TicketsBy Bill Koch
GoBearcats.com
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – A year ago at this time it was obvious that University of Cincinnati freshman guard Jarron Cumberland was cautiously feeling his way in a new environment, careful not to step on the veterans' toes.
Those days are long gone.
Cumberland is trimmer, quicker and much more assertive as he begins his sophomore season and at times Sunday appeared to score almost effortlessly.
The 6-foot-5 Wilmington High School product put his new and improved game on full display when he led the Bearcats with 27 points in 26 minutes in No. 12 UC's 101-68 exhibition victory over Division II Embry-Riddle from Daytona Beach, Fla., before 3,589 fans at Northern Kentucky University's BB&T Arena.
Cumberland made 11 of 15 shots from the floor, including four of seven from long range. At one juncture during the first half, he scored 10 straight points. He averaged 8.3 points per game last season with a high of 26 against South Florida.
"I'm a way better player," Cumberland said. "I worked hard during the offseason in the summer with coach (Larry) Davis and coach (Antwon) Jackson. I worked on ball-handling, mid-range (shooting) and playing off two feet instead of one. And I dropped 10 pounds. When I came in as a freshman I was 228. During March Madness I was at 220. Now I'm at 213–214. That's helped me a lot. I'm quicker and I can jump higher now. It's a big difference."
Cumberland was one of four players to score in double figures for the Bearcats. Jacob Evans scored 11, with Kyle Washington and Mamoudou Diarra each scoring 10.
According to UC coach Mick Cronin, players who become high-level performers usually make their biggest improvement from their freshman to their sophomore season.
"He's learning to play harder longer," Cronin said of Cumberland. "In high school he was able to score a couple thousand points playing at a certain speed. You've got to be able to go faster at this level, go harder, go longer, practice harder, practice longer. He's got the mentality of a scorer obviously. He's got a toughness about him. He's still got a lot of growing up to do, but he's getting there."
The Bearcats forced the Eagles into 27 turnovers and had 14 steals in their second and final exhibition game of the preseason, but they also committed 16 turnovers of their own, which predictably rankled their head coach.
"I was happy with the way we started the game," Cronin said. "At some point in the first half, our defense got lax and it continued throughout the game. We were able to get a lot of guys minutes, but I was really disappointed in some of the things we did defensively. We've got a lot of work to do. Sixteen turnovers is a lack of discipline and a lack of toughness. The way I see it you've got to coach that. You can't turn the ball over and win basketball games. In the second half, I think they had 18 points off our turnovers. You should not ever try a pass or a shot just because the score is what it is. That's on the coach. I've got to make sure we have more discipline."
Junior point guard Justin Jenifer was also impressive, scoring nine points with nine rebounds as he looks to become more of a factor this season.
"I feel like I play a bigger role this year," Jenifer said. "I've got to be that sixth man coming off the bench. Me and coach had a talk and he was like, we're gonna need you this year. Being here since my freshman year, it was a building process and I'm glad I went through it."
In addition to being a final tuneup for the players, Sunday's contest provided UC officials with a dress rehearsal for presenting games at UC's home away from home this season while Fifth Third Arena is being renovated. Starting next Friday against Savannah State the Bearcats will be playing for real in their temporary home.
"I appreciate our fans for coming," Cronin said. "It was a well-attended exhibition game on a Sunday with the Bengals playing. And it's 70 degrees out. It's a really nice building. They've been more than accommodating to us and we really appreciate it. We've been working on it for months. It's much harder on our administrative staff and our marketing people that have to get all the Cincinnati stuff up everywhere."
Bill Koch covered UC athletics for 27 years – 15 at The Cincinnati Post and 12 at The Cincinnati Enquirer – before joining the staff of GoBearcats.com in January 2015.