(Photo by Jamie Squire / Getty Images)
(Photo by Jamie Squire / Getty Images)
Kentucky has the best basketball transfer prospects on the market for the 2021-22 season.
The center of West Virginia and the former five-star prospect, Oscar Tshiebwe, have committed themselves to Kentucky and preferred the Wildcats amid offers and interest from Illinois, Miami (FL) and North Carolina, among others.
After being put out for the rest of the 2020-’21 season, the latest Wildcat has three years to qualify from 2021-22.
Tshiebwe, a 9-foot-260-inch centimeter, originally from the Congo, averaged 8.5 points and 7.8 rebounds in ten games as a sophomore before entering the transfer portal last week. The former five-star prospect, who boasts an impressive 7-foot-5 wing, led West Virginia in first and first time, respectively, with 11.2 points and 9.3 boards per game. It was a first-year campaign that earned him the All-Big 12 Second Team and All-Freshman Team honors, along with the Preseason All-Big 12 Team honors entering the current season. CBS Sports named the former WVU center as the no. 15-player in college basketball before the 2020-21 season called.
Prior to his time at Morgantown, Tshiebwe was regarded by 247Sports and Rivals.com as a five-star prospect, ranking the standout center as number 23 and no. 26 in the class of 2019. ESPN showed him as a four-star prospect and the no. 48 in his class.
He was also named a McDonald’s All-American in 2019, a match in which he finished with a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds in 18 minutes.
At the legendary All-American Game, Tshiebwe told KSR that he is very fond of British head coach John Calipari and what the Kentucky basketball program has to offer.
“It was a tough decision because I like Kentucky and like Coach Calipari,” Tshiebwe said. ‘But I ended up in West Virginia because it was a school I was (growing up) thinking about. I like the way they play, I like the coach, I like the program. So I finally went there. ”
And if he has not signed with the mountaineers, he is on his way to Lexington.
Coach Calipari told me, ‘I want to coach you! Come play for me! I’m going to coach you and help you become a good player. I will help you achieve your dreams. … Kentucky was second. ‘
It may not have been immediate, but Tshiebwe finally found his way to Lexington two years later.
Check out the latest Wildcat highlights:
Welcome home, Mr Tshiebwe.