Bearcats end up in coach's doghouse
Players lose privileges after tough losses
By TODD ROSIAK
[email protected]Posted: Feb. 4, 2003
In the span of one week, things have gone from bad to downright ugly for the University of Cincinnati.
On the heels of back-to-back, embarrassing performances in losses to DePaul last Wednesday and Marquette on Saturday, Bearcats coach Bob Huggins has evicted his players from their posh locker room at the Shoemaker Center and won't allow them to wear the flashy team-issued Nike gear they normally sport in practice.
Instead, the Bearcats will dress in a locker room in the basement of the arena and practice in their own shorts and shirts.
"It's a locker room for champions and guys that play hard," Huggins said on Monday. "We've built a program on guys playing hard, and guys not running down the floor or even attempting to rebound the ball don't deserve the same kind of treatment."
Cincinnati (13-5, 6-2 Conference USA) was manhandled on the interior by both the Blue Demons and Golden Eagles last week, being out-rebounded by a total of 74-51 and outscored, 56-24, in the paint.
The 82-76 loss to Marquette, which dropped the Bearcats into third place in Conference USA's American Division behind leader Louisville (16-1, 6-0) and Marquette (15-3, 7-1), was the last straw for Huggins.
He yanked four of his five starters out of the game just two minutes in and kept them on the bench for three more despite the fact the Golden Eagles had jumped out to a 10-3 lead. The message didn't appear to hit home, though, as Marquette continued to beat Cincinnati down the floor, win battles for loose balls and dominate the backboards.
Afterward, he questioned his team's desire.
"You get screened, you don't settle for being screened. You fight through screens," Huggins said. "That's got nothing to do with your ability to make shots or run or jump or dribble or anything like that. You can't block your guy out? I mean, how hard of a concept is that, to block your man out?"
Sophomore Jason Maxiell, a 6-foot-7 sophomore forward who was considered one of the top returning players in the league, missed all four shots he took against Marquette and finished with just three points and three rebounds.
Maxiell, too, took issue with the team's lack of passion.
"It's heart," he said. "They say we're young and not very skilled, but 'Huggs' has had players like that before and they had heart."
