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West Virginia men’s basketball transfer Oscar Tshiebwe has signed up to Kentucky, he announced Sunday night.
“I am grateful for the time I spent in West Virginia and the lessons I learned. I spent a lot of time praying to God to help me make the best decision for my future, ”Tshiebwe wrote on Twitter. “I am excited about this new chapter in my life. I will continue my career at the University of Kentucky #BBN”
I am grateful for the time I spent in West Virginia and the lessons I learned. I spent a lot of time praying to God to help me make the best decision for my future. I am excited about this new chapter in my life. I will continue my career at the University of Kentucky #BBN pic.twitter.com/rm08UwtDBI
– Big O (@ Oscartshiebwe34) January 11, 2021
Tshiebwe picked the Wildcats over Miami, NC State and Illinois. He will train with the team this season and be eligible for the 2021-22 campaign.
West Virginia announced on New Years Day that Tshiebwe was stepping down from the program, and the productive big man entered the transfer portal days later. Tshiebwe attracted interest from a long list of programs following his transfer, but held Zoom meetings on Thursday and Friday with the aforementioned four schools.
Miami was considered the frontrunner shortly after Tshiebwe’s announcement because he was in Florida training, sources told ESPN, but Kentucky caught up after Tshiebwe spoke with the coach. Wildcats chief John Calipari then had a Zoom call with the team on Friday night.
Tshiebwe entered the NBA Draft last summer before removing his name, and sources have told ESPN he could test the drafts again this spring. However, after being screened as a second-round pick in ESPN’s 2021 mock draft last summer, he fell from his Top 100 ranking after the opening weeks of this season.
A tall 6-foot-9 man from Congo, Tshiebwe was one of the country’s top freshmen last season, averaging 11.2 points and 9.3 rebounds. He was named to the All-Big 12 preseason squad this season, but struggled for most of the first half of the season. He averaged 8.5 points and 7.8 rebounds before transferring, and his minutes fell below 20 per game.
Tshiebwe was a former top 50 rookie in 2019 class.
Kentucky has a number of potential NBA Draft contenders on this season’s roster, although it’s unclear which will turn pro and which will return to Lexington. Either way, Tshiebwe is expected to help replace Olivier Sarr, a former transfer from Wake Forest who is set to leave after this season.
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