Oscar Tshiebwe wins Wooden Award to become unanimous Player of the Year

It’s a clean sweep for Oscar Tshiebwe. It was just announced on SportsCenter that Oscar is the winner of the 2022 John R. Wooden Award, which makes him the first unanimous player of the year in Kentucky Basketball history. He is the second Wooden Award winner in school history, joining Anthony Davis, and will be honored at the Wendy’s Gala at the Los Angeles Athletic Club on Friday, April 8. Previously, Oscar won the five other major national POY awards from the Naismith Memorial Hall of Hame, the Sporting News, the National Association of Basketball Coaches, the Associated Press, and the United States Basketball Writers Association.

Oscar finished the season averaging a team-best 17.4 points and a nation-leading 15.1 rebounds per game. He is the first Division I player to average at least 15.0 points and 15.0 rebounds in a season since Drake’s Lewis Lloyd and Alcorn State’s Larry Smith each accomplished the feat in 1979-80. He’s also the first major-conference player to average at least 16.0 points and at least 15.0 rebounds in a season since Bill Walton at UCLA in 1972-73. Bob Burrow is the last Wildcat to hit those marks, averaging 19.1 points and 17.7 rebounds per contest in 1954-55.

Oscar totaled 515 rebounds this season, pulling down at least 10 boards in all but two games this season. He finished the season with 21 straight games with double-digit rebounds and 16 straight double-doubles to end the year. The 6-foot-9 center totaled 28 double-doubles this year, a new Kentucky single-season record.

Oscar Tshiebwe’s Postseason Honors

• John R. Wooden Award
• Naismith Player of the Year
• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award
• USBWA Oscar Robertson Trophy
• Associated Press Player of the Year
• NABC National Player of the Year
• NABC Pete Newell Big Man of the Year
• NCAA Consensus All-America First Team
• Wooden Award All-America Team
• USBWA First-Team All-America
• NABC First-Team All-America
• Associated Press First-Team All-America
• Sporting News First-Team All-America
• Wooden Award All-America Team
• NABC All-District 20 First Team
• Southeastern Conference Player of the Year (coaches/media)
• All-SEC First Team (coaches/media)
• All-SEC Defensive Team (coaches)
• USBWA District IV Player of the Year
• USBWA All-District IV team
• CBS Sports National Player of the Year
• USA Today National Player of the Year
• USA Today First-Team All-American
• The Athletic’s National Player of the Year
• Sports Illustrated First-Team All-American
• The Field of 68 National Player of the Year
• The Field of 68 First-Team All-America
• College Hoops Today National Player of the Year
• USA Today SEC Player of the Year
• USA Today First-Team All-SEC unanimous selection

Oscar’s future at Kentucky remains uncertain

Will the only unanimous player of the year in program history return to Kentucky for another season? At the Final Four over the weekend, Oscar said he’s still undecided about his future but loves the idea of another year in Kentucky blue and white.

“I’ve been praying about it and I know I have a big decision to make,” Oscar said Sunday on the CBS Sports Network. “It would be great to be in the blue again because I love the place, I love the fans, I love everything about Kentucky. But whatever decision God tells me to do that is what I’m going to do.”

Clearly, a senior season in Lexington appeals to Oscar, but the decision depends on his name, image, and likeness (NIL) situation. Because he has a student visa, he is not allowed to “work,” meaning he can’t do commercials, photoshoots, paid public appearances, autograph tours, etc. However, Oscar’s team of agents and lawyers have found certain ways to allow him to profit off his likeness like the merchandise line he launched with Kentucky Branded. That’s a good start, but merely a fraction of what he could make, which could be more than a second-round contract. The work to get rid of all of the NIL limitations continues as everyone in the Big Blue Nation crosses their fingers for another season with Oscar, specifically John Calipari.

“He’s got to do what’s right for him,” Calipari said Saturday. “We’ve got to have everything in place so he can make the kind of decision that is the best thing for him.”

For now, congrats to Oscar on another incredible feat.