LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky junior and Kennedy Catholic High School graduate Oscar Tshiebwe was named the Naismith Trophy Player of the Week after a pair of Wildcats wins, including an 80-62 triumph at No. 5 Kansas on Jan. 29.
Tshiebwe averaged 19.0 points and 18.0 rebounds per game in wins over Mississippi State and Kansas. In the game against the Jayhawks, he scored 21 points and pulled down 22 rebounds.
He became the first UK player to have a 20-20 performance since Mike Phillips had two such games in 1976.
At Kennedy Catholic, Tshiebwe helped lead the Golden Eagles to a pair of state titles as a junior and senior.
Tshiebwe leads the country in rebounds per game (15.1), offensive rebounds per game (5.1), offensive rebounding percentage (20.1%) and defensive rebound percentage (36.5%). He has amassed 317 total rebounds on the season, 46 more than the next closest player this season.
The 255-pound forward has five 20 or more rebounding efforts, tying Blake Griffin and Tim Duncan for the most by a major-conference player since 1996-97. Only one other player has at least two such games.
Averaging 16.3 points per game, Tshiebwe is looking to become the first Division I player to average at least 15.0 points per game and at least 15.0 rebounds per game since Drake’s Lewis Lloyd and Alcorn State’s Larry Smith each did during the 1979-80 season.
