The West Virginia Mountaineers are on a good run in the ongoing 2020-21 college basketball season, but they lost a productive player to a rival university. How did head coach Bob Huggins react to all the drama surrounding the team? 

By now, college hoops fanatics would be aware that Oscar Tshiebwe is no longer a part of the West Virginia Mountaineers. The 6’9” big man has taken his talents elsewhere, and this has left head coach Bog Huggins fuming. 

When asked what might be the reason behind Tshiebwe’s exit from the team, he simply replied, “Outside influences. 100% outside influences.” 

Bob Huggins reacts to Oscar Tshiebwe’s departure  from the West Virginia Mountaineers

Huggins has been leading West Virginia since 2007 and has seen several talents come and go. Oscar Tshiebwe was a productive player who averaged good numbers as a freshman. However, after just ten games into his sophomore season, Tshiebwe announced his decision to commit to a different university. 

Bob Huggins is pretty sure that external factors forced Tshiebwe to commit to the decision. The Mountaineers’ HC mentioned that people are just waiting outside the door to poach developed talents and run away with them. 

“I think it’s the world we live in,” Huggins said the ‘Bob Huggins Show’. “It’s better to steal than it is to work and earn things. It’s take the easy way out, and I think there were some people involved who saw where they could benefit, maybe profit, and worked very diligently at trying to get him out.”

The 67-year-old head coach was visibly let down by Tshiebwe’s decision to leave the team, but he doesn’t want to break his head over it too much. Moreover, Huggins took a sly dig at the other teams with his words.

“He’s a good kid,” Huggins added about Tshiebwe. “Hopefully he made the right decision. We could dispute whether it’s the right decision or not, but it’s done. You know, I learned a long time ago, sitting and worrying about it doesn’t do any good. Let’s get these other guys better, let’s get them a little more up to speed. Let’s make sure they play harder, and we’ll be fine.”

Oscar Tshiebwe tweeted about his new college basketball journey

Tshiebwe’s decision to leave the West Virginia Mountaineers was made official on January 1, and his new destination has been confirmed amid massive speculations. 

West Virginia transfer Oscar Tshiebwe is leaning towards committing to Kentucky, source told @Stadium.

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) January 10, 2021

The young forward chose to commit to the Kentucky Wildcats and play for John Calipari. Tshiebwe then posted a tweet to extend his gratitude to West Virginia and announced his excitement in playing for Kentucky.

I am grateful for the time I spent at West Virginia, and the lessons that I learned. I’ve spent a lot of time praying to God to help me make the best decision for my future. I am excited for this new chapter of my life. I will continue my career at the University of Kentucky #BBN

— Big O (@Oscartshiebwe34) January 11, 2021

Tshiebwe received a lot of interest upon entering the transfer portal, and he ultimately chose Kentucky over Miami, North Carolina State, and Illinois. This depicts the amount of respect he has for Wildcats’ John Calipari.

Tshiwbwe will start training with the Wildcats at once and will be eligible to play for them from the 2021/22 season.