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John Calipari provides the latest on Oscar Tshiebwe’s recovery from recent surgery
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For Kentucky men’s basketball coach John Calipari, Oscar Tshiebwe’s injured knee is an issue that he’s not going to play around with.
Calipari still isn’t sure about Tshiebwe’s timeline to return from his minor knee procedure.
“He’s moving around pretty good. He’s telling me, I feel really good. … We’re not going to hold him back, but we’re not going to push him forward, either,” Calipari said.
Calipari doesn't know Oscar Tshiebwe's timeline to return from a minor knee procedure.
"He's moving around pretty good. He's telling me, I feel really good…We're not going to hold him back but we're not going to push him forward either."
— Tyler Thompson (@MrsTylerKSR) October 25, 2022
Tshiebwe is a prized player, and Calipari isn’t going to mess with his big man’s health, especially before the season even starts. Tshiebwe was the consensus player of the year in men’s college basketball last season, but instead of jumping to the NBA like most players would have after a season like that, he has returned to Lexington to accomplish more.
According to Calipari, he might be set up to do just that.
“He’s a better passer. He’s a better dribbler. He has a better feel. He talks,” Calipari recently said. “Offensively, he knows the plays better. And he’s authentic.”
On Monday, Tshiebwe was a unanimous selection along with fellow big man Drew Timme of Gonzaga in The Associated Press’ preseason All-America team.
Tshiebwe is the 9th AP national player of the year to return for another season, according to Sportradar.
Tshiebwe grew up in the Congo in Africa and played soccer as a child. He was encouraged to start playing basketball because of his above-average height.
And Kentucky fans continue to be grateful for that.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
