Oscar Tshiebwe can't wait to tell his mom he won SEC Player of the Year

This morning, Oscar Tshiebwe was named SEC Player of the Year by the league’s coaches and the Associated Press. This is only the start of a long awards season for Oscar, who is the frontrunner for National Player of the Year and a finalist for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award and National Defensive Player of the Year. When asked about the award this afternoon, Oscar thanked God and told reporters he can’t wait to share the news with his mother, who is still in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

“I was happy and I thank God for that. I thank God for everything I ever accomplish. I was happy and I tried to call my mom to tell her I’m SEC Player of the Year. My mom, she did not answer. I’m going to keep trying to call her. She’s got to get the news before it gets dark over there.

“I’m so happy. I thank God for everything in my life. I don’t think I accomplish it on my own. God is helping me so I’m grateful for everything.”

When the news broke last month that Oscar was finally eligible to receive money for his Name, Image, and Likeness, he told The Athletic’s Kyle Tucker that he’s planning to bring his mother to the United States for the SEC or NCAA Tournament. Pick up the phone, Mama Tshiebwe, to hear your son’s good news and get this plan into action!

“If you don’t think he’s the Player of the Year, honestly, I don’t think you understand basketball”

Sahvir Wheeler, who was named All-SEC Second Team this morning, had a blunt assessment of why Oscar deserves SEC Player of the Year.

“He’s National Player of the Year so I’m pretty sure he’s going to be our league’s Player of the Year. If you don’t like Oscar, if you don’t think he’s the Player of the Year, honestly, I don’t think you understand basketball. The effect that he has on the game on both ends of the court kind of speaks for itself. He’s efficient, he makes shots, he can score you on the post, he defends, he protects the rim, he can defend on the perimeter, he’s active with his hands. He impacts winning. And the spirit he does it with also helps him as well. If you don’t think Oscar is the SEC Player of the Year or much less the National Player of the Year, you don’t know basketball.”

Wheeler famously said that Oscar shouldn’t just win Player of the Year, he should win Person of the Year as well. He echoed those remarks today, telling reporters about a time when Oscar’s devotion to the fans almost caused the team to be late to their final home game at Rupp.

“You guys see it. I know you guys aren’t just sitting at home doing the interviews, you guys are out and about and see how Oscar interacts with the fans, how he takes the time to sign every single autograph and take every single picture, build relationships to communicate with everyone who tries to get into contact with him.

“There was one game, our last home game, Ole Miss, I was kind of mad at Oscar before the game because he was already kind of late to the bus and we were trying to get to the arena and there were like 15 fans right outside the lodge waiting for us to get in the van. I’m like, ‘Oscar, come on, bro. We’ve got to go. We have a game. This isn’t after the game where you can stay. We’ve got to go.’ He was like, ‘No, man. I’ve got to sign every picture. I have to take pictures.’ ‘Alright, bro.’

“That just tells you right there that he really cares for every single fan. He wants every single fan to feel like they’ve had an impact so he can make their day with a smile or a picture and that just tells you who he is as a person before a basketball player.”

TyTy Washington, who dubbed Kellan Grady “Granddad,” shared his nickname for Oscar with reporters on Zoom: The Big Friendly Giant.

“He has a really great personality. It’s really rare that you see Oscar mad or down or anything like that. Every time you see him, he always has a smile on his face. He just has really great energy. It’s like dude, sometimes you’ve got to have not great energy — sometimes it’s okay to be a little bit mad. I try my best to rough him up and crack jokes on him. Nothing works. He’s still going to be Oscar. He’s still going to be the same. I call him the Big Friendly Giant because he’s always smiling, always playing and he’s just a really good dude. When his energy touches the team, I feel like this team goes up a whole other notch.”

Oscar on the postseason: “Now, it’s dogfights”

How does a player who already averages 17.3 points and 15.3 rebounds take his game to another level? When asked, Oscar renewed his vow to average 20 rebounds a game and pledged to adopt Kobe Bryant’s “Mamba Mentality.”

“I start trying to get up to 20 [rebounds per game]. When you keep working like I always work, you’re going to help your team. Rebounding wins the game. It gives another chance for your team. It gives you another opportunity in the game. For me, I’m going to go exactly with the same mindset to go out there and just keep dominating. Keep dominating. Because now, we’re done with the regular season. Now it’s dogfights. If you don’t fight, you know you’re going back home. I don’t think I’ll be ready to go home soon. I’ve got to keep fighting. I think I’m going to get my teammates the same Mamba Mentality and just fighting.”

Oscar’s pulled down 20+ rebounds in a game five this season. With the season on the line, the school record in sight, and hopefully his mother in the stands, I wouldn’t put it past him to hit his mark.