West Virginia basketball freshman Tshiebwe back to what he does best

West Virginia big man Oscar Tshiebwe had a rather uninspiring college debut against Akron. He made sure that wasn’t going to happen in the follow up.

Only the program’s second ever McDonald’s All-American, Tshiebwe was limited to only a dozen minutes in the opener against the Zips as foul trouble sent him to the bench for large stretches.

He was productive when on the floor scoring 5 points and 5 rebounds, but couldn’t remain there.

So Tshiebwe watched and re-watched the game while having a sit down with head coach Bob Huggins. The meeting was primarily centered around simply guiding the former five-star to do what he does well.

The message got home as Tshiebwe put together one of the most impressive performances on the front court in recent memory against Pittsburgh with 20 points and 17 rebounds. The true freshman looked the part as he provided nearly unstoppable in the post and tracked down almost every loose ball.

Of course being on the floor for 35-minutes helps in that department, but playing smarter was key.

“He played within himself, did what he could do. He wasn’t running around hunting shots, he wasn’t taking 15-17 footers – he was doing what Oscar des better than just about everybody,” Huggins said.

Those things aren’t the flashiest but the big man runs the floor as well as any in college basketball and his rebounding ability isn’t too far behind. He simply out-worked his opponents for the 35-minutes he was on the floor in the post and was able to use his size and abilities to clean up around the goal.

“Coach told me to do what I do best rebound and run and go,” Tshiebwe said.

Of his 17 rebounds, 9 of those came on the offensive end and he’s only the fourth West Virginia player to record at least 20 points and 17 rebounds in a game since the turn of this century. That list is also comprised of Derek Culver, Kevin Jones, Devin Ebanks and Calvin Bowman – not bad company.

The effort used by Tshiebwe not only opened up things for himself, but his teammates as it collapsed the defense and allowed for open opportunities for shots. Sometimes it’s hard to simply do what you do well, especially in today’s game but the effort proves that it’s a simple formula.

“I think he was looking to score instead of doing what he does and what he does is rebound the ball as well as anybody in college basketball,” he said.

Tshiebwe is still going too fast at times, which can be expected considering that it’s only his second game of his college career. But now it’s about harnessing what he does well and putting that on the floor in extended minutes.

The future is bright for Tshiebwe, who has a natural skill set that you just can’t find on many big men, and now with a big game behind the question is what’s next? That answer could prove to be a challenge for the remaining opponents on the schedule.

“If you get 20 and 17 in a rivalry game like this as a freshman and really still hasn’t figured out what you’re doing you’re pretty good,” Huggins said.

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