UC's Cumberland, Caupain win AAC awards
Tom Groeschen , tgroeschen@enquirer.com 1:30 p.m. ET March 8, 2017

University of Cincinnati freshman Jarron Cumberland was named American Athletic Conference Co-Sixth Man of the Year on Wednesday.
(Photo: The Enquirer/Sam Greene)

University of Cincinnati freshman guard Jarron Cumberland on Wednesday was named American Athletic Conference basketball Co-Sixth Man of the Year, and UC senior point guard Troy Caupain won the league's Sportsmanship Award.

Cumberland (Wilmington High School) averaged 7.8 points and shot over 48 percent from the field during the regular season. Cumberland earned American Rookie of the Week accolades three times, most recently March 6. Cumberland scored 10 or more points 11 times this season, including his last three games. On Jan. 29, Cumberland scored a career-best 26 points against South Florida.

Cumberland shared the Sixth Man award with SMU's Ben Emelogu, who averages 4.5 points per game.

Caupain (Midlothian, Va.) has led the Bearcats (27-4) to a No. 15 national ranking, with averages of 9.8 points, 4.6 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game. Caupain ranks No. 4 nationally in assists-to-turnovers ratio, at 3.84-to-1.

Off the court, Caupain is among 30 candidates for the national 2016-17 Senior CLASS Award and an active volunteer in the Cincinnati community. Caupain served as a host for a panel discussion on race in intercollegiate athletics in 2016, and is a multi-year member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee at UC. A criminal justice major, Caupain has shadowed probation officers and a Hamilton County (Ohio) court magistrate and talked with youth at an area juvenile detention center.


Also Wednesday, UCF 7-foot-6 sophomore Tacko Fall was named American Defensive Player of the Year and Cameron Reynolds of Tulane was tabbed the conference’s Most Improved Player.

Voting was done by the league's 11 head coaches. The American Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Scholar-Athlete of the Year and Coach of the Year will be announced Thursday at 12:30 p.m. at the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut, where the AAC tournament runs Thursday through Sunday.

UC SCHEDULE: The No. 2-seeded Bearcats have a first-round bye and will open AAC tournament play Friday at 7 p.m. the XL Center. UC will play the winner of the No. 7 seed (Tulsa) vs. No. 10 seed (Tulane) game, which is Thursday at 6 p.m.

UC went 2-0 this season against both Tulsa and Tulane. Should the Bearcats beat one of those teams, they would play No. 3 seed Houston, No. 6 UConn or No. 11 South Florida in the semifinals Saturday. UC also swept Houston, UConn and South Florida this season.

UC and No. 1 seed SMU could meet in the AAC title game Sunday at 3:15 p.m., with the teams having split head-to-head this season.

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UP NEXT

(AAC Tournament quarterfinals)

No. 2 seed Cincinnati vs either No. 7 seed Tulsa or No. 10 Tulane

Tipoff: 7 p.m. Friday at XL Center (15,564), Hartford, Conn.

TV/Radio: ESPNU/WLW-AM (700)

Records: UC 27-4, Tulsa 14-16, Tulane 6-24

NOTE: UC has a first-round bye. The Bearcats will play the winner of Tulsa-Tulane, who play Thursday at 6 p.m.

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/c.../98903944/

Is getting the Sportsmanship Award a good thing? I don't want thugs but I woul prefer a killer mentality.

Cumberland and Evans on the wing next year is going to be a lot of fun to watch.

I could care less about the sportsmanship award. Congrats to Cumberland but the rookie of the year went to a Memphis red shirt (KJ Lawson) who played in 10 games last year with 8.8 PPG. I know, the coaches voted for these awards but Cumberland was rookie of the year in the truest sense IMO.

(03-10-2017 12:41 PM)doss2 Wrote:  Is getting the Sportsmanship Award a good thing? I don't want thugs but I woul prefer a killer mentality.

Yes, it's obviously a good thing. It's an award that recognizes leadership and character. It's not the Nick Anderson award for nice guys that shrink from the moment.

I think it says a lot about the perception of our program, and how it has changed. I applaud Mick for defining a standard by which the kids will conduct themselves.

Congratulations to Troy. He's not very likely to play professional basketball, but he seems primed to be a leader of men in whatever profession and locale he settles into. And that's the point of all this pageantry. Or at least it's meant to be.

(03-10-2017 02:49 PM)EffinBJ Wrote:  Congratulations to Troy. He's not very likely to play professional basketball, but he seems primed to be a leader of men in whatever profession and locale he settles into. And that's the point of all this pageantry. Or at least it's meant to be.

What makes you say that? May not be the NBA, but I'd be surprised if he didn't land someplace professionally if that's what he wants to do.

Love the Caupain award. Value doesn't automatically mean point avg. He deserves an award, it's sort of like best all-around. Troy gonna dish and rack up those assists. Grab some boards. Make a clutch shot or play.

(03-10-2017 05:56 PM)franzeal Wrote:  

(03-10-2017 02:49 PM)EffinBJ Wrote:  Congratulations to Troy. He's not very likely to play professional basketball, but he seems primed to be a leader of men in whatever profession and locale he settles into. And that's the point of all this pageantry. Or at least it's meant to be.

What makes you say that? May not be the NBA, but I'd be surprised if he didn't land someplace professionally if that's what he wants to do.

Troy will almost certainly play professional basketball. He's been an all league point guard the last two years. Not a lot of 6'4 point guards running around. Not to mention he's only 21 years old and has a lot of time to continue to develop his game

Great recognition for Troy and UC.

(03-10-2017 05:56 PM)franzeal Wrote:  What makes you say that? May not be the NBA, but I'd be surprised if he didn't land someplace professionally if that's what he wants to do.

I'd love to be wrong, of course. And I'm no pessimist. I was convinced SK was an NBA player for years, when even most on this board thought that was a pipe dream.

But I just don't see it for Troy. Doesn't have the size, speed, or athleticism. The rim stuffed him on a breakaway dunk tonight. Nor does he shoot, defend, or distribute well enough to make up for those things. Great ball security probably won't cut it.

Most leagues abroad have a limit on the number of American players on a team. The players in those spots are often expected to dominate.

He's an outstanding college player, and if these are his last games before he hangs them up, there is no shame in it.

(03-10-2017 11:56 PM)EffinBJ Wrote:  

(03-10-2017 05:56 PM)franzeal Wrote:  What makes you say that? May not be the NBA, but I'd be surprised if he didn't land someplace professionally if that's what he wants to do.

I'd love to be wrong, of course. And I'm no pessimist. I was convinced SK was an NBA player for years, when even most on this board thought that was a pipe dream.

But I just don't see it for Troy. Doesn't have the size, speed, or athleticism. The rim stuffed him on a breakaway dunk tonight. Nor does he shoot, defend, or distribute well enough to make up for those things. Great ball security probably won't cut it.

Most leagues abroad have a limit on the number of American players on a team. The players in those spots are often expected to dominate.

He's an outstanding college player, and if these are his last games before he hangs them up, there is no shame in it.

He's about to become the all time assist leader for uc. If say he distributes pretty damn well.