He stole the ball just 24 seconds into his first game against Pitt, then caused another turnover a minute later, then pounded the offensive glass, all while finishing frantic feeds forced into the paint. In the first three minutes of WVU’s Friday night clash at The Pete in Pittsburgh, Oscar Tshiebwe had six points, three rebounds and a block as the Mountaineers raced off to a 9-3 lead. He would end the half with 12 points and 12 rebounds, and he finish the game with 20 and 17 as the Mountaineers whipped the Panthers 68-53.
A 6-9, 260-pound freshman force, Tshiebwe had announced his presence with authority. And in this big ol’ rivalry showdown, The Sheeb Way was going to be The Way. Disappointed in his 5/5 debut against Akron, Tshiebwe simply took over this one. It was the coolest WVU-Pitt debut since Mountaineer fans were introduced to The Zerro Way (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8B3H7EdiIA) some 23 years ago.
“That was my goal tonight,” Tshiebwe told reporters after the game. “I came in here and said, ‘I’m going to dominate. I’m going to run the floor. Nobody can run the floor with me. I’m going for every rebound and I’m going to play the best defense I can to help my teammates, and if I do that, we’re going to win the game.’ That’s what I did, and that’s what we did.”
That may come across as borderline cocky but read between the lines. Nothing was said about scoring or personal glory. It was all about working hard and working with his teammates. This kid from The Congo is humble, respectful and true to his faith. And he keeps his cool in the heat of fray.
There were 49 fouls called in this slog of a game. The officials set the tone immediately: This one was going to be called so delicately that Myles Garrett would not even be allowed to watch from his home. The whistlefest flummoxed the Mountaineers’ two best players from last year, Jermaine Haley and Derek Culver, but Tshiebwe had just one foul at the half and didn’t pick up his third and fourth until the game was pretty much in hand. Haley missed almost the entire first half with two fouls, and Culver looked lost at times trying to deal with the carnage.
The Sheeb Way is one of perseverance. “He takes a beating physically and it doesn’t bother him,” said WVU Coach Bob Huggins, who has certainly taken home the Oscar for Best Recruit in The Big12 this season. “It’s hard to get the ball out of his hands. Once he gets his hands on it, Oscar can carry the load.”
I first heard about Tshiebwe in June of 2018 when old friend Chad Wiley, a cutting-edge personal trainer from Charleston, tipped me off on a kid with whom he was working. He said when the new recruit rankings came out he would have a top-10, five-star rating, and he had narrowed his list of schools to Kansas, Duke and WVU. Tshiebwe had just started playing basketball in 2014, but, “He has an unbelievable hunger for learning the game,” Wiley said. And, “his tenacity and work ethic is off the charts. He’s willing to try out anything.”
One thing he tried was waterskiing with the Wileys, but his foot was so big it broke the ski. My imagination runs rampant with that scene: Oscar looking at the folks sheepishly and saying, “I’m so sorry. I’ll go ahead and sign with Kansas so I can pay you back.”
Fortunately, for WVU fans, it was Country Roads all the way for The Sheeb Way. It’s gonna be a fun ride.
***** *****
Saturday’s 24-20 win over Kansas State serves as Exhibit A to prove why the quarterback position is so vital for West Virginia’s football team. The offensive line has been spotty at best, which translates to a weak running game and no time for the QB. Meanwhile, the young receivers are learning on the fly.
Neal Brown has stressed all season long that QB is way down on the list of worries for his squad, which just snapped a five-game losing streak. But that was prototypical coachspeak, and Brown is smarter than that. And that’s why he made the change to Jarret Doege, whose skill set propelled the Mountaineers past their troubles and on to victory.
The quarterback position transcends all others in football. That’s just the way it is, and more so now than ever. Only the pitcher in baseball and goalie in hockey come close to importance.
For WVU, Doege is much more mobile and has more pocket-presence than Austin Kendall, which can alleviate the breakdowns on the offensive line. He also allows more time for receivers to break free, and that all came together on all three TD throws yesterday, including the winner to Bryce Wheaton late in the fourth.
Doege, who had a phenomenal season last year at Bowling Green before transferring to Morgantown, has a fine arm, excellent touch, and can throw on the move. He’s also got two more seasons left to play at WVU. He makes it much easier to Trust The Climb.
Need more sports info? Try “Postseason Again for CCHS“.
