
Kentucky vs Robert Morris, November 12, 2021, Lexington, Kentucky, USA. Photo by Walter Cornett / Three Point Shots
During the media blitz prior to the 2021-22 men’s basketball season, Kentucky forward Oscar Tshiebwe had some big goals. He spoke of doing things that had never been done in the history of the storied UK basketball program.
Tshiebwe openly said that he wanted to average 20 rebounds per game. That was a lofty goal, especially considering a couple of historical items.
First, in the last 36 years, only two players have managed to average double figures in rebounds for the Cats. National Player of the Year Anthony Davis averaged 10.4 rebounds during the 2011-12 national championship season. And Julius Randle averaged 10.4 boards per contest, with his coming in the 2013-14 national runner-up season.
Taking it one step further, in the last 48 years, only three Wildcats have posted double digit rebounding averages. In addition to Davis and Randle, Kenny Walker grabbed 10.2 rebounds per game in 1984-85.
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.
