Washpun's Sixth Man award unexpected — to him, at least

CEDAR FALLS — It became clear pretty quickly this season that junior guard Wes Washpun had not only accepted his role for No. 11/12 Northern Iowa, he had embraced it.

The former Cedar Rapids Washington guard knew headed into this season he'd be employed in a sixth man role, and flourished in it. His minutes reflected what Coach Ben Jacobson thought of him all season, and his results were reflected in his being honored with the Missouri Valley Conference Sixth Man of the Year award on Tuesday.

He said just after the win against Iowa that he may not have liked being taken out of the starting lineup, but wasn't going to shrink from the responsibility of being the first man off the bench for the Panthers.

That sentiment hasn't changed.

'I would like to say it didn't really enter my mind that much about winning sixth man of the year,' Washpun said. 'I was just trying to go out there and play my part, play my role and give everything I could for my team. If you do that, things like this tend to fall into place.'

Washpun finished the regular season second on the team in scoring at 8.2 points per game, second in assists with 2.8 per game and tied for the lead in steals with Jeremy Morgan at 1.0 (31 steals in 30 games), and he was also named captain of the MVC All-Bench team, which was released Wednesday.

His 22.8 minutes per game were starter-level, and the high-flying guard was the one with the ball in crucial situations more often than not for UNI — including in both games against No. 8 Wichita State. His 16 points (and thunderous dunk) in the first meeting and a pair of 3-pointers were a big part of the run that briefly got the Panthers back in the game on Saturday.

And though to outsiders the award seemed a no-brainer, Washpun insisted he didn't know the award was coming. Only when his phone started buzzing uncontrollably while in class did he accept it as reality. Even in expressing pride in what he'd accomplished, Washpun couldn't help but include the guys who he plays beside.

'Actually I was in one of my classes. My phone started blowing up and that's when I found out what was going on,' Washpun said. 'I had no idea it was coming. Of course I was very honored. I was just very happy for all my teammates who also got awards and Seth (Tuttle) for winning Player of the Year. It all kind of came out at the same time. I was more happy for them than I was for myself.'

He did admit, though, to an award like Sixth Man of the Year meaning a little bit more given how unexpected it was to him, and the circumstances around his role this season.

It would've been easy to not see the light at the end of the tunnel when Jacobson moved him out of the starting lineup from the end of the 2013-14 season into his sixth man role this season. His choice to accept that role and Jacobson's decision to give it to him was validated, not only in his recognition, but in that of Deon Mitchell earning All-MVC Honorable Mention, Paul Jesperson MVC All-Newcomer team and Nate Buss MVC All-Bench team.

'It definitely does (mean more) because it was unexpected,' Washpun said. 'It's always good to get noticed for your accomplishments and all the work you put in over the summer and over the year. Just seeing it all pay off is really good, especially knowing my role this year.

'It's just good to see all the guys fall into their role and be able to perform at such a high level.'

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