Oscar Tshiebwe, Brennan Canada, Jacob Toppin Reflect on Their Journeys at Kentucky Ahead of Senior Night
LEXINGTON, Ky.— The road for every college basketball player is different.
That's no different for any of the six Kentucky Wildcats that will participate in Senior Night festivities on Wednesday night in Rupp Arena.
From a National Player of the Year winner to a homegrown walk-on that earned a scholarship as a senior, some paths have led to high highs, and others some low lows. Regardless, Brennan Canada, CJ Fredrick, Antonio Reeves, Jacob Toppin, Oscar Tshiebwe and Sahvir Wheeler will be celebrated before they take on the Vanderbilt Commodores.
Editor's note: Sahvir Wheeler will not be participating in the Senior Night ceremony after undergoing a minor procedure, per coach John Calipari.
No one's trek through Lexington has seen trials and tribulations quite like Toppin's. After transferring from Rhode Island as a sophomore, there didn't appear to be a clear-cut plan for the Brooklyn native.
Two seasons of important minutes off the bench led into this past offseason, where he was labeled as a "breakout" candidate, someone who was going to make that jump as a basketball player, leading into a selection in the NBA draft.
That didn't come to fruition in the start, and it was highlighted by a four-game stretch in December, where he scored a combined 13 points on 5-20 shooting. As UK struggled, he too received a brunt of the criticism.
After a 24-point outing in the win over Louisville on Dec. 31, Toppin told reporters that he had reached "rock bottom."
Since then, he's jolted from the bottom to the top, becoming a primary scoring option for the Cats, while also finding an edge in rebounding. He's now scored 11 or more points in his last 12 games, with five of those outings also featuring 10-plus boards.
In less than a season's time, Toppin has experienced a career's worth of emotions. Add in the previous three years, and you've got quite the rollercoaster ride.
"Honestly, I didn't think I was going to be in college this long," he said with a smirk. "Everything works out for the best. So, it's God's plan. Truly blessed to be able to play for Kentucky basketball. It's been an honor."
"The emotions, it's going to be a lot, because I've been here for three years. A lot of ups and downs, a lot of blood, sweat and tears. So, it's going to be emotional," he added about Senior Night.
Toppin's growth as a human and a basketball player have both been plain to see. Canada and Tshiebwe have witnessed it first-hand:
"He was a little immature," Canada said, peeking over at Toppin on his left with a smile. "He's grown a lot ... I guess Rhode Island, it's obviously different, but he's grown so much since he's been here, it's actually crazy."
Tshiebwe couldn't help but laugh, noting that Toppin was the residential "12-year-old" when he first got to campus from West Virginia.
"12-year-old kid? How's there a 12-year-old kid on the team? They said 'you're going to need help him so he can grow.' I'm so proud of him to see how he always works hard, he's always in the gym and now he's taking leadership."
As for Tshiebwe, his 2022-23 season was not what he expected. Returning to school after being named the NPOY is uncommon. Teams amped up the defense and made life much, much harder. He also had to deal with a lingering knee injury that plagued him more mentally than physically throughout the first bit of the season.
He's been criticized for his defense, his size and that he wouldn't make it in the NBA, all of it. That can be quite the burden, yet, he's still averaging 16.4 points and 12.8 rebounds a game.
Tshiebwe eclipsed superstar status during his two seasons in the Bluegrass. His jersey will almost certainly hang in the rafters one day. He's not worried about the personal accolades, though. He never has been.
"I want to be known as somebody who came in and fight a lot and helped this school win a championship," Tshiebwe said when asked about what he wants to be remembered for. "I want to be remembered as somebody who cared about people and wanted people to do good."
Tshiebwe never saw becoming the NPOY in his future. He didn't even dream about finishing college before he started, but he credits everything to his faith. Much has changed over the course of the past four years, but it's still coming to an end so early in his eyes.
"I still can't believe how fast these four years have gone, it seems like yesterday I was a freshman."
While both Tshiebwe and Toppin's stories have been well-documented, Canada's has been superbly different.
Over the span of nearly four seasons, the Mount Sterling, Ky. native has appeared in 19 games, never playing more than three minutes. He has nine career points, two rebounds, an assist, a block and a steal in a UK uniform.
While his chance never truly came on the court, Canada was recognized in a major way by coach John Calipari earlier this season, as he placed the guard on scholarship on Jan. 2.
"It's just a blessing. Just being able to come here as a walk-on at first, and being able to earn a scholarship, i'm so grateful for that," Canada said. "I mean, growing up in Kentucky, just watching all the games, being a fan and stuff, just being able to come here and be a part of this team and program...it's really been a blessing."
Fans love a heartfelt moment for the players they never see anywhere but on the bench. Calipari will give Canada a start on Wednesday night and let him feel the embrace of Big Blue Nation for a couple minutes. But if you ask the players, they wouldn't scoff at the 6-foot-6, 205-pounder getting some extra run, because they know how important he is to the team.
"He makes some of the guys look bad," Tshiebwe joked. "Some days you come in and just want to have fun, but he goes and steals the ball and does those things. Coach gets so mad at some guys ... we appreciate Brennan, because he makes all of us better."
"You guys definitely don't see the impact he makes, 100 percent. In practice, he does a lot for us, whether it's on the scout team or whether there's an injured guy and he gets to step in and perform to help us get ready for games," Toppin said. "He's always doing the little things to help us prepare for games and we thank him for that."
All of these individual stories have helped Kentucky morph into the cohesive unit that BBN is now seeing win more and more games as the regular season nears its end.
The Wildcats once appeared like a team that was going nowhere fast, but now, they'll enter the NCAA Tournament with a full head of steam, ready to conquer any opponent that stands in their way.
"We started really bad. Some people said 'it's over for Kentucky.' For us, it was good. We learned how to win. Now, we know every game we play, for us it's a Super Bowl. The coaches said we have nothing to lose and we have to choose not to lose," Tshiebwe explained. "For me, I say 'be ready, because we're coming to die, because we refuse to lose.'"
Tipoff between Kentucky and Vanderbilt is set for 7 p.m. EST. The game will air on the SEC Network.
More on Kentucky's NCAA Tournament résumé HERE.
More on the win over Auburn HERE.
More on Oscar Tshiebwe's improved defense HERE.
Want the latest on national football and basketball recruiting, including Cats targets? Head over to SI All-American for the latest news, blogs, and updates about the nation's best prospects.
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