(Courtesy 247 Sports)
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A decade from now Cashmere Wright will be classified as one of the Bearcat greats. He may have not earned the hardware like Oscar or dominated the college game like Kenyon but Cincinnati’s starting point guard for the last 3 years has been instrumental in restoring the winning culture at UC.
Cash has been battling injuries since he signed with the Bearcats way back in 2007. His knees have been surgically reconstructed and cleaned out more times than I can count. That’s what makes what he’s accomplished at Cincinnati all the more remarkable. Cash has been well-known to have some of the quickest hands in the Big East, continuously finishing near the top of the conference in steals and overall creating mayhem on the defensive end of the court. Additionally, he’s been the undeniable leader of this team, pacing the Bearcats in assists and embracing the pressure situation of having the ball in his hands at the end of close games.
If you watch this moment in the countdown, one that illustrates perfectly Cashmere Wright’s importance to this team, you can probably tell that Cincinnati fans wouldn’t have it any other way.
It was the Big East-SEC Challenge airing on national TV. UC was pitted against the Alabama Crimson Tide in this annual battle between conferences. While their basketball team didn’t have the name recognition of other SEC programs such as Kentucky, Florida, or Vanderbilt, or even the school’s own football team, the Tide boasted a strong squad in 2012-13. John Calipari’s pro-factory down in Lexington was favored to win the conference. No surprise there. But Alabama was expected to finish within a few spots of that top spot in the SEC with the potential to make the NCAA Tournament. By the end of the season, the Tide had climbed to 3rd in the SEC and earned a #1 seed in the NIT after being controversially stuck on the bubble of the Big Dance. So while the name wasn’t as sexy as UC fans had hoped when the matchup was first announced, this was a good team Cincinnati was facing and a solid opponent on their March Madness resume.
And Alabama played without fear, like they belonged against the 17th ranked Bearcats that afternoon. After trailing for the entire first half, the Crimson Tide turned it up in the second, immediately eliminating their deficit after halftime. From then on out, it was a good ol’ fashioned slugfest at Fifth Third Arena. Cincinnati and Alabama went punch-for-punch for the last 15 minutes of the game. With just a few minutes remaining, everyone watching this game came to the realization that the outcome was going to come down to one final shot.
Which it did. Thankfully the Bearcats had Cash “Money” Wright on their side. With the game tied at 56, Cincinnati had just stuffed the Crimson Tide via a Justin Jackson Mean Face block. After UC and Alabama traded timeouts, Mick Cronin put the ball in his senior point guard’s hands, sat back, relaxed, and waiting for him to put the game away:
The best part about this video? Watch Mick’s reaction when the ball goes through the hoop. Stone faced. You think he knew Cash was going to end it? Who knows but I sure as hell wouldn’t want to face Mick in a hand of poker anytime soon.
As far as Cash goes, all he did was notch another memorable moment in his belt. He’s shown up night in and night out for Cincinnati, battled through the excruciating pain of blowing out not one but both knees, and has seemed to “Wow!” us almost everytime he gets the ball in his hands. And again he came up huge, this time against Alabama in Big East-SEC Challenge. On ESPN. In front of a near-sellout crowd. That’s just the kind of player Cashmere Wright is; a talented leader of men whom I’ve been proud to call a Bearcat.
Thanks for everything, Cash. I will never get tired of watching this shot that embodies everything you’ve given to Cincinnati Bearcats basketball.