Earlier this week, the North Coast Athletic Conference announced that three Oberlin athletes made its all-conference teams across men’s and women’s basketball. Furthermore, for the first time in eight years, an Oberlin women’s basketball player has received the NCAC’s highest defensive honor.
On Wednesday, fourth-year Angela Kumler was named the NCAC’s Top Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the first Yeowoman to hold the award since Olivia Canning in 2018. Over the course of the season, Kumler averaged 3.9 steals, 1.2 blocks, and 5.6 rebounds each game. Kumler’s performance this season also earned her Second-Team All-Conference honors.
On the men’s side, third-year JJ Gray and fourth-year Zach Smith were named to the Second-Team and Third-Team All-Conference lists, respectively. It was Gray’s third consecutive Second-Team honor and Smith’s first honor.
Each of the three athletes found out about their nominations to All-Conference teams in different ways. Kumler learned of her award through a text her head coach, Stephany Dunmyer, sent out to the team. Smith also found out from a bombardment of texts from his teammates, while Gray was with his teammates in Stevenson Dining Hall when they told him about his accolade.
While all-conference nods are always appreciated, Gray expressed disappointment that he wasn’t able to go a step beyond second-team this year.
“I was like, ‘Oh, man,’ because I’’ve been on second-team all three years now,” Gray said. “But it still means a lot, being named second-team, getting the recognition from the rest of the conference means a lot to me. And just representing Oberlin and my team is always huge.”
For Smith, receiving an honor from the conference was the culmination of an arduous four-year journey. From sitting on the bench the majority of his first year to becoming an integral on-court part of this year’s team, Smith has embodied how hard work and dedication can pay off in the end.
“For me, Smitty is why this level, especially at a place like Oberlin, is so special,” Head Coach Shiva Senthil wrote in an email to the Review. “In an era of college hoops where it seems like everyone transfers the second there is any adversity, Smitty represents what can be accomplished when you put your head down, work, and trust the process. Since the second he stepped on campus, he has been one of the most coachable players I have ever met, and it is no surprise to me to see him become the player he is now. Smitty is a winner in every sense of the word and showed everyone that if you work hard, trust the process, and focus on the right things, your growth will be special.”
When asked about what it took for him to earn this award, Smith echoed many of the same points that his coach mentioned.
“I really attribute it all to hard work, just working hard to put yourself in a position where luck comes your way,” Smith said. “And then, along with that, just showing up every day also builds your confidence as well. … My goal this summer actually was to be an all-conference player. I feel like all three of those together brought me where I was this season.”
Kumler has similarly embraced hard work and effort through her four years at Oberlin, and she has grown from a steady basketball player to a steely leader and disruptive gamechanger. In her typically selfless and team-first manner, Kumler immediately credited the people around her for her continued growth.
“I think it says a lot about the teammates I have been surrounded by these past four years who have welcomed competition at practice every day with open arms,” Kumler wrote in an email to the Review. “I have also been allowed to grow so much defensively thanks to Coach Dunny, who has trusted me a lot to do my thing and implemented defenses these past couple years that have played to the team’s strengths.”
Dunmyer broke down some of the ways that Kumler routinely made an impact in the Yeowomen’s games this season.
“In our man defense, Angela was versatile enough to guard every position, and she covered an incredible amount of ground,” Dunmyer wrote in an email to the Review. “She was always willing to make the extra rotation — to help the helper — which often led to a momentum-changing block or deflection. She didn’t just play great individual defense, she elevated our entire defensive identity.”
For Smith and Kumler, commencement is the next major step in their academic futures. While Gray will also be walking the stage in May, he is looking to continue his basketball career in a graduate program before pursuing a professional career abroad in Japan.
