Vicky Graff Photo
NEW YORK – Former Kentucky men’s basketball star Oscar Tshiebwe (2022-23) was named the 2023-24 Kia G League Rookie of the Year.
Much like he did with the Wildcats, Tshiebwe rewrote the record books in his first season as a two-way contract player with the Indiana Pacers and the Indiana Mad Ants. The Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo native set the league’s all-time rebounding record with an average of 16.2 per game in 23 games played with the Mad Ants this season. The previous record was owned by Dwayne Jones in 2009-10 when he averaged 16.1 per outing.
Tshiebwe averaged just 27.2 minutes per game, resulting in a per-48 average of 28.6 rebounds per game. He had seven games with 20 or more boards. In the final month of the season, Tshiebwe averaged 19.3 points and 19.6 rebounds per game.
During his rookie year, Tshiebwe set new single-season Mad Ant franchise records for total rebounds (530), offensive rebounds (200) and defensive rebounds (330). He broke the Mad Ants’ single-game rebounding record with 28 against Motor City on Nov. 2. He also broke the franchise record for defensive rebounds in a single game that night with 20.
Offensively, Tshiebwe ranked fourth in single-season franchise history with a 57.4% field-goal clip. He was just the second Mad Ant to ever participate in NBA All-Star activities as he was a part of the Rising Stars game in Indianapolis in February. He also participated in the NBA G League Up Next games and hit the winning free throw in the championship game.
He is the second player in franchise history to earn G League Rookie of the Year honors, joining Tony Mitchell who achieved the honor in 2013.
Tshiebwe is perhaps the most decorated player in UK history. He became the program’s first unanimous National Player of the Year in 2022 after pacing the nation in rebounding and setting numerous records.
He returned for a second season and became just the ninth player in program history to earn consensus All-America honors in at least two seasons. He led the Cats with 16.5 points and a nation-best 13.7 boards per game as a senior.
Tshiebwe averaged 16.9 points and 14.4 rebounds per game in 66 UK appearances. He finished his career ranking tied for second in career double-doubles (48), sixth in all-time career rebounds (952) and 48th in scoring (1,117).
Kentucky has enjoyed unprecedented success at putting players in the NBA under John Calipari. During the Calipari era, 47 players have been selected in the NBA Draft, more than any other school. Included in the recent run are 35 first-round picks, three No. 1 overall selections (Anthony Davis, Karl-Anthony Towns and John Wall) and 23 lottery selections. A staggering 26 players from Kentucky were on 2023-24 NBA opening-day rosters (including two-way and inactive lists), the most of any school.
Calipari’s players are not only reaching the next level, but they are also succeeding when they do. Since 2010, nine Calipari-coached players have garnered 39 All-Star selections. Derrick Rose (from Memphis) was named league MVP in 2011. Nine of his players have been tabbed All-NBA (Devin Booker, DeMarcus Cousins, De’Aaron Fox, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Julius Randle, Rose, Wall, Davis, and Towns), three have been named NBA Rookie of the Year (Rose, Tyreke Evans and Towns), Randle was tabbed the NBA’s Most Improved Player in 2021, Tyler Herro won NBA Sixth Man of the Year in 2022, Fox was tabbed the Clutch Player of the Year in 2023 and 15 players have made the NBA All-Rookie teams.
Among all active collegiate coaches, Calipari has more total players (10) and more total All-Star selections (39) than any other coach.
3 Responses
I’m not impressed with the pseudo-coach. He has only manipulated his position at UK to pretend to make kids millionaires when in fact the players who became pros were going to go the the NBA anyway and many would have done better in college if they had a REAL coach who understands BB and actually coaches by developing individuals into a cohesive unit with team-first attitudes resulting in regular season & post season Championships.
The fraud…
1. Sacrificed
• UK BB wins
• UK BB Championships
2. Cheated players with more talent & more team oriented out of minutes in favor of less productive & much less efficient players because they were not his “1 & dunn” pets
3. Proved he can NOT coach because he failed at developing players into team players and fell short year after year in the post-season.
4. Disgraced UK, the BBN, Rupp, Hall & Pitino (all who recruited, developed & molded players into UK National Champions) when
he falsely claimed on National TV that the 2010 draft greatest day in UK BB history.
5. Continues to rob UK of millions of dollars which he should report as “unearned income”
6. Continues to speak down to the BBN in his arrogant condescending rambling partial sentences
7. And much more at the cost of UK BB being tarnished more & more every season.
8. And many more…
UK has won ZERO National Championships with rosters void of a Kentucky HS player being in a key role for UK.
Darius Miller was recruited BEFORE the fraud arrived.
The fraud has refused to recruit &/or offer scholarships to dozens of KY HS players who went elsewhere and had very good CAREERS (not a few months pretending to be a student).
Anyone who supports, defends, loves, worships, says “give him 1 more year” &/or other such nonsense does NOT truly understand UK BB history, does not care about UK BB history &/or is under the influence of fraud-aid!
Fire the fraudster!
All the take-offs of the fraud are just awesome titles!
MY MISTAKE.
Posted on the wrong thread.
OSCAR is one of the most wonderful persons to ever set foot on the UK campus, an amazing rebounder better than most in history, with only players such as Wilt Chamberlain, the greatest BB player as a pro of all time in the same elite level rebounding.
Oscar is a genuine testimony of the Lord Jesus with a graciously humble spirit and amazing enthusiasm to share the gospel.
Many thanks to Oscar for going UK not only 1 year, but 2 years. With a real coach, UK would have developed Ugo and the presence of those 2 inside would have been dominance on defense, ownership of the boards & an inside threat as good or better than any other 2 bigs in the nation.
Imagine Oscar, a developed Ugo with a real coach and Sheppard & Dillingham at the 2 guards. Thiero, Burks & Mitchell sharing time starting some games and backing up the bigs.
Reeves would have to compete with those 3 and the 2 bigs for his minutes and starting opportunities as well as a solid back-up for the 2 starting guards.
Imagine the 2 guards projected by some to be Top 10 draft picks starting to jump start UK with a quick lead instead of of being in a hole dug by the fraud pets. That would set the stage for another 38 game win streak (at which point some good hearted KY mountain boys with a deep live for UK BB would have the fraud as a guest for a few days in a nice big cabin overlooking the mountains full of bears, after which he would be escorted safely out of the mountains past any bears, safely to his own house, & given a newspaper to read about UK winning the National Championship while he was on vacation.
At this point if you’re a UK grad or any other awesome fan in the BBN, just try not to wake up because the current status of UK BB is in the hands of the “stinky” AD and the fraudulistic ego-maniac.
Congrats Oscar, really miss you at KY. Wish the best for you. Your a good man and represented Our state well!