Contrary to the old expression, Oscar Tshiebwe is getting his second chance to make a first impression at Kentucky.
Once a coveted recruit of the Wildcats, Tshiebwe opted to sign with West Virginia and played his first two seasons of college basketball with Bob Huggins' Mountaineers.
Although the 6-foot-9, 260-pound center/forward played well at West Virginia -- averaging 11.2 points and 9.3 rebounds per game as a freshman and posting similar numbers early in his sophomore season -- the former McDonald's All-American and five-star prospect found himself unhappy in Morgantown and decided to enter the transfer portal at the end of December.
His second chance with UK did not take long to materialize.
"I chose West Virginia over Kentucky and went to West Virginia, but Kentucky was my school, my favorite school, my dream school since my freshman year in high school," Tshiebwe said Wednesday in a Zoom video conference. "I ended up choosing West Virginia but look what God did. He sent me to the place I always prayed for to be.
"... The way God does things differently than how we do things, we just have to find his way.”
Tshiebwe, a native of the Congo, cited strong faith and his relationship with UK head coach John Calipari as the two biggest factors in his decision to find a new college home.
According to Tshiebwe, even after Calipari lost the first recruiting battle for his services, the coach offered his congratulations and encouragement to succeed at West Virginia.
He also remembered these words: "There will be nothing easy in life no matter where you go."
"After I decided to leave, I had everybody in the country call me and tell me how much they’re going to help me and how much they’re going to give me and how much they can do, but I wanted to hear from Coach Cal," Tshiebwe said.
The feeling was mutual, an easy decision on both ends. The only potential snag was Calipari's long relationship with Huggins.
“We recruited Oscar two years ago and absolutely fell in love with his effort, his energy and his desire to improve,” the UK boss said in a press release from the school after announcing that Tshiebwe had joined the program. “... There is no question his time at West Virginia was well spent playing for a terrific coach and friend in Bob Huggins."
Tshiebwe understands there is a different culture and spotlight at Kentucky. He embraces it.
“For what Coach means, Kentucky isn’t for everyone," he said. "This place is for the people who really need to reap success, who really need something in their life. For me, being in this place is a blessing. It is hard work and a belief in God because the best gifts always come from God. God gave me a gift and you need to work for it. So, I’m so happy being here and I feel like I deserve to be here and to help this team.”
Tshiebwe (pronounced SHEE-bway) gives the Cats some much-needed physicality in the frontcourt. He is expected to join sophomore forward Lance Ware and five-star freshman Daimion Collins as the primary big men in UK's rotation.
“Oscar has a rare combination of strength and skill with tremendous length," Calipari said.
Tshiebwe, who owns a 7-foot-5 wingspan, made his presence known while practicing with the Cats in the second semester. Although he could not help a struggling UK club in actual games, he quickly picked up on what his main role will be in the future.
"We really struggled last year with rebounding," Tshiebwe said. "It is something that I really bring to the table, too. I’m a fighter. I go for every rebound.
"... We did not have a lot of muscle in there. Like, I thought there were some people that kind of bullied us a little. I’m going to be ready for them.”
The afable Tshiebwe acknowledged that he can be a totally different person on the court than the one people see off the court.
“When you’re outside, yeah, you enjoy spending time with people," he said. "Laughing is the gift God gave me. But when you get on the court, it’s time for business. It’s time to take care of (business). That’s my job. Like, when I’m out there, there’s no time to joke around. It’s time to get business done, and we’ve got to win. It’s all about winning."
