Kentucky's Oscar Tshiebwe spent an entire season relentlessly chasing and pulling down seemingly every rebound that came his way.
I want to be the greatest rebounder I can be.
The junior put up better numbers than any other player in Division I. He is The Associated Press college basketball national player of the year.
The winner of the award was announced on Friday, and Tshiebwe received 46 of 60 votes from the AP Top 25 voters. Johnny Davis, a sophomore who averaged 19.7 points and led Wisconsin to a share of the Big Ten regular-season title, was second with 10 votes. The Iowa sophomore and the Illinois big man received votes.
The only other player in the history of the storied history of the Kentucky program to win the AP's top honor was Tshiebwe. Anthony Davis was a one-and-done star who led Kentucky to its eighth NCAA title a decade ago.
It is amazing to join someone like Anthony Davis. God knows what I need and he has great plans for me, so I am putting him first.
The highest per-game output in Division I since 1980 was achieved by Tshiebwe. He had at least 20 rebound in five games this season and at least 10 rebound in three.
He had a Division I high of 28 rebound in a December win against Western Kentucky.
He added range to his jumpshot to go with his relentless board work. He averaged 17.4 points and shot 60.6% from the floor, a big step forward from his freshman season when he averaged 11.2 points and 9.3 rebound with the WVU.
The rebound success is a product of studying his opponents closely, playing the odds on where the ball is headed and not letting anyone move you.
He said that it was the position and that you have to place yourself where you don't need to work too hard for the basketball to come in your hands. You have to read it. 75% of the time it is going that way because the ball is coming in this way. You have to know that.
Rick Mancino was a high school coach in Pennsylvania. Mancino had to walk it back a touch so that Tshiebwe didn't get in foul trouble chasing every loose ball.
He loves it because he knows he is good at it. I think the extra incentive is that he knows people love it and his teammates appreciate it.
He lost 10 pounds to get a little faster and to make sure he knew the plays to be ready for an immediate impact this season for the Wildcats, who were coming off a nine-win season that stood as the program's worst in nearly a century. After winning 26 games and earning a 2-seed in the NCAA Tournament, the Wildcats were upset by Saint Peter's in the opening round.
The man who had 30 points and 16 rebound in the final loss is considering whether to return to Kentucky or play in the NBA. If he comes back, the Cats will know they are on the glass.
I knew I was going to help this team because my dad used to tell me if I didn't have a vision for what I was going to do, then I was in the wrong business.
You have to know what you are trying to do a year from now. What are you trying to accomplish? You have to write it down and have a good vision. You have to know what I am here for.
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