WESTERVILLE – Five members of the Otterbein University men's basketball team have been honored with OAC accolades announced on Friday morning. Julian Heckman, Jarius Jones and Troy Scowden landed on All-OAC teams, with Dominic Theado earning the OAC Freshman of the Year award. Head coach Andy Winters was named the Co-Coach of the Year, cementing a tremendous and historic season for the Cardinals.
A constant spark on both sides of the ball, Heckman receives all-conference honors for the third time in his career and the first time being chosen on the First Team. Heckman leads Otterbein with 13.2 points per game and dishes out 5.4 assists per game. The only Cardinal averaging over 30 minutes per game (34.2), the senior also averages 2.7 steals per game. Heckman was an Honorable Mention honoree in both 2023 and 2024.
Jones has been tremendous down the stretch for Otterbein en route to Second Team All-OAC honors. Contributing 13.0 points per game, Jones also hauls in 5.1 rebounds per game, good for second most on the squad. Used as a solid option off the Otterbein bench, this is his first all-conference nod.
Scowden, also a senior, was named to the Honorable Mention, after consistently producing in the post. Joining Jones as a reserve, Scowden shoots 61.5 percent from the floor and scores 9.5 points per game. His 13 blocks are the second most on the team, as he collects his first All-OAC honor.
Theado becomes Otterbein's first OAC Freshman of the Year since Heckman achieved the feat in 2023. Earning the start in 24 of Otterbein's 26 games, Theado has been outstanding all season long, leading the team in rebounding (5.2 RPG) while adding 9.3 points per game.
Spending the last five weeks in the D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll, Winters has guided the Cardinals to a memorable season and a chance to win an OAC Championship. He becomes the first Otterbein coach to earn the award since Dick Reynolds (2002), as the 22 wins are the most since that historic campaign. On Jan. 28, he earned his 100th career victory with an 86-70 decision over Baldwin Wallace.
After a thrilling last-second win over Ohio Northern in Thursday's OAC Semifinal match and a Heidelberg win on the other side of the bracket, the Cardinals will host the OAC Championship game on Saturday evening. Otterbein – ranked No. 20 in the latest national poll – will tip off against the Berg at 6 p.m. inside the Rike Center.
