Oscar Tshiebwe sells out first youth camp in Lexington
Oscar Tshiebwe made his anticipated return to Lexington for his first-ever youth basketball camp — an overwhelming success. Unable to participate in similar events as a Wildcat due to student visa limitations with NIL, the former Kentucky superstar went big in the debut of Oscar Camp, selling out all spots.
320 campers attended in total inside the Sports Center in Lexington, well over 100 added to a waitlist for the next go-round, event officials told KSR. Tshiebwe actually pushed for a second session later in the evening to accommodate everyone hoping to participate, but instead agreed on a follow-up camp at a later date.
A line out the door, every seat filled to see and learn from Tshiebwe.
The ovation was about what you’d expect for one of the most beloved players to ever sport a Kentucky uniform. Young fans (and their parents, of course) filling the room with cheers as Tshiebwe made his grand appearance.
“To be here with all these people, it makes me so happy. I’m really happy to be back,” Tshiebwe told reporters at camp. “It means a lot to me to be here. I walk in here and there are like 300 kids, and that makes me so happy. I wanted them to see an example of how to help other people, especially the young ones.”
And Big O made sure to bring some friends with him, as the entire current Kentucky basketball roster also signed up to help coach. Every single player was in attendance: DJ Wagner, Aaron Bradshaw, Justin Edwards, Rob Dillingham, Antonio Reeves, Tre Mitchell, Reed Sheppard, Adou Thiero, Joey Hart, Jordan Burks, Kareem Watkins, Walker Horn, Grant Darbyshire, and Brennan Canada. The players were separated into different age groups and skill drills. Older kids scrimmaged with more advanced instruction while younger kids learned the basics — the Wildcats adjusting to all levels.
The MVP among current Wildcats? Aaron Bradshaw — and it really wasn’t close. The 7-foot-1 big man was incredible with the kids, a common theme for him at all public events since arriving on campus. Nothing short of a joy to be around, moving around and participating while encouraging campers from start to finish.
He’s in the final stages of getting that boot off — he’s itching to get on the floor and suit up with his teammates — but Bradshaw is going above and beyond to embrace life as a role model during his time at Kentucky.
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“I’m blessed. Blessed to have all of my former teammates and the current team here. It’s great,” Tshiebwe added. “The people here are having fun. It means a lot that they are here because I’m all about helping kids.”
Tre Mitchell and Brennan Canada spoke to the media during camp about their experience and overall shock seeing the sold-out crowd there to meet Oscar.
“It speaks for itself how many people popped out today,” Mitchell said. “You can just tell he’s a genuine dude and he means well. People can see that and they gravitate toward him.”
“Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect, but when I walked through, I did not expect this many kids. I think there are over 300 kids here,” Canada added. “I didn’t envision that, but Oscar has great support around here and so does Kentucky basketball. It didn’t surprise me, but I was kind of surprised [laughs].”
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