UC basketball adds Wilmington star, NC State transfer

In a whirlwind 24-hour span, the University of Cincinnati men's basketball program has scooped up three new recruits and gained national attention in the process.

UC added two more recruits Wednesday, with Wilmington High School four-star recruit Jarron Cumberland and North Carolina State transfer Kyle Washington orally committing to the Bearcats.

Cumberland, a national Top 80 recruit and the area's top-rated player in the 2016 class, is a 6-4, 210-pound shooting guard. He had offers that included Xavier, Butler, Nevada, Florida State, Purdue and West Virginia. He also had recent strong interest from Michigan and Indiana among others.

Cumberland and Washington will join another Bearcats newcomer in 6-10, 252-pound center Nysier Brooks (Burlington, N.J.), a high school senior-to-be who announced for UC on Tuesday.

The addition of prep recruits Brooks and Cumberland lifted UC to a No. 7 national recruiting ranking (class of 2016) by 247Sports.

CBS Sports Network insider Jon Rothstein also praised the Bearcats in a Tweet:

Cumberland is ranked the No. 60 player (composite) nationally by 247Sports.com, No. 65 by Rivals.com and No. 77 player in the ESPN Top 100. In his junior season for Wilmington, Cumberland averaged 24.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.3 assists.

"I love where I'm from, and it is an honor for me to say that I will be staying home to continue my education and play for Mick Cronin and the University of Cincinnati Bearcats," Cumberland said.

A Tweet from Cumberland (@clutchman34) from earlier:

Washington is a 6-foot-9, 230-pound power forward who played two seasons at NC State. He will become eligible for UC for the 2016-17 season and have two years to play.

Washington and Brooks will help offset the impending losses of Bearcats big men Octavius Ellis (6-foot-10, 226) and Coreontae DeBerry (6-9, 275), who will play their final UC seasons in the 2015-16 campaign.

Cumberland will help compensate for the departure of shooting guard Farad Cobb, who will leave UC after the 2015-16 season.

Washington averaged 6.8 points and 4.1 rebounds and started 18 games as a sophomore this past season for NC State. After coming off the bench for the last nine games, Washington sought to transfer. As a freshman, Washington made 25 starts and averaged 4.8 points and 3.9 rebounds.

Washington's father, Curtis Washington, said his son had a relationship with UC head coach Mick Cronin and Bearcats associate head coach Larry Davis that dated back to when Kyle Washington was in high school.

"Cincinnati is looking for toughness and heart, and Kyle has those attributes," Curtis Washington said via telephone. "He's got a willingness to win. He's a team-first guy, and he's a really good defensive player."

Washington, from Champlin, Minn., had recently visited UC, Marquette and Providence. Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports cited a source Wednesday that said Washington was headed to UC, and sources inside the Bearcats program later confirmed that.

Before joining NC State, Washington was ranked a Top 100 national recruit by Rivals (93) and ESPN (97).