Oscar Tshiebwe was fully engaged delivering his sermon for Lexington congregation

Oscar Tshiebwe accepted pastor Daniel Ausbun’s invitation to preach at Broadway Baptist Church in Lexington.

By LARRY VAUGHT

Dr. Daniel Ausbun knew the odds were not in his favor of being able to even reach out to Kentucky basketball star Oscar Tshiebwe about speaking at Broadway Baptist Church in Lexington. However, his church has a lot of members from different countries in Africa and one church member suggested he should try.

Tshiebwe, who is from the Congo, often mentions his faith and Ausbun took a chance and sent the UK junior a direct message on Twitter.

“I knew his father was a pastor, so I invited him to come preach,” said Ausbun, a UK fan himself who was in Rupp Arena last week for the Ole Miss win, said. “I figured all he could do was not answer or say no. But he replied back that he would be interested if his schedule allowed.”

Ausbun knew UK players “just don’t get to do what they want” because of university protocols and practice schedules. Tshiebwe and Ausbun corresponded for several weeks until a week before Tshiebwe had agreed to preach.

“I was not telling anybody anything because I did not want to over promise and under deliver,” Ausbun said. “Before our early service (Feb. 27), I sent another message with the time, door to enter that night. Several hours went by and I had my phone on silent and missed a call. Then I got a text from him saying he would be there that night. I was still skeptical and did not announce it at church that morning because I worried coach (John) Calipari might still call practice.”

However, Tshiebwe showed up on time and was a “blessing” to have at Broadway Baptist.

“He is such an encourager. He preached a great message. He has a humble heart,” Ausbun said. “He told me he felt called to preach. He preached for about 15 minutes. He came up earlier in the service when we did introductions and he talked about his family.”

Tshiebwe’s father, Mbuyi Tshiebwe, was a pastor prior to his death in July 2012 after being poisoned. Tshiebwe was 12 years old at the time and that only inspired him to become closer to God.

“We’re going to worship our God, forever and ever,” Tshiebwe said during his sermon at Broadway Baptist. “When you trust in God, God is not going to let you down.”

“We don’t need to fight for eternal life from God. It’s a free gift through Christ. We have to surrender ourselves to God. We have to obey His Word.”

Tshiebwe said preaching at Broadway Baptist “absolutely” helps him with his daily life and also with the pressure an elite athlete faces.

“When I stick with the word of God it always helps me and I stay focused.The will of God is always bringing joy, happiness and peace to my life, especially when I am sharing with other people. It has given me a lot of peace,” Tshiebwe said after UK’s win over Florida Saturday.

“That’s why we share the word of God with different people. It was a good experience (preaching), standing in front of like 200 people listening to me preaching. It’s one of my dreams to share the word of God with a lot of different people.”

Tshiebwe connected with the church members instantly. He signed autographs and took pictures after his sermon.

“We have Africans who speak French and he was talking to them in French because he speaks six languages,” Ausbun said. “Our style of music is very African and he liked that.

“He talks a lot about his mother in the Congo and is hoping she can come to see him win a national championship and then live here. She is a very devout religious lady, too. I think we would be the perfect church for her.”

Ausbun has had other guest preachers at Broadway Baptist. He says some have been distracted, even playing on their phones, during the service. Not Tshiebwe.

“He had two phones and not once did he look at them,” Ausbun said. “He was totally engaged and paid close attention to everything. He said amen. He was respectful the whole service. He’s a fine young man who definitely could be the pastor of a church one day. He’s just special.”

Ausbun would like to have Tshiebwe back but is thankful his church got him once.

“I don’t know if it was just good luck or the Lord who opened that door for us,” the pastor said. “The stars lined up. God lined them up just right for us and our church was just blessed by Oscar and Kentucky is blessed to have this man.

“He grew up in a pastor’s home. He grew up going to church. He told me he basically lived in the church. The world he knows is the world I live in, the church world. He felt very at home with us and is always welcomed because this man’s faith is real. He loves the Lord and loves the gift he has with basketball to share his faith with so many.”

Oscar Tshiebwe took time to sign autographs after preaching at Broadway Baptist Church recently.

Keion Brooks Sr. advises his son, UK junior forward Keion Brooks, not to pay attention to social media because it’s impossible to know who is or is not a real UK fan. (Vicky Graff Photo)

How hard is it for a parent of a University of Kentucky basketball player to watch his or her son play?

“It can be kind of tough,” said Keion Brooks Sr., the father of UK junior forward Keion Brooks. “You look at it through the eyes of a parent but also as a guy who helped your son get to where he is at. What can I do to help him? I try to take notes to go over with him after the game.

“On the father side of it, you see the success not being there and you know all the hard work he put in and the team puts in playing their butts off. That’s tough on a parent. You never want to see your kid not being successful.”

Brooks Sr. said his son understands Kentucky is the “biggest game for everybody” on the schedule and often those teams will play at a higher than normal level against UK.

“You have to be able to take things away from all those games. Any small details or plays that change the tide of a game, you have to focus on what happened and how to make sure you are ready for that in future games,” he said.

Brooks Jr. is averaging 11.2 points and 4.6 rebounds per game this year while shooting 49.4 percent from the field. His best game was in the win at Kansas when he had 27 points and eight rebounds. However, good or bad, the UK junior seldom changes his expression on the court.

“That is him. I would like to see more emotion out of him,” Brooks Sr. said. “It is a good trait to have to stay in the moment and not get too high or too low. He has been that way since he was a little kid and he’s not going to change.”


Wan’Dale Robinson had a believer in ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay before he worked out at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis last week. (Twitter Photo)

Kentucky coach Mark Stoops is happy he had seven players working out at last week’s NFL Combine. He was also appreciative that receiver Wan’Dale Robinson transferred to UK from Nebraska for the 2021 season to help the Cats and put himself in position to be invited to the combine.

“It was a quick year but I thank him for coming back and what he did,” Stoops said. “The impact he had on our program in one year was greatly appreciated. He didn’t say a word. He just worked and tried to get better every day.”

Robinson caught 104 passes for 1,334 yards, both UK records. He was only the sixth player in SEC history to catch at least 100 passes in a single season. He had six 100-yard games, second in UK history, and his two games with 12 or more catches tied Randall Cobb for most in a single season at Kentucky.

Stoops said NFL teams should pay attention to those numbers against SEC competition.

“You can see a guy that is productive. He can get in and out of breaks,” the UK coach said. “He is a guy that can get open.”

Draft projections vary widely on Robinson. He’s rated as the fifth-best receiver by WalterFootball and 13th overall by CBS Sports. However, he is not listed on DraftKings’ draft board.

Recently ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay recently called Robinson a “jitterbug” on his podcast with ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper and complimented his shiftiness and acceleration. He also said in some ways he reminds him of San Francisco 49ers receiver Deebo Samuel.

“He can do a lot of things. He had seven carries, averaged 16 yards per carry on his seven carries this year. Just look at him with the ball in his hands. So screens, quick game. He’s not afraid to work over the middle of the field. He’s only 5-11, but 185 pounds,” McShay said.

McShay believes he will go on the second day of the draft — rounds two and three.

“I think he’s going to have really good success in the league because it’s built for his game now. He’s proven that, at a high level, playing in the SEC this past year,” McShay said.

Robinson ran the 40-yard dash in 4.44 seconds — 15th fastest among the receivers — and his vertical jump was 34 1/2 inches — 17th among receivers. His broad jump was 9-10, the fourth shortest jump by receivers who participated.


Freshman guard TyTy Washington says it has been easy for players to feel the love from Kentucky fans this year.

“Most definitely. We are embracing the love fans here have for us,” Washington said. “The fans love us but not only for the way we play and share the ball, but fans can see in all our faces we are really brothers, all care for each other. We do not care who scores the most points. We all have the same common goal to win.”

Washington also believes fans like seeing the players enjoying what they do.

“We are always laughing on the court. The game can be close and you might still find me and Sahvir (Wheeler) laughing. You can find granddad (Kellan Grady) with a smile on his face all the time,” Washington said.

“Oscar (Tshiebwe) plays a huge role in this, too. He’s the most dominant person on the team and elevates us all. But I like messing with Oscar. I like to crack jokes. Oscar gets a lot of guys going and laughing, and that makes us all have fun and play better.”


Freshman Jada Walker is a “fearless competitor” who has learned how to do different things to help Kentucky and got to cut down the nets at the SEC Tournament. (Vicky Graff Photo)

Despite playing with a broken nose in the SEC Tournament last week, freshman point guard Jada Walker has continued to get better and was a big part of UK’s late-season run that got the Cats into the NCAA Tournament on 10-game win streak after they beat Tennessee to win the SEC Tournament title for the first time since 1982.

“She’s grown up, and I said all year Jada is a fearless competitor. She wants to win. She has that dog mentality, and I told her before we left Lexington (for the SEC Tournament), you are no longer a freshman. You have played enough minutes to be a veteran point guard,” Kentucky coach Kyra Elzy said at the SEC Tournament.

“The game has slowed down for her. Her confidence wavered early on. When you are the lone freshman and you are looking around at the other guards at a Rhyne Howard, a Robyn Benton and Jazmine, and she’s, like, ‘Coach, they know how to do all of these things.’ I was, like, yes, they’re basically seniors in college, and you are a freshman.

“So she’s had to learn, but she’s been baptized by fire, but she has answered the challenge.”

Elzy said putting pressure on Walker early helped her mature and get past her “freshman moments she had to cry about.” Eventually the game slowed down for Walker.

“She knows when to push now and when to bring it out, what’s a good shot, what’s a bad shot, and as you are a freshman, just learning the intricate details of your offensive system and your defensive system, it is a lot,” Elzy said. “She is a student of the game. She wants to learn. She wants to get better, and it has helped her prepare her for now.”

Walker admits her confidence has improved the more she played, especially against SEC teams.

“I got more comfortable with the different types of teams and physicality,” Walker said.

She had 21 points on 7-for-12 shooting, eight rebounds and two assists against Mississippi State and 16 points, six rebounds and two assists against Tennessee. However, she was a combined 2-for-10 from the field in wins over LSU and South Carolina.

“But she kept fighting and playing even when she was not making shots and that’s what we had to have,” Elzy said.


Quote of the Week: “Shoot, he was the baby. My mom babied him. You know how it is with the littlest,” new UK assistant coach Mike Stoops on his older brother, UK coach Mark Stoops.

Quote of the Week 2: “Just think about the last two or three years, the number of Kentucky guys that we have seen make their way to the National Football League on both sides of the ball. It is not a coincidence that (Mark) Stoops has it going. They have really good players. They play a physical brand of football. They play big football on a weekly basis,” NFL Media’s Bucky Brooks on why NFL scouts pay attention to UK players.

Quote of the Week 3: “It would be unbelievable for the program if she is the No. 1 pick. This kid was not a McDonald’s All-American. People nationally did not want to give her any credit. It would show the development you get at Kentucky,” Evan Crane, UK associate director for athletics communications, on Rhyne Howard’s WNBA draft projection.