CINCINNATI – University of Cincinnati junior guard
Jarron Cumberland (Wilmington, Ohio/Wilmington High School) has been named one of 10 candidates for the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced Tuesday.
Named after Hall of Famer and 1959 NCAA Final Four Most Valuable Player Jerry West, the annual honor in its fifth year, recognizes the top shooting guards in Division I men's college basketball. A national committee comprised of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates in October, which has now been narrowed to just 10.
Cumberland leads No. 25/23 Cincinnati (19-3, 8-1 American Athletic Conference), averaging 18.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.3 steals while shooting 42.3 percent (55 of 130) from three-point range.
A 2018-19 Lute Olson Award Mid-Season Watch List selection, Jerry West Award Preseason Watch List selection and a preseason first team all-conference honoree, Cumberland has scored 20 point or more in a league-best 11 games this season, including a career-high 34 points against USF (Jan. 15). That effort vaulted him into Cincinnati's 1,000-point club.
Cumberland has been named the AAC Player of the Week a league-high four times this season. He leads all conference scorers averaging 22.2 points during league action. He has led the Bearcats in scoring in eight of nine AAC games, including three times when he led UC in points, rebound and assists.
Cumberland entered this week ranked among the league leaders in eight categories for the season: three-point field goal percentage (second at .423), points (second at 18.7), three-pointers made (sixth at 2.5), assist-to-turnover ratio (10th at 1.3), assists (11th at 3.5), free throw percentage (12th at .768), steals (tied for 15th at 1.3) and minutes played (17th at 31.2).
A crafty scorer and solid passer, Cumberland has played well in the clutch this season. He had a hand in 10 of Cincinnati's 12 points in overtime in its 70-65 comeback win at Tulsa (Jan. 10) that sparked the Bearcats' current seven-game win streak. He also scored 16 of his game-high 25 points in the second half at Temple (Jan. 27) to help rally the Bearcats from a 14-point second-half deficit for a 72-68 victory. It marked UC's largest comeback win this season. Earlier this season, he scored 25 points against Ole Miss (Nov. 24) to be named the Emerald Coast Classic Most Valuable Player.
In March, five finalists will be presented to Mr. West and the Hall of Fame's selection committee. The winner of the 2019 Jerry West Award will be presented at The College Basketball Awards presented by Wendy's in Los Angeles on Friday, April 12, 2019, along with the other four members of the Naismith Starting 5. Additional awards being presented and sponsored by Eaton Ephesus Lighting include the Bob Cousy Point Guard Award, the Julius Erving Small Forward Award, the Karl Malone Power Forward Award and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center Award. Broadcast information will be released by ESPN at a later date.
// 2019 JERRY WEST SHOOTING GUARD OF THE YEAR AWARD
Jarron Cumberland, Cincinnati
RJ Barrett, Duke
Justin Wright-Foreman, Hofstra
Quinndary Weatherspoon, Mississippi St.
Tyus Battle, Syracuse
Jarrett Culver, Texas Tech
Phil Booth, Villanova
Kyle Guy, Virginia
Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Virginia Tech
Jaylen Nowell, Washington
// UP NEXT
Climbing into the national rankings for the first time this season at No. 25 in the Associated Press poll and No. 23 in the USA Today Coaches poll, Cincinnati (19-3, 8-1 AAC) plays a pair of road games this week, beginning Thursday, Feb. 7 at Memphis. Tipoff at the FedExForum is slated for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2 and 700 WLW. The Bearcats travel to 12th-ranked Houston on Sunday, Feb. 10 for a 4 p.m. ET contest on ESPN and 700 WLW.
