WVU’s Oscar Tshiebwe Named to Naismith Trophy Watch List

West Virginia forward Oscar Tshiebwe has been named to the 2021 Naismith Trophy Watch List, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced Thursday.

.@Oscartshiebwe34 named to the Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Watch List.

➡️https://t.co/3irU8diWr1 pic.twitter.com/vMo1Kw6Wez

— WVU Men's Basketball (@WVUhoops) November 19, 2020

The 50-player watch list will be trimmed down to 30 in early February and the 10 national semifinalists and four finalists will be announced in mid-March.

Tshiebwe was the Mountaineers’ leading scorer and rebounder last season, averaging 11.2 points and 9.3 rebounds per game last season. The sophomore big man has been piling up honors this preseason, he was named to the All-Big 12 preseason team, included on the Karl Malone Award Watch List, and named one of the top-100 college basketball players by CBS Sports.

Aside from Tshiebwe, there are five other Big 12 players included on the Naismith Trophy Watch List:

• Greg Brown – Texas
• Jared Butler – Baylor
• Cade Cunningham – Oklahoma State (2020 Naismith High School Trophy winner)
• Marcus Garrett – Kansas (2020 Naismith Men’s Defensive Player of the Year winner)
• MaCio Teague – Baylor
• Oscar Tshiebwe – West Virginia

McCabe: No Need to Overthink It, Play Oscar Tshiebwe and Derek Culver Together