Kentucky basketball landed a commitment from West Virginia transfer Oscar Tshiebwe on Sunday, just nine days after the Mountaineers announced that the preseason All-Big 12 selection would be leaving the program due to personal reasons. The 6-foot-9 former McDonald's All-American averaged 11.2 points and 9.3 rebounds as a freshman before seeing his role and productivity decline in the first 10 games this season.
Though Tshiebwe likely will not be eligible until next season at the earliest, landing a proven big man is a big get for the Wildcats, who have become increasingly reliant on transfers to counter-balance their annual influx of talented freshmen. Tshiebwe is not a perimeter or threat or a great rim protector. But he is an elite rebounder and effective post scorer capable of bullying opponents with his physicality.
Walter Cornett, of Glendale, Kentucky, is the owner and operator of Walter's Wildcat World. He founded WildcatWorld.com in 1998 making it one of the oldest Kentucky basketball fan sites in operation today.