What Oscar Tshiebwe's return means for Kentucky

The first major domino of Kentucky basketball’s offseason has fallen, and it’s arguably the most important. Oscar Tshiebwe, the consensus 2021-22 National Player of the Year, will return to school for his senior year.

It’s a decision that comes after weighing his professional options, but with the help of NIL, a return to Kentucky was possible. The 6-foot-9, 255-pound center now becomes the first reigning NPOY to return to school since Tyler Hansbrough in 2008-09, earning consensus honors before leading North Carolina to a national title as a senior.

What does Tshiebwe’s decision mean for Kentucky? Well, it’s big. Really big.

Kentucky has its superstar back

Let’s start with the basics. Tshiebwe averaged a team-high 17.4 points and nation-high 15.1 rebounds on the year to go with 1.8 steals, 1.6 blocks and 1.1 assists in 31.9 minutes per contest. He was the most dominant player in college basketball from start to finish, unstoppable in the post.

It wasn’t just a dominant season, it was a historic one. He became 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.

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

Replacing that level of production through the transfer portal would have been impossible. It would have put the Wildcats in an incredibly difficult position moving forward, a glaring hole in the post.

Fortunately for Kentucky, that production is back for a second year in Lexington.

Recruiting efforts just got easier this offseason

Rather than finding replacement options, Kentucky now has the opportunity to build around a player unlike any other in program history. A walking double-double with a glowing, fun-loving personality, he’s a teammate’s dream. Players want to play with Tshiebwe, and it puts the Wildcats in a phenomenal spot moving forward as the roster rebuild continues.

Who wouldn’t want to play with a guy who averages 5.3 offensive rebounds per game and creates second-chance opportunities at an unprecedented rate? If you’re a go-to scorer and shooter, he’s the ultimate cushion. You have freedom to let shots go knowing a ball magnet like Tshiebwe is down low, a safety net.

And above all else, you know the star center is coming back to win games. His season ended on a sour note, winning all of the individual accolades with no team awards to close things out. John Calipari will want nothing more than to build a contending team around Tshiebwe to close out his career the right way. Transfers will be drooling to be a part of that success, pushing to help return a blue-blood program like Kentucky back to title status.

The Shaedon Sharpe situation is what it is, one that remains up in the air. What couldn’t happen, though, is losing both players this offseason and being forced to find their replacements. It would’ve been too much production to make up with minimal game-changing options available for the taking. Now, you have at least one clear star back, one complementary options will be drooling to join in Lexington next season.

Momentum shifts back in Kentucky’s favor

Let’s face it, the last five weeks have sucked. Losing to 15-seed St. Peter’s in the first round and then being forced to watch other top blue bloods make runs to the Final Four is about as deflating as it gets. All of the jokes and jabs from rival fanbases have been relentless, but clearly deserved. Kentucky needed good news — something, anything — to flip that momentum back in the Wildcats’ favor moving forward.

How about a once-in-a-lifetime talent who shattered just about every single-season record Kentucky has to offer? What about one of the most beloved players in program history, a selfless talent who puts his faith, coaches and teammates before himself every time a microphone is put in front of his face?

That’s who Kentucky is getting back for a second year.

There is now a part two to Tshiebwe’s story

The star center’s legacy in college will no longer be overshadowed by a single loss in the NCAA Tournament. Tshiebwe will now get a second chance to build on the history he made in year one at Kentucky with the team accolades he missed out on. He gets the chance to rewrite the story, turning a devastating upset into a brief speed bump.

The 6-foot-9 center will now get his own revenge tour, a well-deserved part two to a story that had more chapters to be written. Tshiebwe’s decision allows us to turn the page on St. Peter’s and focus entirely on making a title run in 2022-23.