Get out your brooms! Oscar Tshiebwe wins the Wooden Award, officially earning him a clean sweep of all six major national player of the year awards (Wooden, Naismith, AP, NABC, USBWA, Sporting News). Anthony Davis is the only other player in Kentucky Basketball history to win the Wooden Award, but even he didn't win every major award, as NABC gave the honors to Michigan State's Draymond Green. Oscar Tshiebwe, once again, is succeeding at unprecedented levels.
What can we say about the Big O that hasn't already been said. He is the most dominant rebounder in college basketball of this century. He put a 2-seeded Kentucky team on his back, leading the team in points, rebounds, blocks, and steals. And as good of a player as he was on the court, he was a greater human off of it. Oscar is as deserving (or should I say "Oscar Worthy") of this award as anyone who has ever won.
Of course now, with the 2021-22 season officially in the books and every major award now in possession of Oscar Tshiebwe, the focus will switch to what will be the next steps of the National Player of the Year's basketball career. It is quite likely that Oscar will at the minimum put his name into the NBA Draft to test the waters and get a clear report of where his professional stock lies. But will he ultimately choose to take advantage of his improved draft stock and stay in the NBA Draft, or run it back for one more season in Lexington while monetarily capitalizing on his Name, Image, and Likeness? In the meantime, we know Oscar will be doing what Oscar does best; cleaning the glass. Although this time, it will be for one of the most impressive trophy cases in Kentucky Basketball history.
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