University of Montana freshman guard Will Cherry has been named to the Mid-Major Freshman All-American team by CollegeInsider.com. The organization, based in Boston, made the announcement on Monday.
Rather than assembling first, second, third and fourth team squads, the collegeinsider.com Mid-Major Freshmen All-America team consists of 20 players. Division I coaches and NBA scouts were part of the selection process, but the final decision rested with the collegeinsider.com staff.
"It's a great honor for a true freshman to receive this kind of honor," said fourth year UM head coach Wayne Tinkle, who guided the Grizzlies to a 22-10 record and a berth in the NCAA tournament this past season (a 62-57 first-round loss to New Mexico in San Jose, Calif.).
"Will bought in from day one and stayed focused and worked his tail off, and became a vital part of our team," Tinkle said. "To be recognized nationally is a tribute to his effort and attitude. If he continues along those lines and displays the same work ethic, we know he will just get better and better for us every year."
A 6-1, 175-pound guard from Oakland, Calif. (McClymonds High School), Cherry played in all 32 games for the Grizzlies, and started in 22 games as a "true" freshman. He was Montana's fourth-leading scorer, averaging 8.3 points a game, and was a honorable mention All-Big Sky Conference selection this season.
Cherry scored 10 points in Montana's 68-63 Big Sky tournament semifinal win over Northern Colorado and made a crucial shot in that game with 24 seconds left to give the Grizzlies a 66-63 lead. He led the Grizzlies in steals with 61, and his 1.9 steals per game ranked him fourth in the conference. He was ranked 15th in the league in assists with 2.5 a game.
The CollegeInsider.com Freshman All-American Team:
Karon Abraham, 5-9, Robert Morris
Isaiah Canaan, 5-11, Murray State
Will Cherry, 6-1, Montana
Ian Clark, 6-3, Belmont
Robert Covington, 6-8, Tennessee State
Matthew Dellavedova, 6-4, Saint Mary's
Chris Fouch, 6-2, Drexel
Greg Gantt, 6-2, Florida Atlantic
Ashley Hamilton, 6-7, Loyola Marymount
Luke Hancock, 6-5, George Mason
Allen Huddleston, 6-1, Pacific
Kyle Smyth, 6-4, Iona
J.P. Kuhlman, 6-3, Davidson
Warren Niles, 6-4, Oral Roberts
Colt Ryan, 6-5, Evansville
Jauwan Scaife, 6-2, Ball State
Robert Smith, 6-0, Santa Clara
Gene Teague, 6-9, Southern Illinois
Julian Welch, 6-3, UC Davis
Chaz Williams, 5-9, Hofstra