By JACOB POLACHECK
West Virginia sophomore forward Oscar Tshiebwe has stepped away from the program and will not return due to personal reason, head coach Bob Huggins announced Friday morning.
“Oscar has our full support, and we certainly wish him the best during this time,” Huggins said.
“Did it catch me by surprise? No. What do we going forward? We’re going to win more games,” Huggins said in a meeting with the media shortly after the announcement. “I think this gives us an opportunity to be able to spread the floor a little bit more. Gives Derek [Culver] a lot more room to work down there.”
The 6-foot-9, 260-pound power forward from Lubumbashi, Congo, is averaging 8.5 points and 7.8 rebounds per game this season.
Tshiebwe, a former five-star recruit and McDonald’s All American, chose to commit to West Virginia in October of 2018 over Baylor, Kentucky and Illinois.
During the 2019-20 season, Tshiebwe averaged 11.2 points and 9.3 rebounds as a freshman and was named to the Second Team All-Big 12 and the All-Newcomer Team.
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