The school announced Friday morning that Oscar Tshiebwe, a West Virginia sophomore, is moving away from the Mountaineers program for personal reasons.
“Oscar has our full support and we definitely wish him all the best during this time,” said coach Bob Huggins.
There were rumors about a possible transfer from Tshiebwe, and while the West Virginia statement does not specify its next move, it is clear it will not be available to mountaineers in the near future. Tshiebwe’s numbers have fallen since last season, but that remains a major loss for West Virginia’s No. 9.
Tshiebwe, a big 6-foot-9 man from the Congo, was one of the best freshmen in the country last season, averaging 11.2 points and 9.3 rebounds. He announced he was entering the NBA Draft after the season, but withdrew his name and returned to Morgantown.
That average makes 8.5 points and 7.8 rebounds this season and his minutes have dropped to less than 20 per game. Against Kansas late last month, Tshiebwe played just 18 minutes and added three points and five boards. He has still shown the potential to dominate in the paint, going for 11 points and 16 rebounds against VCU in November and 14 points and nine rebounds in 21 minutes against Gonzaga in December.
Tshiebwe, one of the top 50 recruits in the 2019 class, was the scheduled second-round pick in ESPN’s 2021 draft mock last summer, but has since been left out of the top 100 prospects.