Where good news shines

Avoid the NCAA transfer portal, and the Denver Pioneers basketball program has a serious building block in Sebastian Akins.

Akins, a 6-foot-2 lead guard, was named Summit League Freshman of the Year on Tuesday. It marks Denver’s first major award since Chris Udofia was named Summit League Defensive Player of the Year in 2013-14.

Akins broke Denver’s Division I record for scoring by a true freshman with 396 points. He had 21 games of double-digit scoring, 13 games with 15-plus points and four with 20-plus.

Akins also led the Pioneers with 85 assists.

Omaha’s Marquel Sutton was named Summit League Player of the Year after averaging 21.3 points and 7.7 rebounds for the top-seeded Mavericks.

Seventh-seeded Denver (11-20 overall, 5-11 Summit League) plays second-seeded St. Thomas (22-9, 12-4) in the first round of the conference tournament at roughly 8 p.m. Thursday (Summit League Network). St. Thomas swept the season series.

The Summit League tournament is held in Sioux Falls, S.D.

(“Colorado Sunshine” celebrates the good news in sports. Suggestions are encouraged through sports editor Paul Klee at [email protected].)