Oscar Tshiebwe the goalie paved the way for Oscar Tshiebwe the rebounding machine. During a Zoom with reporters this morning, Tshiebwe credited his success on the basketball boards to his many years playing soccer in Lubumbashi in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Tshiebwe was the goalie for the academy team of TP Mazembe, one of the top pro teams in Africa, when a friend encouraged him to try out basketball because of his height.
“I started playing basketball basically when I was 15,” Oscar said. “So, I played soccer. I was a goalie. You’ve got to catch everything.