Oscar Tshiebwe, a sophomore from West Virginia, is moving away from the Mountaineers’ program for personal reasons, the school announced Friday morning.
“Oscar has our full support and we certainly wish him the best during this time,” said coach Bob Huggins.
There have been rumors of a possible transfer from Tshiebwe and, although West Virginia’s statement does not specify its next move, it is clear that it will not be available to the Mountaineers in the near future. Tshiebwe’s numbers have dropped since last season, but it is still a significant loss for 9th West Virginia.
Tshiebwe, a six-foot-tall Congolese man, was one of the country’s best freshmen last season, averaging 11.2 points and 9.3 rebounds. He announced that he was entering the NBA draft after the season, but withdrew his name and returned to Morgantown.
He has averaged 8.5 points and 7.8 rebounds this season, and his minutes have dropped to less than 20 per game. Against Kansas at the end of last month, Tshiebwe played just 18 minutes and added three points and five bags. He also showed potential to dominate in painting, scoring 11 points and 16 rebounds against VCU in November and 14 points and nine rebounds in 21 minutes against Gonzaga in December.
A former recruit in the top 50 in the 2019 class, Tshiebwe was a projected choice for the second round in ESPN’s 2021 mock draft last summer, but has since dropped into the top 100 candidates.