Khatmandude

[quote name='Jason' post='631267' date='Feb 10 2008, 02:22 PM']After watching last night's game, I think it's time Anthony McClain should start over Adam H.[/quote] Yeah Adam H has lost all confidence he had........sad. McClain's bone spurs in his foot won't allow him to start or even play significant more minutes than he's currently playing......also sad. I can't wait till the offseason when he can get healthy and come back next year with Mike Williams and Yancey Gates playing next to him. Also I hear that Cashmere Wright is going to be a surprising player next year and will play significant minutes as a Freshman.

Deonta Vaughn had close to his worst game ever up until overtime, then he took over and showed why he will be an All American IMO by the time he's a senior. Good win, one more and we're eligible for the BEast tournament........I am really impressed with Mick's coaching abilities lately. Mix that with his recruiting abilities and we've got a damn good coach who believes he's landed his "dream job". Good situation for UC and Mick.

[quote name='whodey32' post='630227' date='Feb 5 2008, 12:18 PM']Gates sounds like a monster! it would be nice have him and a developed biggie mclain on the court at the same time.[/quote] Dont forget about Mike Williams. UC could go real big with McClain, Gates and Williams as the C, PF and SF. I don't expect to see that lineup much though as the SF needs to bring more scoring punch than Williams can provide (especially from the outside) but I wouldn't be surprised to see the 3 in the lineup together at times.

From Greg Hoard, who's been covering UC since 1996......... [quote]I've been broadcasting UC basketball games on radio or TV since November of 1996. For you trivia buffs, my first broadcast was the infamous Crosstown Shootout that ended on Lenny Brown's game-winning shot for Xavier. I'm quite the good luck charm aren't I? Over the past decade, I've had the good fortune of describing the exploits of Kenyon Martin, Steve Logan, Danny Fortson, Ruben Patterson, Jason Maxiell, Eric Hicks, and many others. And I've never seen anyone in a Cincinnati uniform that looks quite like Yancy Gates. I had the opportunity to watch the future Bearcat in person last Friday with Coach Cronin and Chuck Machock. Gates scored 20 points as his Withrow Tigers beat Aiken 80-62. The first thing that comes to mind is a phrase that I used to reserve for Wily Mo Pena. Gates is a "genetic freak." Yancy is a legit 6'9", 260 pounds without serious weight training. He's an inch taller than Fortson and far more athletic. He's two inches taller than Maxiell and nearly as explosive. My radio partner Chuck spent 30 years in high school and college coaching and is in his 16th year as a broadcaster. The studs he's seen when they were in high school include Jerry Lucas, Magic Johnson, Adrian Dantley, LeBron James, and Clark Kellogg (who Chuck signed as an Ohio State assistant). While he's not ready to rank Gates among the best he's ever seen, he did come away impressed. "For an entering freshman, his physical size and muscular build are outstanding," Chuck said. "But his greatest attribute isn't size and strength; it's his hands and feet. He catches everything near him and moves his feet more like a kid who's 6'4" or 6'5". If he works hard, he has the potential to be a great player." "That's the unusual part," Coach Cronin told me. "A lot of guys have size and strength, but they don't have quick feet, agility, and great hands. Yancy's blessed to have those attributes - he could play tight end in the NFL. Put him on a scale right now and I'd say he's between 260 and 270 pounds. Weight training is going to keep him around 260 but make him much stronger, drop his body fat, change his body composition, and make him even more explosive and athletic than he already is. It's going to be very important for him to be able to commit himself right away in the off-season to make sure he's ready to roll by November." Gates will primarily play power forward at UC, and if you've grown frustrated by the number of layups missed by the current crop of Bearcat big men, that shouldn't be a problem for Yancy. "For the fans who wish that some of our guys would just drop-step and dunk it, Yancy is a guy that can do that," Cronin said. "He's finishing everything within shouting distance of the basket. He doesn't need to be all alone to dunk it either - he'll dunk it over everybody. Mike Williams is a finisher as well, so we'll be much more athletic on the interior. They play above the rim." At the high school level, Yancy doesn't have to exert maximum effort to dominate. He's averaging about 11 rebounds a game, but if he made that his focus he could probably grab twice as many. "He's never had to be the hardest-playing guy on the floor to dominate," Cronin said. "That will be a challenge for him. He'll have to step up his level of intensity. It's just like the freshman we have now. It's not of matter of if they play hard, it's playing hard all of the time. Yancy is a competitive kid, that's one thing I know about him. He's got a lot of pride in how good he is and the kind of player he's going to be. That pride will drive him and that's going to make it easy for me to push him. He wants to be a guy who fulfills his potential." Has Cronin ever signed anybody that big and strong? "No and it's not even close," Mick said with a laugh. "He's the most talented big guy that I've ever recruited. For a coach it's exciting because he's got everything that you can't teach. Everything that Yancy needs are things that can be taught."[/quote] [url="http://gobearcats.cstv.com/ot/dan-hoard-column.html"]http://gobearcats.cstv.com/ot/dan-hoard-column.html[/url]

[quote name='#22' post='628597' date='Jan 30 2008, 11:14 PM']2 Questions: 1.) How much of the low shooting % was just a cold night for WVU, and how much of it was UC's Defense? 2.) Did Huggins manage to stay classy?[/quote] 1 - 30% couldn't hit open shots / 70% UC defense. The D was switching and carrying out their defensive and rebounding assignments like I've not seen in a LONG time from any team, not just the Bearcats. On the boards, they had 5 guys boxing out every time and WV was thoroughly dominated as a result. Cronin had a talk with Sikes a couple of days ago and it seems to be paying off as Marcus had 12 boards last night. There were some shots WV should have hit but in a game like that, those shots have more pressure on them as they were few and far between so I can understand them missing. 2 - Huggins and Mick chatted before the game and shared smiles and laughs....good to see that after the "bad blood" after Mick left for Louisville. The only thing unclassy about Huggins was that God awful suit and shoes he had on. I will always like Huggins for what he did for UC basketball, effectively bringing it out of the dark ages. He's a damn good coach and will win at WV......hell, he's 15-6 or 15-5 this year with a couple of good wins and RPI in the 40's. That's not bad for a first year, especially with his demands he puts on teams on the defensive end. Also, Bielein didn't leave him with any good players. Joe Alexander or Ruoff could be if they had a better supporting cast. Nichols seems like he could be good but lacks any athletecism. Anyways, good win for UC and that's 5 wins in the BEast compared to only 2 last year.....nice job of rebuilding and a year ahead of schedule.

This is a UC BASKETBALL thread...............not just A, but THE OFFICIAL UC basketball thread......

[quote name='Go Tory Go!' post='626391' date='Jan 24 2008, 01:42 PM']27-3.[/quote] You forgot the

[quote name='CTBengalsFan' post='626292' date='Jan 24 2008, 02:01 AM'][img]http://www.uconnhuskies.com/AllStories/MBasketball/2008/01/23/AP080123035133.jpg[/img] [/quote] You can thank the refs for last night's game.......they were atrocious!!! It was a good game though and UC is starting to get back to being respectable after the horrible situation Cronin faced last year. Just need to mature a little more and I think we will be in the upper half of the league for years to come. Next years team is going to be good......very good.

Good win against Syracuse tonight....... On the negative side, Adam H is regressing each and every game and should be backup only status in a couple more weeks as Biggie McClaine gets his feet and legs under him. Good to see Alvin Mitchell play also, he's had tendinitis (can't remember where) but he's been struggling shooting the ball......maybe this is the reason. When he gets healthy, watch out because he can flat out score. Nice to see the Bearcats playing so hard again. That's what we're used to from a UC team ........ 2-1 in the Big East with wins at Louisville and against Syracuse.....not too shabby. They should get better and better as the freshmen mature.

[quote name='Palmer4HOF' post='619722' date='Jan 6 2008, 08:08 PM']who are these true PGs and man child you speak of?[/quote] Cashmere Wright, ultra quick PG who can score........6'0" 185 lbs and 6'8" Yancy Gates who has an NBA body right now playing in high school. Both should start immediately next year. Wright ranked at #46 (top ten PG) and Gates at #24 in the latest top 150 rankings. Look for a SG to also sign who is ranked in the top 50.

[quote name='BengalBacker' post='619336' date='Jan 5 2008, 11:22 PM']Cats go down, 70-58. [/quote] I wish we could become as succesful a program as Dayton ........ This Bearcat team is young and inconcistent which is kinda redundant.......they'll struggle more often than not this year but next year with a true PG who can also score and a 6'8" man child playing PF along with McClaine at C, should be able to do some damage.

[quote name='Jason' post='619058' date='Jan 5 2008, 01:50 AM']There is a HUGE difference in playing for Western Carolina in the Southern Conference, and playing in the Big East.[/quote] As I said in my post, I think ideally he would be a good role player who can score when given the opportunity. He's not going to be a superstar by any means but he was recruited to UC and the B-EAST initially by Huggins.............I guess we'll see next year how he turns out. I'm still leaning in favor of this transfer but for some reason, am not quite sure yet.....don't know why.

[quote name='Jason' post='618746' date='Jan 4 2008, 02:38 PM']How good is this Aldridge kid? Would he play significant minutes for say Pitt or Georgetown?[/quote] Well, he averaged 19 pts this year for Western Carolina and scored 22 against UC earlier this year. He's got a good game and seems like a strong player so IMO I think he would play significant minutes for either of those teams you mentioned....and especially at UC who is going to use an uptempo game and sub players in and out. This guy is a savvy scorer and does it with unconventional shots.........and he's got a decent jumper. This will leave UC with 2 scholarships to give still next year. They may carry one over to 2009 or hopefully if Mike Williams is allowed an additional year due to his injury (not holding my breath), then it would go to him along with another Center hopefully. I'm still not 100% sure if I like this transfer or not as you could sign a HS kid with the scholarship Aldrdige will get but I am leaning towards liking it. Also, Aldridge was recruited by Huggins to UC and signed with UC but transferred after the whole Huggins "firing" so apparently Huggs thought enough of him to recruit him on a B-EAST team. He could turn out to be a solid role player on a good team which is why I am leaning towards liking it......gotta go with Mick on this one.........Mick likes this kid.

[quote name='IKOTA' post='617505' date='Jan 2 2008, 07:08 PM']There are 2 rumors going around about transfers and UC.......1 good (maybe) and 1 bad. #1 Nick Aldrige, a 6'7" SF who originally commited to UC while Huggins was here has decided to transfer to either Marshall or UC. Looks like UC will get him....he averaged 19 pts and 7 rebounds this year at Western Carolina.....and scored 22 points against UC this year when the two teams played #2 Alvin Mitchell may transfer at year's end as the coaches and Alvin have both been disappointed in his development. He's getting fatter by the day and losing confidence......he needs to have a game where he hits a couple of outside shots.....badly!!! These are just RUMORS so please treat them as such but the Aldridge one may be pretty reliable.[/quote] Nick Aldridge has decided to transfer to UC.......he'll be eligible after the fall qtr next year and will be a Sophomore for the rest of next year. I kinda like this transfer........

There are 2 rumors going around about transfers and UC.......1 good (maybe) and 1 bad. #1 Nick Aldrige, a 6'7" SF who originally commited to UC while Huggins was here has decided to transfer to either Marshall or UC. Looks like UC will get him....he averaged 19 pts and 7 rebounds this year at Western Carolina.....and scored 22 points against UC this year when the two teams played #2 Alvin Mitchell may transfer at year's end as the coaches and Alvin have both been disappointed in his development. He's getting fatter by the day and losing confidence......he needs to have a game where he hits a couple of outside shots.....badly!!! These are just RUMORS so please treat them as such but the Aldridge one may be pretty reliable.

Great win by UC today at Louisville.........this is the first time all year Louisville's been healthy (preseason #6) and UC beat them at their house. Looks like this team is maturing.

Latest RPI from Jerry Palm, CollegeRPI.com 1 Memphis 7 Dayton 12 Ole Miss 14 Butler 23 OSU 27 Xavier 30 Miami 36 Ohio 46 Minnesota 48 Wright St 52 IU 56 West Virginia 79 UL 196 UC 227 UK

Latest RPI from Jerry Palm, CollegeRPI.com 1 Memphis 7 Dayton 12 Ole Miss 14 Butler 23 OSU 27 Xavier 30 Miami 36 Ohio 46 Minnesota 48 Wright St 52 IU 56 West Virginia 79 UL 196 UC 227 UK

Nice article by Lonnie Wheeler on the state of the team/program and the patience that's going to be needed for a year or two. [url="http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071220/SPT0201/712200326/1035/SPT"]http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar...200326/1035/SPT[/url] [quote][size=4][b]UC will be rewarded eventually [/b][/size] Column by The Post's Lonnie Wheeler Mourn if you must. The Bearcats lost again, the sixth time in 10 games this season. This time it was Memphis, the familiar old foe, the team ranked No. 2 in the nation, the program that presently stands as the University of Cincinnati used to, at the head of Conference USA and rolling along at a lofty level. If your thing is all about the now, the distress is well-placed. For all the progress that UC has shown in its last two games, starting a week ago with Xavier, Big East competition does not bode well for Mick Cronin's unaccomplished club. It's a little short on everything but inexperience. And yet, after an 11-1 run for the home team Wednesday night, it was a one-point game at halftime. After missing makeable shots from every conceivable distance, the Bearcats still, somehow, found themselves in a 6-point game with a minute and a half to play. This is how it will have to happen for them. On their plodding path back to respectability, there will be no screaming headlines, no sudden assaults on the national rankings. In the best scenario, there will, instead, be steady progress of the sort that showed itself against XU and Memphis. There will be adjustments by sophomore guard Deonta Vaughn, such as he made Wednesday when the rugged visitors muscled him from line to line, and wincing maturation of the half-dozen Cincinnati freshmen. All six were summoned against the deep club that John Calipari has smartly assembled without the sort of recruiting disadvantages that have greeted Cronin. It was as if the Bearcats were matched against their former selves, a brawny, swarming, swaggering team for which the NCAA Tournament is effectively foreordained. For UC, on the other hand, the postseason is not a part of the discussion. For a team whose margin for error is no bigger than Darnell Wilks' calves, even the 12-team Big East tournament seems an ambitious goal. Nevertheless, it was undaunted, worth-watching basketball that the Bearcats played against No. 2. It was a performance that portended of better results in the near future, and much better in the longer term. In two years, for example, Wilks, Rashad Bishop, Larry Davis, Alvin Mitchell, Kenny Belton and Biggie McClain will all be seasoned juniors. Vaughn will be a starring senior. And Memphis' freshman sensation, point guard Derrick Rose - 26 points against UC, and three answers for every statement the Bearcats submitted - will very conceivably be in the NBA. In that context, there's a bright side to the recruiting obstacles that Cronin has dealt with. He had no reasonable chance of collecting a young or highly regarded group last year, given the lack of groundwork laid before his late arrival. Even this year's excellent class was put together without the benefit of early wooing. As a result, there are no Roses in it, or Eric Gordons or O.J Mayos. There's nobody whom the League is likely to solicit prematurely. It's a class that circumstances ought to hold together; a class, also, that talent could serve well. And that's not a home-fried perspective. It's Calipari's, after he watched Mitchell shut down his leading scorer, Chris Douglas-Roberts; after he watched the Bearcats beat his team to loose balls; after he watched Vaughn pull the underdogs unexpectedly close in the final minutes. After he spent Wednesday at UC. "I walked this campus today," remarked the veteran coach, "and man, I'm stunned. I am stunned. What they've done with the athletic complex, housing, fixing up the fraternities and sororities - they're saying, 'Ohio State, move over.' The office complex, I couldn't believe it. So my hat's off to this university and what they're trying to do. "When I'm seeing it, I'm like, my goodness, I can see why the Big East wants them in the league so bad. Mick just needs some time to get some players going. It's a tough road right now, but he's got everything he needs to sell." Already, if Wednesday night is an indication, he has sold Mitchell - a surprise starter against Memphis - on the concept of defense. "It's a big adjustment for a guy who scored 38 points a game in high school and didn't guard his lunch," Cronin said. Already, he has sold Vaughn on the notion that he's the one who has to push the UC offense and make points happen. "He's basically getting mugged for 40 minutes," observed the coach. "But he needs to be aggressive with the ball. I thought it was the first time he really stepped up to that challenge." The result was a 79-69 defeat that, for now, will have to suffice. Bemoan it if you're so inclined. And when you're finished, flash ahead a year or two. You'll feel better.[/quote]

Apparently, Anthony McClaine's bone spur is still causing him problems and that's why he's not played more in games. Mick said he'd like to play McClaine for 20 mins a game but his foot wont allow for it right now. But Davis and Wilks need to play more.

[quote name='Jason' post='608104' date='Dec 12 2007, 11:20 PM']Is dunking illegal in Poland??? Adam H has had several open chances at the basket and instead of dunking the ball he has missed several layups. Adam! Dunk the f*ck!ng ball!!!!![/quote] It's hard for him to dunk, he's just not that athletic but he missed some easy shots against X......especially the one with UC up by 3 with about 4 mins to go which could have put them up by 5 but he missed the layup. I was pissed. I thought Rashad Bishop played well as did Larry Davis when given the chance.......which is what I don't get......give your young guys a chance dammit!

[quote name='Palmer4HOF' post='601656' date='Nov 30 2007, 05:10 PM']anyword on Henry? I know he was ineligible for this year, but are there plans to get him enrolled and make grades for next season? I'm thinking Vaughns senior year we might have the potential of a dangerous Big East team if the team gels right[/quote] No plans for Henry to rejoin the Bearcats......unfortunately. Yancy Gates will be the man after he gets acclimated to the college game. Dude is 6'10" legit and built like a tank........athletic........soft touch and when he plays hard is going to be unstoppable. By Vaughn's senior year (if he's still around--Gates that is) UC will be very dangerous.

No UC discussion huh? They've played 2 preseason games so far and don't look very much like a team but that's to be expected with so many new people. Their first 10 games or so will be rough but they should start to find out about themselves then. I look for a respectable year from them with next year get ting back into the tournament. As for recruiting, Teondre Williams will probably not be attending UC. They also lost out on J'Mison Morgan who was a really sought after recruit, he commited to LSU earlier in the week. Would have been nice to get him but Mick will continue to find another player who can play C, PF.

[quote name='CJ4MVP85' post='545331' date='Sep 11 2007, 09:55 PM']I'm not a UC fan or anything but I am really excited to see what Yancy can do next year..I saw him play last year in the tournament and he was just disgusting..[/quote] Yancy Gates is a man amongst boys when he plays against HS competition. If he could just keep his intensity up all the time, he can dominate even at the college level after a year or two. He's that good. Can't wait to see him play for UC.

[quote name='Palmer4HOF' post='545202' date='Sep 11 2007, 07:50 PM']Continue to post man... I really appreciate it when you keep my updating on my cats[/quote] Thanks, I love college basketball and UC in particular and if I'm able to give out info, I certainly will. Here's something I found out recently: Cashmere Wright, the PG we received a verbal is making an official visit soon (never visited before giving verbal to Mick) and bringing a player with him. That player is Teondre Williams, a 6'4" shooting guard out of Lawrenceville, GA who has been offered a scholarship already by Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia with others high on him also. The Bearcats have also offered him a scholarship for 2008 and like I said, is coming for a visit so that's good news. I'll update after he gets onto campus as to how he feels about UC. Right now, don't know one way or the other but from what I hear, he's a pretty good player who is rising on the Top 100 charts. I love how Mick Cronin is able to find these guys before their ranking starts getting higher and higher. He found Darnell Wilkes when he was listed at like 86th best player in his class and now some scouting services rank him in the 30s or 40s. Like I said before, UC's 2008 recruiting class should be better than the 2007 class which was listed as the 13th best class.