Chance to Win Back Huggins' Fans; Ball's in Team's Court

For the first time since the 2005-2006 season, the University of Cincinnati Men's Basketball team is in the Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Poll. The Bearcats, who are ranked 19th, have started this year off with a 5-1 record, including an appearance in the Maui Invitational in which the 'Cats beat Vanderbilt and Maryland before losing to Gonzaga in the finals. Head Coach Mick Cronin has been, and is the perfect replacement for UC coaching legend Bob Huggins. At one time, Cronin was an assistant for Huggins during his tenure at Cincinnati.

When former UC President Nancy "Nazi" Zimpher forced Huggins into retirement, many UC fans left and followed Huggins to Kansas State. Those that stayed wouldn't be staying long as Zimpher did not give the head coaching position to then interim head coach Andy Kennedy. This move caused a lot of commotion as Devan Downey, the emerging star freshman point guard left for the University of South Carolina. Cronin has done an excellent job in replacing Downey with back-to-back all BIG EAST guard Deonta Vaughn, along with the rest of the team.

The time is now for Mick Cronin to rally his troops and retake the glory that is college basketball in Cincinnati. I miss the days when the only thing a basketball fan in this town needed was Huggs. Those days are long gone but the chance is there for the taking. Mick and his boys can re-capture the heart of this city with the only kind of basketball we know, and that is a Crosstown Shootout victory, 20-plus wins, and deep play when March Madness arrives.

At one point, members of the UC football team were appearing in games, with the most notable being Houston Texans Defensive End Connor Barwin. My how far this team has come as there are no longer football players taking up roster space. Mick Cronin has been able to field a squad full of 12 scholarship players. UC Football Head Coach Brian Kelly finally got it right when he started recruiting players in and around the Cincinnati area due to the fact that high school football in Cincinnati is close to the best in the country. Cronin followed in Kelly’s path and it has paid off in stand out Yancy Gates.

With the emergence of Cashmere Wright and Lance Stephenson and the continued presence of Dion Dixon, Rashad Bishop, Deonta Vaughn and Yancy Gates, this team could propel themselves farther up the ladder of the Top 25. The debut of highly touted 6-11 Junior Forward Ibrahima Thomas this week could cause problems for the rest of the Big East Conference, as for the first time since Jason Maxiell, UC will have a large presence under the basket.

The only thing I’m rooting for right now more than anything, is to have the old swagger of UC basketball back. We won’t ever get Huggins back as a coach, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get behind Cronin and watch this team compete nationally for a championship every year from here on out. Mick Cronin may not be Bob Huggins, but he’s the next best thing.

Tonight, the Bearcats face off against the Miami Redhawks at the U.S. Bank Arena. A win tonight and a win Sunday against the Xavier Musketeers could throw UC in the Top 10. The only thing the players can do is play. As fans, we need to sell out home games and give this team the support it deserves.