Cash has been inducted into the BGSU Hall of Fame, and one glance at the stat archives places Cash deservedly in the distinctive company of Thurmond, the former NBA and Golden State Warriors great, who once waged memorable under-the-bucket wars with the Lakers’ Wilt Chamberlain.
The 6-foot-9 Cash, who resides in Dayton with his brother, Bennard, a former Belmont star, was all-everything at BGSU and he stole the spotlight in his last three years after being a big gun on the freshman team.
Cash wound up his senior season (’75) right behind Thurmond’s 14.9 in career rebounding with 13.5 and 22nd in Falcons scoring (15.8) behind another NBA great, Wayne Embry, a Springfield native.
In another category — blocked shots — Cash outdid the great 6-10 Thurmond. He posted a school record single-season mark of 59 blocks his junior year. The record still stands.
Also in his senior season, Cash became the third Mid-American Conference player to reach the 1,000 plateau in both points and boards.
Family support
“Family support was my biggest incentive during those years,” said the 57-year-old Cash, now employed at Houser Asphalt Concrete in Dayton. “My parents (Mildred and Cornelius Cash Sr.) came to virtually all my games, even in the worst weather conditions.
“My sister, Joy Cash, was also a big booster of mine and was the one that always kept the family together. She played prep basketball at Belmont, too.
“Another key inspirational figure in my life was coach Ben Waterman, who later was an assistant coach at Ohio State and then head coach at Central State. Like others, I had a lot of respect for him.
“He coached me in my sophomore and junior years at Dunbar and was a tremendous influence on my game and on life in general.”
Cash is probably best remembered by Dunbar fans for his two 40-point contests.
Cash is referred to by BGSU stat-keepers as a “prolific rebounder” — and that’s probably an understatement. He had a pair of 23-rebound games in his sophomore year and two 22-board outings as a junior.
3-time All-MAC
When he was at the top of his game in the three years under coach Pat Haley at BGSU, Cash was a first team All-MAC pick three straight seasons. As a sophomore, he was the top rebounding forward in the country with a 15.2 figure.
He again led the Falcons in rebounding and scoring as a senior, and in a highlight performance he racked up 22 rebounds and 22 points in a win over San Diego State.
NBA-wise, Cash was a second-round choice of the Milwaukee Bucks and later played with the Detroit Pistons. He then played in Belgium for eight months and wrapped up his career by playing 17 games for the Pistons upon his return home.
Another brother, Lorenzo Cash, played with Cornelius when the Wolverines of coach George Galloway made it to the Class AAA state final in Cash’s senior season.
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