Oscar Tshiebwe credits rebounding success to soccer upbringing

Oscar Tshiebwe the goalie paved the way for Oscar Tshiebwe the rebounding machine. During a Zoom with reporters this morning, Tshiebwe credited his success on the basketball boards to his many years playing soccer in Lubumbashi in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Tshiebwe was the goalie for the academy team of TP Mazembe, one of the top pro teams in Africa, when a friend encouraged him to try out basketball because of his height.

“I started playing basketball basically when I was 15,” Oscar said. “So, I played soccer. I was a goalie. You’ve got to catch everything. You’ve gotta fly for everything. If somebody kicked a ball, you’ve got to defend. They better not score. You’ve got to jump, you’ve got to do the best you can. You’ve got to find the ball. So, I think that really helped me to when it comes to basketball.”

Oscar still leads the nation in rebounding, with an average of 15.1 boards per game. He’s on track to break the modern Kentucky Basketball single-season rebounding record set by Julius Randle in 2013-14 (417). The last player in Division I to average at least 16.0 boards per game for a season was Monti Davis from Tennessee State in 1978-79 with 16.2. Oscar’s average is below that, but a few more 20+ nights could put it within reach.

“Every time somebody shoots the ball, my mind is like I’m a goalie,” he said. “I don’t want anybody to score. So the moment I catch the ball and it’s in my hands, I feel like the goal is protected. So, for basketball, what I’ve done in soccer as a goalie is really helping me out here too. In basketball, my eyes are always trying to find the ball and go get it all the time.”

Before the Missouri game, Oscar showed off some of his soccer skills during warm-ups. Shoutout to Mont Dawson for capturing the moment:

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