop the portal guys like most coaches so he’s screwed again.

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