MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — The last time Oscar Tshiebwe shared the court with Maceo Austin, they led Kennedy Catholic to the Pennsylvania Class 6A state championship.
They will meet again at 7 p.m. Friday as opponents when West Virginia hosts Duquesne in a charity exhibition.
“I talked to Maceo and reminded him we were going to play each other very soon,” said Tshiebwe, now the Mountaineers’ prized freshman forward. “It’s going to be good to see him again. We were good teammates. It will be enjoyable to go up against him.”
Tickets are either $15 or $10, depending on seat location, and all proceeds will go to the Dayton Oregon District Tragedy Fund, which benefits families effected by the mass shooting in Dayton in August.
“I told him I wasn’t going to take it easy,” Tshiebwe said with a smile. “When we play against each other, we’re not bothers anymore. We can be good to each other after the game, that’s what I told him.”
Austin is a freshman with the Dukes, who are coming off a 19-13 season and return four starters.
Duquesne was picked to finish eighth in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll.
“They’re good, and they are extremely well coached so I think that will be really good for us,” West Virginia coach Bob Huggins said. “They will play a lot of different defenses, some of which we probably won’t be prepared for because it’s hard to get all of that stuff in.”
It will be Tshiebwe’s first action against an opponent in front of a live crowd.
Since signing with the Mountaineers last year — Tshiebwe chose WVU over Kentucky — the McDonald’s All-American and five-star recruit has become an instant hit on the Mountaineers’ campus.
“Walking around on campus, I’ve had people coming up to me telling me they can’t wait to see me play,” Tshiebwe said. “It’s been a little crazy. People ask me what I’m going to do this year? I say, ‘The only thing I’m going to do is work hard and try to help the team be the best it can be.’ It’s been enjoyable. I’m excited to get to meet new people. If they are interested in me, that’s a good thing.”
Tshiebwe’s presence, along with the return of 6-foot-10 center Derek Culver — the Mountaineers’ all-Big 12 freshman last season — provides optimism that WVU will be able to turn around a 15-21 season from 2018-19.
It will take more than just Tshiebwe’s presence, though, to get the Mountaineers back to the NCAA tournament.
“I’ve completely changed my game since coming to college,” Tshiebwe said. “High school wasn’t always the best competition for me. Here, I’m matched up against Derek and Logan (Routt) all the time and its harder to score over them. I’ve got to work harder than ever to get better.”
Tshiebwe also said WVU coaches have had him watching film of former WVU big men Sagaba Konate and Devin Williams, as well as Huggins’ former standout at Cincinnati, Danny Fortson.
“My biggest improvement has been on my post moves,” Tshiebwe said. “Coaches have been helping me a lot with those. In high school, I could just get the ball and dunk it, but it’s so much different in college. You have to have some post moves in college in order to be able to finish.”
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