NCAA 2022 BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

April 1, 2022

Oscar Tshiebwe

Mike DeCourcy

USBWA Oscar Robertson Player of the Year Press Conference

MIKE DECOURCY: Hello, I'm Mike DeCourcy. I'm with the Sporting News, Big Ten Network and Fox Sports, was president of the U.S. Basketball Writers in 1995. I think that's before Oscar was born.

In preparing for this, I went and did some research, and I can tell you that there has never been an Oscar who won the Oscar for the Academy Awards. Never been an Oscar. But we've had this Oscar win this award twice and that's why his name is on it, the Oscar Robertson Trophy, one of the greatest players in the history of the game. We're proud to have his name on our award.

And we're overjoyed to give the award -- actually we're not giving it to him, he earned it -- to Oscar Tshiebwe of Kentucky. 17.4 points per game, 15.2 rebounds, the most rebounds per game in Division I basketball since 1979.

Oscar is one of three players, the first since 1978, to average 15 points and 15 rebounds joining the great Lewis Lloyd of Drake and the great Larry Smith of Alcorn State, both tremendous college basketball players.

Oscar is the fourth player to win this award while leading the nation in rebounding. He's such a terrific defensive player. Did so much for the Kentucky Wildcats in a 26-8 season that earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

I can also tell you that there have been six repeat winners of the Oscar Robertson Trophy, including the namesake. And, I don't know, maybe we can get Oscar to come back and try to do this again. So congratulations to Oscar on the Oscar Robertson trophy.

OSCAR TSHIEBWE: Thank you.

Q. Do you want to give a reaction to winning this award?

OSCAR TSHIEBWE: I will do it, yes. The same thing I said before, again. I'm back here again. I just give all the glory back to God because whatever is happening, it is incredible. Give all the glory back to God and thank God for everything.

I thank my family, my coaches, my friends, my teammates, everybody helping me to get where I am today. I am very thankful for all of them. And I'm very grateful. I cannot wait to see what God, he's about to do with me. Thank you very much.

Q. Obviously you're a tenacious rebounder, but where does your passion for rebounding come from?

OSCAR TSHIEBWE: I study a lot. I study a lot. And it took, for me, like, effort. And I feel like it is a gift from God. When you have a gift from God and you know how to use it, that makes you more unstoppable.

So when I knew I had a gift from God about rebounding, then I just take it to another level, just studying, watching the best rebounders, what did they do to become the greatest.

So it just helped me a lot, helped me a lot. Watched the best rebounder, spend the time. Watch myself, watch the person I'm going to go against, watch the team -- what are they going to do to stop me. So just learning and taking time for everything.

Q. How proud do you think you made your home country winning this award?

OSCAR TSHIEBWE: Very proud. Very proud. Actually, a lot of people are very proud of me because what I'm doing is not easy just to come from somewhere and come here and just you get whatever you're getting.

For me it's God. It's God. I put God first in everything I do. I don't do things on my own. I believe God can do anything for anybody who choose to do.

So I'm very -- my country is very proud of me. And I just want to encourage a lot of people, trust in God, you put God first in your work, everything is so possible.

Q. Who are some of your inspirations?

OSCAR TSHIEBWE: My dad. My dad. He was the hardest worker I know. And he inspired me to be the hardest worker, because I grew up in a different situation where my dad had to do too much just to feed us. And he always told me, like, don't ever expect anything from man because only if you want to have high expectations is from God and hard work. So my dad is my hero.

Q. Coming from Kentucky, you are the second recipient of this Oscar Robertson Award after Anthony Davis, another great defensive player and great rebounder. Talk about how that environment of Kentucky kind of built you to be where you are right now, and how in that environment that Coach Cal puts in and the intuition that you can have coming from Kentucky?

OSCAR TSHIEBWE: For me being at Kentucky, I'm very grateful and thankful for Coach Cal for the opportunity he give me to be part of Kentucky. And Kentucky, they helped me a lot. First of all, it's confidence. When you have people around you that give you a lot of confidence about everything you do and they motivate you to go forward, that really helped me change my game and it really gave me courage (indiscernible), I think have ability. Because the people around me they push me to do great.

They always tell me something good. They don't tell me what I want to hear. They tell me the things that really, they really want me to help me. So to be a part of this program and environment really changed my life. And I'm very grateful for everything.

Q. You played for two Hall of Fame coaches, Coach Huggins and Coach Cal. What have they both meant to you and what have you learned from both of those guys?

OSCAR TSHIEBWE: I love both of them. I love both of them. To play for those Hall of Fame coaches, it is incredible for me because started with Bob Huggins, Coach Huggins. I could never be what I am today if it was not for Bob Huggins. I learned to be tough. I learned to be the hardest worker. I learned to not to lean on somebody.

You have to stay strong. Coach Huggins, he taught me to be mentally strong, and he just prepared for everything.

Coach Calipari, is like my father. He is always by me. Always trying to make sure I'm doing good. He's always trying to make sure if something's wrong he's there for me to help me, not just as basketball coach, but in my life, too.

He has helped me a lot. He's my mentor in everything I do that comes to basketball. He has done a great job for me, as you can see from West Virginia to here. He just carried me through another level of basketball. So I'm very happy for those two people in my life, what God has done for me.