Two members of the Central Arkansas Bears men’s basketball team have received top honors from the ASUN Conference, with Camren Hunter named Player of the Year and Ty Robinson earning spots on both the All-ASUN 2nd Team and the All-ASUN Freshman Team. Head Coach John Shulman was also recognized as ASUN Coach of the Year.
The Bears secured their first NCAA Division I regular season championship this year, finishing with a 20-11 overall record and a 15-3 mark in conference play. This performance earned them the #1 seed for the upcoming ASUN Championship tournament.
Camren Hunter, a senior from Bryant, Arkansas, was previously named ASUN Freshman of the Year in the 2021-22 season and has been selected to the All-ASUN 1st Team three times. This season, he led his team in minutes played (955), points scored (611), and field goal percentage (50%). In conference statistics, Hunter ranks second in total points (396), sixth in field goal percentage (53%), fourth in free throw percentage (82%), twelfth in three-pointers per game (2.3), twelfth in assists (63), tenth in assist-to-turnover ratio (2), and eleventh in steals (23). Nationally, he is twentieth among NCAA players for total points this season.
Head Coach John Shulman commented on Hunter: “Awfully proud of Cam, he came here to leave a legacy behind and I think he has done a pretty good job of that. He came here to change the program and has done a pretty good job of that. He has worked extremely hard for this moment and he is so deserving of everything that comes his way. The great thing about Cam is after cutting down the net Saturday, he was the first one in the gym Monday morning and led us to our best practice of the year. He is a warrior and he is relentless.”
Ty Robinson, a redshirt freshman from Hot Springs, Arkansas, completed his first full season after missing last year due to injury. Robinson led his team with 175 rebounds, ranked second with 442 points scored, and was third on his team for minutes played at 848. Within conference play, Robinson placed twelfth for points scored (268), thirteenth for rebounds (106), third for three-point shooting percentage at 42%, sixth for three-pointers made per game at 2.7, and second for steals with 35.
Coach Shulman praised Robinson’s contributions: “Ty is a winner. His work ethic is comparable to Cam’s. He is a tireless worker and a competitive dude. The greatest thing is that his career has just begun. I am thankful the rest of the league saw what we get to see every day. He impacts winning in a big way.”
John Shulman’s recognition as ASUN Coach of the Year follows significant improvement by Central Arkansas under his leadership during only his second season as head coach. The Bears were predicted to finish eighth by coaches and eleventh by media before this season began; last year they finished tenth with only four wins out of eighteen conference games.
This year’s turnaround included an undefeated record at home against conference opponents—each loss coming on overtime during away games—and an eleven-game winning streak within ASUN play as well as victories in thirteen out of their final fourteen games. The Bears ranked second among all teams for average points scored per game at 83.6 during conference play while allowing just 74.6 points per game defensively; their average margin of victory was nine points.
Central Arkansas will begin its quest for an automatic NCAA Tournament berth Friday morning when it faces either Bellarmine or Jacksonville—the winner will be determined Wednesday night.
