Kentucky Wildcats forward Oscar Tshiebwe (34) flexes his muscles play during the UK vs. Robert Morris basketball game on Friday, Nov. 12, 2021, at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky. UK won 100-60. Photo by Michael Clubb | Staff
Oscar Tshiebwe has once again made history, becoming Kentucky’s first ever unanimous national player of the year after winning the Wooden Award on Tuesday.
Tshiebwe won all six NCAA-recognized electors for national player of the year, winning the Wooden Award alongside honors from The Sporting News, The National Association of Basketball Coaches, the United States Basketball Writers Association, the Associated Press and the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame.
John Calipari has now coached two unanimous NPOY’s, with Tshiebwe joining Marcus Camby, who won all six awards in 1996. Tshiebwe is the 28th player in college basketball history to achieve the feat, and the first in Southeastern Conference history.
Anthony Davis is the only other Wildcat who has won the Wooden Award, doing so in 2012. Davis earned five of the six major honors.
Tshiebwe turned in one of the best seasons in Kentucky basketball history, averaging 17.4 points per game and a nation’s best 15.1 rebounds per game. He became the first Division I player who averaged at least 15.0 points and rebounds per game in over 40 years.
He also managed to average over 1.6 blocks and 1.6 steals per game, the only player in the major conferences to do so. Tshiebwe became the second Wildcat to lead his team in points, rebounds, blocks, steals and field goal percentage per game, joining Davis.
Tshiebwe concluded his monster season with 16 straight double-doubles, the longest streak in program history. He also set the UK record for double-doubles in a season with 18.
With the season over, the big man’s laundry list of awards ends with the following, per UK Athletics:
Wooden AwardNaismith Player of the YearKareem Abdul-Jabbar AwardUSBWA Oscar Robertson TrophyAssociated Press Player of the YearNABC National Player of the YearNABC Pete Newell Big Man of the YearNCAA Consensus All-America First TeamWooden Award All-America TeamUSBWA First-Team All-AmericaNABC First-Team All-AmericaAssociated Press First-Team All-AmericaSporting News First-Team All-AmericaWooden Award All-America TeamNABC All-District 20 First TeamSoutheastern Conference Player of the Year (coaches/media)All-SEC First Team (coaches/media)All-SEC Defensive Team (coaches)USBWA District IV Player of the YearUSBWA All-District IV teamCBS Sports National Player of the YearUSA Today National Player of the YearUSA Today First-Team All-AmericanThe Athletic’s National Player of the YearSports Illustrated First-Team All-AmericanThe Field of 68 National Player of the YearThe Field of 68 First-Team All-AmericaCollege Hoops Today National Player of the YearUSA Today SEC Player of the YearUSA Today First-Team All-SEC unanimous selection