Making the tough decisions on who should be all-conference basketball picks in the AAC
The wildest American Athletic Conference men’s basketball season came to a close in a fitting way with three teams — Cincinnati, Houston and Tulsa — sharing the conference championship with five losses.
With so many close games, trying to sort out the all-conference selections was also a difficult task this season. But after careful review of AAC-only numbers, The Eagle’s Taylor Eldridge came up with his final ballot of all-conference picks. Keep in mind, the all-conference teams that the AAC will release on Tuesday and Wednesday are voted on only by the conference’s coaches. These selections are solely based on Eldridge’s review of advanced statistics and video scouting of players during conference games.
Without further ado, here are Eldridge’s picks:
Player of the Year: Jarron Cumberland, Cincinnati 6-foot-5 senior guard
This wasn’t the slam-dunk pick it was last year, but it’s hard to argue Cumberland didn’t have the biggest impact on games solely because he had the ball so much in his hands for Cincinnati, a conference champion. What I liked the most was that Cumberland (16.8 points, 6.1 assists) significantly upgraded as a playmaker for others in first-year coach John Brannen’s offense. But that came with trade-offs: Cumberland’s turnover percentage spiked, his total shots decreased and his offensive rating dipped to 104.8 as a senior. He still posted excellent marks of 21.3 PER and 2.5 win shares and this was still the same Jarron Cumberland that every team feared down the stretch of close games when he had the ball in his hands. It was a much closer call this year for me, but I think Cumberland’s impact was greater than some of the other candidates I considered on teams that didn’t win as much. Also considered: Precious Achiuwa, Memphis 6-foot-9 freshman forward; Christian Vital, Connecticut 6-foot-2 senior guard; Martins Igbanu, Tulsa 6-foot-8 senior center.
Coach of the Year: Frank Haith, Tulsa
Don’t see how anyone could argue this one, as Haith guided a team that his peers picked to finish 10th before the season to a three-way share of the conference championship. I had Tulsa pegged as a bottom-six team before conference play began, so I was extremely impressed by how many wins Haith was able to squeeze out of this team. Tulsa was never a great offensive team, but it won games because it had the second-best defense in the conference. Even if it doesn’t end in an NCAA Tournament run, the job by Haith this season should be commended. Also considered: Dan Hurley, Connecticut; Ron Hunter, Tulane.
Freshman of the Year: Precious Achiuwa, Memphis 6-foot-9 forward
A strong contender for AAC Player of the Year, there’s no doubt that Achiuwa will be taking home the top freshman honor. After James Wiseman left early in the season, Achiuwa was superb in filling that role inside for the Tigers. He averaged 16.6 points, 11.2 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in conference play, while posting tremendous rates in rebounding and blocks. His effective field goal percentage of 51.8% was a little low for a 6-9 post player, combined with a troubling 61.6% free throw percentage made for a little low offensive rating of 97.2. But there was little doubt that Achiuwa affected the game the most on both ends of the court, as he became the anchor to one of the best defenses in the country. Also considered: Caleb Mills, Houston 6-foot-3 guard; James Bouknight, Connecticut 6-foot-4 guard.
Defensive Player of the Year: Tre Scott, Cincinnati 6-foot-8 senior forward
If you go off the advanced numbers, they tell you that Scott is the pick here. And if you watched Scott defend this season, then you know that he passed the eye test as well. According to T-Rank, Scott led the AAC in its Defensive Points Over Replacement (5.2) metric and also posted the best defensive box score plus-minus at 3.8. His defensive rating was a downright sinister 84.2 and Synergy numbers rate Scott as an “Excellent” defender and ranks him in the 93rd percentile. Cincinnati wasn’t an elite defense this season, but was still very good and Scott was a big reason why. Also considered: Precious Achiuwa, Memphis 6-foot-9 freshman forward; Nate Hinton, Houston 6-foot-5 sophomore guard.
Sixth Man of the Year: Martins Igbanu, Tulsa 6-foot-8 senior center
It’s hard not to win the award when you end up playing 72% of the minutes, despite coming off the bench in all 18 games. Judging solely off conference numbers, Igbanu (16.5 points, 5.8 rebounds) silently built a compelling case not only for first-team all-conference but also the AAC Player of the Year on the surprise Tulsa team that claimed a share of the conference title. His offensive rating of 111.7 paired with a usage rate of 27.7% was superb, boosted by a conference-leading foul rate of 79.4. He was a very good team defender for the second-best defense in the conference and was the no-brainer for this pick, although Houston’s Caleb Mills also had a season worth recognizing. Also considered: Caleb Mills, Houston 6-foot-3 freshman guard.
Most Improved Player: Isaiah Whaley, Connecticut 6-foot-8 junior
I strongly considered Tre Scott for this award because his leap from a good player to a great player was dramatic and crucial to Cincinnati’s success this season. But Whaley’s rise over the last month of the season was too hard to deny. This was a player who did not even get off the bench in six conference games last season and averaged just 2.7 minutes per game for the Huskies when he did get in to play, posting averages of 0.6 points, 0.7 rebounds and 0.2 blocks. In an incredible transformation, Whaley has gone from the end of the bench to a crucial cog for UConn and posted averages of 23.4 minutes, 8.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.9 blocks for the Huskies this season. After freshman standout Akok Akok was lost to a season-ending injury, Whaley was inserted in the starting lineup the final six games and posted averages of 13.8 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.5 blocks. After hardly playing for UConn in his first two seasons, Whaley has suddenly shown the potential to be a big-time player for the Huskies and is certainly deserving of the award. Also considered: Tre Scott, Cincinnati 6-foot-8 senior forward; Jamarius Burton, Wichita State 6-foot-4 sophomore guard; Darien Jackson, Tulsa 6-foot-3 junior guard.
All-AAC first team
Jarron Cumberland, Cincinnati 6-foot-5 senior guard
Precious Achiuwa, Memphis 6-foot-9 freshman forward
Martins Igbanu, Tulsa 6-foot-8 senior center
Christian Vital, Connecticut 6-foot-2 senior guard
Nate Hinton, Houston 6-foot-5 sophomore guard
All-AAC second team
Tre Scott, Cincinnati 6-foot-8 senior forward
Jayden Gardner, East Carolina 6-foot-7 sophomore forward
Jaime Echenique, Wichita State 6-foot-11 senior center
Kendric Davis, SMU 5-foot-11 sophomore guard
Caleb Mills, Houston 6-foot-3 freshman guard
All-AAC third team
Isiaha Mike, SMU 6-foot-8 junior forward
Quinton Rose, Temple 6-foot-8 senior guard
James Bouknight, Connecticut 6-foot-4 freshman guard
Jeriah Horne, Tulsa 6-foot-7 junior forward
Christion Thompson, Tulane 6-foot-4 senior guard
Also considered: Dexter Dennis, Wichita State 6-foot-5 sophomore guard; Keith Williams, Cincinnati 6-foot-5 junior guard; DeJon Jarreau, Houston 6-foot-5 junior guard; Tyson Jolly, SMU 6-foot-4 junior guard; Laquincy Rideau, South Florida 6-foot-1 senior guard.
All-Freshman team
Precious Achiuwa, Memphis 6-foot-9 forward
Caleb Mills, Houston 6-foot-3 guard
James Bouknight, Connecticut 6-foot-4 guard
Marcus Sasser, Houston 6-foot-1 guard
Darin Green Jr., UCF 6-foot-4 guard
Also considered: Lester Quinones, Memphis 6-foot-5 forward; Tristen Newton, East Carolina 6-foot-5 guard; Tyson Etienne, Wichita State 6-foot-1 guard; Mika Adams-Woods, Cincinnati 6-foot-3 guard; Brandon Suggs, East Carolina 6-foot-6 forward.
All-Defensive team
Tre Scott, Cincinnati 6-foot-8 senior forward
Precious Achiuwa, Memphis 6-foot-9 freshman forward
Nate Hinton, Houston 6-foot-5 sophomore guard
Jaime Echenique, Wichita State 6-foot-11 senior center
Laquincy Rideau, South Florida 6-foot-1 senior guard
Also considered: Christian Vital, Connecticut 6-foot-2 senior guard; Quinton Rose, Temple 6-foot-8 senior guard; Jeriah Horne, Tulsa 6-foot-7 junior forward; Dexter Dennis, Wichita State 6-foot-5 sophomore guard; Alex Lomax, Memphis 6-foot-0 sophomore guard.
All-Bench team
Martins Igbanu, Tulsa 6-foot-8 senior center
Caleb Mills, Houston 6-foot-3 freshman guard
Isaiah Whaley, Connecticut 6-foot-8 junior forward
Darin Green Jr., UCF 6-foot-4 freshman guard
Feron Hunt, SMU 6-foot-8 sophomore forward
Also considered: Darien Jackson, Tulsa 6-foot-3 junior guard; Quentin Grimes, Houston 6-foot-5 sophomore guard; Jaevin Cumberland, Cincinnati 6-foot-3 senior guard; Tyler Harris, Memphis 5-foot-9 sophomore guard; Erik Stevenson, Wichita State 6-foot-3 sophomore guard.
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