| | By Jay Bilas
Special to ESPN.com
CINCINNATI -- When Kenyon Martin went down with a broken leg in the Conference USA Tournament last year, college basketball took a body blow and was left gasping for breath.
Just imagine how Bob Huggins must have felt watching Martin be carried off the floor.
Cincinnati had done everything right a season ago. Martin, the eventual Player of the Year, had come back for his senior season; Huggins masterfully managed the talent and experience, and Cincinnati entered the C-USA tourney as the nation's top-ranked team -- mentally and physically fresh, and ready to win it all.
|  | | Bob Huggins refuses to let what he's lost keep his Bearcats from being a perennial winner. |
Sure, it was possible Cincinnati could lose after going 28-2 during the regular season, but it would have taken an exceptional effort by maybe a handful of teams capable of keeping up with the Bearcats.
When Martin was lost for the rest of the year in the C-USA tournament, the world crumbled around Huggins' team. The Bearcats lost that quarterfinal game to Saint Louis; were given a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and were then bounced by Tulsa in the second round.
Season over. Dream, no, make that nightmare over. It just didn't seem fair. The 1999-00 Bearcats were a special team, a "once in a career" team. And it all ended so abruptly.
The fallout wasn't any easier, either. The Bearcats lost five of their top seven players, including four starters, from a team that won 29 games. Martin, Pete Mickeal, DerMarr Johnson, Ryan Fletcher and Jermaine Tate accounted for 70 percent of Cincinnati's scoring and rebounding, while Martin was directly responsible for changing the trajectory of countless meager offerings.
Cincinnati seemed to have gone from a prohibitive favorite to win the national championship a year ago, to a team that appeared to be in trouble entering the 2000-01 season.
But not so fast, there is life after Kenyon. And don't feel sorry for Huggins. He certainly doesn't feel sorry for himself. He's just rolled up his sleeves and gone back to work. No time to worry about the past, only what lies ahead.
"When Kenyon went down, this whole city was like a morgue," said assistant Mick Cronin. "Everybody felt it was over. But Huggs was the most unaffected. As soon as he knew Kenyon was going to be OK, he was fine. The same old Huggs. There was just no time for the kids to recover."
Seven months later, you can't blame Cincinnati and its fans for still feeling a bit deflated. But the faithful should look at Huggins' history to feel better about this year's prospects.
In the 11 years Huggins has prowled the sidelines, the Bearcats average only 2.6
returning starters each season, yet they average 27.4 wins. Cincinnati
rolls along with different parts, yet the song remains the same. This is
assured: this Cincinnati team will give great effort, playing hard on both
ends and on the glass, and the Bearcats will get out and guard people.
What is Cincinnati's secret? Bob Huggins.
Conducting his standard three hour practice, Huggins is fun to watch, and he
is far different from his reputation. Sure, he can be tough, but he's only
tough about maximum effort, attitude and concentration. He gives individual
instruction and attention to his players. He pays attention to detail.
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RELOADED FOR BEAR
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Bob Huggins has made a habit of replacing talent with talent in his 11 winning seasons at Cincinnati.
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Key '99 Losses
Melvin Levett, Shawn Myrick
1999-2000 Record
29-4 (NCAA 2nd Round)
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Key '98 Losses
Ruben Patterson, D'Juan Baker, Bobby Brannen
1998-1999 Record
27-6 (NCAA 2nd Round)
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Key '97 Losses
Danny Fortson, Damon Flint, Darnell Burton
1997-1998 Record
27-6 (NCAA 2nd Round)
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Key '96 Losses
Keith LeGree, Art Long
1996-1997 Record
26-8 (NCAA 2nd Round)
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Key '95 Losses
LaZelle Durden, Curtis Bostic
1995-1996 Record
28-5 (Elite Eight)
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Key '94 Losses
Dontonio Wingfield, Mike Harris
1994-1995 Record
23-11 (NCAA 2nd Round)
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Key '93 Losses
Nick Van Exel, Corie Blount, Allen Jackson
1993-1994 Record
22-10 (NCAA 1st round)
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Key '92 Losses
Herb Jones, Anthony Buford
1992-1993 Record
27-5 (Elite Eight)
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Key '91 Losses
Louis Banks, Levertis Robinson, Keith Starks
1991-1992 Record
29-5 (Final Four)
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Key '90 Losses
Andre Tate Steve Sanders
1990-1991 Record
18-12 (NIT 2nd round)
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Key '89 Losses
Cedric Glover, Elnardo Givens
1989-1990 Record
20-14 (NIT 2nd round)
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The bottom line: he treats his players like men.
As Cincinnati prepared for its fourth practice at the Shoemaker Center,
Huggins was so upbeat, you'd think Martin and Mickeal were in the
locker room waiting to come out to practice.
"We're still going to be pretty good," Huggins said as he watched his team of newcomers get ready for another three-hour battle. "But we're dropping like flies right now. Eugene Land is gone, Antwan Jones is out with a broken foot, and Donald Little is having a bone scan as we speak. We've got problems without Donald."
Cincinnati, despite the early injuries and only two returning players with significant experience, has the chance to be very good. And with or without Little, the opposition will have problems with Cincinnati.
The backcourt is set, and solid with those two players who played key roles on last year's squad. Steve Logan and Kenny Satterfield will provide leadership. They may not match the leadership brought by Martin and Mickeal, but they are capable of leading this team by example.
"When its all said and done, Logan is one tough little (guy)," Huggins said during ESPN.com's preseason tour. "I don't care where the leadership comes from. I know we'll get it from those two.
"(But) it would be nice to get Jones back."
It's easy to realize why Jones remains on Huggins' mind. The junior college transfer was ready to make an impact right away. But the 6-7 Jones is currently on crutches with his broken foot in a cast. Jones has the same ailment that sidelined Elton Brand, which is ironically called a Jones fracture.
He could be on the floor now, showing off his long range and moves to the hoop. But NCAA rules kept Cincinnati's medical staff from providing treatment for Jones until he enrolled in school. Jones' foot had not healed properly over the summer, so he had to have more work done by the Bearcats' medical staff last month.
When he comes back, Cincinnati has a gem that can really score. The only question is when.
"We tend to get guys back quicker than the doctors predict," Huggins deadpanned when asked if Jones would be back by December.
Whenever Cincinnati gets Jones in a uniform, the Bearcats will get a player with fabulous talent. The swingman can best be described as really long, as in lengthy arms and extended legs. He is a very good shooter, with subterranean range that causes mere mortals to shake their heads.
"He shoots it deep. And easy," said Huggins. "Yesterday he was making shots a step beyond the 3-point line, and he was standing on one leg."
Jones shoots it effortlessly by using his strong wrists. When he puts it on the floor, he's athletic and smooth. Some have favorably compared Jones to Miami Heat guard Eddie Jones. Huggins doesn't disagree.
"He doesn't have the ball skills of Eddie, but he's pretty damn quick, and he's got more range," the coach said.
Huggins can play Jones at the small forward spot, which would essentially allow him to go with a three-guard offense. Jones simply will add a different dimension to this team.
In fact, the Cincinnati coaching staff thinks Jones can give them more than Johnson did last year. Cincinnati had to hide Johnson on the defensive end, which they will not have to do with Jones.
"DerMarr was great, he was the sixth pick in the draft for crying out loud," said Cronin. "But he was so young. This kid may be able to do more for us on both ends."
But, even without Jones to start the season, Cincinnati's newcomers are impressive to watch. Immanuel McElroy catches your eye immediately. The 6-4 McElroy may not be a shooter, but he's a player who has a great feel for the game. He makes plays in practice, taking people off the dribble, and has the potential to be a defensive stopper -- a mini-Mickeal at the guard spot.
The shooter is freshman Field Williams, and calling him just a shooter may be an insult. Williams is an outstanding shooter, and Huggins will find a way to get him into the game and get shots up. If Williams gets open, he drills it.
Think Jeff Hornacek, the type of shooter that, when his shot catches rim, it surprises you. Williams was the Player of the Year in Texas last year, shooting 62 percent from behind the 3-point arc last season.
Jamaal Davis, who transferred from Purdue, is a junior forward and great advertisement for Gene Keady's ability to teach. Davis is a skilled power forward that makes smart plays. Huggins loves the way Davis goes after it, and how he finishes plays.
Rod Flowers is a big forward with good hands, but is having the toughest first-year adjustment of the group. Huggins was getting on Flowers throughout practice, but it was clear Huggins was staying on him because he thinks he will be very good.
Cincinnati also has two 6-11 guys to man the post. Donald Little, who has improved his body and is ready to be an impact player, could be the key inside. If the 225-pound Little can live up to the shot-blocking potential he's shown in practice and games, he can be "Martin Lite" on the defensive end.
B.J. Grove is a 255-pound load inside who, once he gets anchored, can take up space and rebound the ball. Of course, neither is Kenyon-esque, but that doesn't mean they can't be good.
Mark this down: Cincinnati will be able to put up points, and with Huggins demanding spirited performance on the other end, the Bearcats will defend and go to the glass.
If Huggins can apply his magna cum laude mind -- it's true, Huggins was a two-time Academic All-America at West Virginia and an honors student -- to making this team win its own way, the Conference USA's title will continue to rest in Ohio.
The Bearcats may not be the favorite to win the national championship this year, but the latest version will follow those of the past and continue in the Huggins' tradition of being one of the nation's top programs. | |
ALSO SEE
Bilas postcard from Cincinnati
Bilas Breakdown: Cincinnati
ESPN.com Preseason Top 25
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