Kentucky senior forward Oscar Tshiebwe is solidifying his place in the annals of Kentucky basketball history. The standout from Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, has become the ninth consensus two-time All-American in program history. This remarkable achievement follows his inclusion on the United States Basketball Writer’s Association (USBWA) second team All-America squad announced on Wednesday. Tshiebwe is the first Kentucky player to capture this prestigious honor since Kenny Walker in 1985 and 1986.
Tshiebwe’s distinguished achievement places him alongside other legendary Kentucky Wildcats, including Forest Sale, Ralph Beard, Alex Groza, Cliff Hagan, Cotton Nash, Louie Dampier, Dan Issel, and Walker, who all earned the honor in at least two seasons.
The USBWA is one of the four “major” NCAA-recognized All-America teams used by the NCAA for its consensus All-America teams. With Tshiebwe’s recent recognition by The Sporting News, Associated Press, and the National Association of Basketball Coaches, he is considered a consensus second-team All-America selection for the 2022-23 season.
Tshiebwe has demonstrated exceptional performance on the court, leading the Wildcats in scoring (16.5) and rebounds (13.1) for the second consecutive season. He is the only player in the nation averaging at least 15.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, 1.5 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game, contributing to another successful season for the Wildcats.
In just 64 games for Kentucky, Tshiebwe has already achieved several notable milestones:
- Eighth in program history with 909 rebounds, reaching this mark faster than any other player in Kentucky’s history.
- Accumulated 1,274 career rebounds, which would be the all-time record at Kentucky had he played his entire career there. Issel currently holds the record with 1,078.
- Scored 1,084 points in just two seasons, second only to Bill Spivey’s 1,213 points. Tshiebwe ranks 49th overall in scoring history in the program.
- Third all-time with 47 double-doubles, trailing only Issel (64) and Nash (48).
- Recorded the first 35-point, 20-rebound game for a UK player since 1976 and just the fifth such game in program history, with a 37-point, 24-rebound performance against Georgia this season.
- One of only three players to amass at least 500 rebounds in a season. As a senior, his 394 rebounds are the most of any fourth-year player in school history, surpassing Issel’s mark of 369.
- Set a program record for field-goal percentage with the most attempts, connecting on 12 of 13 (92.3%) shots from the floor against Florida this season.
- Secured seven games of at least 20 rebounds as a Wildcat, equaling the combined total of all UK players since the 1970-71 season.
- Accounted for 34.8% of Kentucky’s rebounds and 39.2% of its offensive boards over two seasons.
- Led the Wildcats to rank first in the country in rebound margin (+9.7) in 2022 and third (+8.8) in 2023, as well as second in offensive rebounding percentage (38.7%) this season.
Tshiebwe’s impressive play has earned him numerous postseason honors and finalist spots for prestigious awards, including USBWA Second-Team All-America, NABC Second-Team All-America, Associated Press Second-Team All-America, Sporting News Third-Team All-America, All-SEC First Team, John R. Wooden Award finalist, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award finalist, and a spot on the Oscar Robertson Trophy late-season watch list.
As Oscar Tshiebwe continues to build on his already exceptional career at Kentucky, he sets a new standard for future Wildcats to follow. His name will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the greats in the storied history of Kentucky basketball.
