CINCINNATI – Including Wilmington High School graduate Jarron Cumberland, a trio of University of Cincinnati men’s basketball players have earned American Athletic Conference accolades, according to the UC men’s basketball website.
Voted upon by the league’s coaches, Cumberland, a freshman guard for the Bearcats, was selected to the all-rookie team while senior guard Troy Caupain and junior forward Kyle Washington were named second team all-conference.
“He probably won’t win freshman of the year in our league because his numbers aren’t as gawdy as some of the freshman who have to play,” UC head coach Mick Cronin said on the Bearcats IMG Sports Network. “If you’re on Cincinnati or SMU it’s tough, I would think every coach would take him first in the draft of freshmen in our league.”
Cumberland (7.8 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists) has provided the Bearcats a spark off the bench in his first season at the collegiate level, averaging 18.0 minutes. He enters the postseason shooting 48.4 percent (77 of 159) from the floor.
Cumberland was named rookie of the week three times during the season, including Monday. He was tabbed player of the week once. He is averaging 12.0 points while shooting a team-best 54.2 percent (13 of 24) from the field during UC’s last three games.
Other freshman on the league’s all-rookie team include Vance Jackson, UConn; K.J. Lawson, Memphis; Quinton Rose, Temple; and Jeremy Sheppard, East Carolina
Second-seed Cincinnati (27-4) will play the winner of seven-seed Tulsa vs. 10-seed Tulane in quarterfinal action of the 2017 Frontier Communications American Championship on Friday, Mar. 10, at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET on ESPNU and 700 WLW.
Caupain (9.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.6 assists) has served as the floor general for the 15th-ranked Bearcats, helping guide the squad to a 27-4 regular-season mark and 16-2 league record.
Caupain currently ranks among the school’s top players for assists (third with 499), minutes played (fifth at 3,804), victories (tied for fifth at 99), games played (tied for seventh at 132) and points (28th at 1,244).
Washington (13.3 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks) ranks second on the team in scoring and has registered 10 or more points in 22 games this season. He has posted seven double-doubles and is shooting 50.8 percent (164 of 323) from the field this season.
Washington enters the American Championship ranked among the league leaders in field goal percentage (fifth at .508), blocks (seventh at 1.4), rebounds (10th at 7.1) and scoring (14th at 13.3 points). He claimed a team-high seven honors from the league during the regular season (weekly honor roll six times and player of the week once).
