Football players suiting up and balling on the hardwood isn't exactly a new thing. Philadelphia fans are well aware of Donovan McNabb playing for Jim Boeheim and the Syracuse Orangemen, but did you know that current Eagle's linebacker Connor Barwin was a pretty decent baller for the Cincinnati Bearcats?
With Cincy facing off against Harvard today in the NCAA tournament (No. 5 seed Cincy trails No. 12 seed Havahd 36-29 at the half as of this posting) Barwin tweeted the above photo of his days as a walk-on basketball player at his alma matter.
While I knew he was teammates in college with Brent Celek on the gridiron, I somehow overlooked his prowess on the court. From his Wiki page:
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In early January [2006], after injuries had decimated the University of Cincinnati basketball team, [Barwin] joined the team, playing in 18 games as a backup forward and averaging 9.9 minutes per game. That season, he tallied highs of 9 rebounds vs. the University of South Carolina and 6 points vs. the University of Pittsburgh.
He was pretty good as a high schooler in Detroit as well, earning All-League and All-Catholic honors as a junior and senior respectively.
Barwin appeared in 41 games over two seasons with the Bearcats, averaging about 10 minutes per game and just about a point and two boards per contest. Not exactly filling it up, but he was known for his tenacity on defense. And still is.