West Virginia fans received good news that had been expected Sunday when star forward Oscar Tshiebwe said he plans to return for his sophomore season.
Tshiebwe had requested an evaluation from the NBA Undergraduate Advisory Committee.
Tshiebwe, a graduate of Kennedy Catholic, said in a Twitter post it was his expectation throughout the process to return to West Virginia.
This is my next chapter and I leave everything in God's hands?? I do this for the mountaineers?? pic.twitter.com/Py5YHHZvXD
— Big O (@Oscartshiebwe34) April 26, 2020
“I would like to thank the WVU basketball coaching staff, my family and the NBA Advisory Committee for the guidance and the information provided to me during the evaluation period,” Tshiebwe wrote.
“As I always mentioned, I would be at WVU for my sophomore season, but I wanted to gain knowledge from the NBA on the process and my standing with the NBA.
“I was very pleased to receive my evaluation, which was actually higher than my expectations, but not at the level that meets my goal.
“I am confident with another year at WVU that our goals as a team and as an individual will be achieved,”
Coach Bob Huggins previously suggested that, because of the covid-19 shutdown and lack of face-to-face evaluations, this year’s NBA Draft will have a higher level of uncertainty than in previous years.
“This draft you have less an idea of where you’re going to be drafted than any draft we’ve had in a long time,” Huggins said.
Tshiebwe agreed.
“In today’s environment with the uncertainty of individual workouts or having a combine, I do not believe it is in my best interest to enter the 2020 NBA Draft,” he wrote.
Tshiebwe, a native of Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, almost averaged a double-double this season (11.2 points and 9.3 rebounds per game) while starting all 31 games as a freshman. He was named second-team All-Big 12.
