Huggy Bear must go

Warning: If you're a diehard UC basketball fan, this probably isn't the post for you. I have not been a fan of the UC basketball program, which includes coach Bob Huggins. Recently, Coach Huggins had a provision removed from his contract that would've allowed it to be extended into the future. This was a result of his DUI arrest last offseason. In fact, UC President Nancy Zimpher offered Huggins a buyout of his contract, meaning she was trying to get him to resign, in which UC would still pay him his last 2 years worth of salary. This story broke on Thursday, and since all of Cincinnati has gone crazy, mostly in defending the Coach. In hearing fan after fan on talk radio and on TV, I need an outlet to release my frustrations about the subject because I disagree with them.

So, in respect for both sides, here's the argument as to why Coach Huggins should stay:

• When Huggins arrived in 1989, the UC program was in shambles. It had been 12 years since they had been to an NCAA Tournament and attendance was horrific, not even close to the huge crowds that go to Fifth Third Arena today.
• UC reached the Final 4 in 1992, their first in 29 years, which was followed by an Elite 8 apperance in 1993, where they lost to eventual champ North Carolina in overtime in a classic game played at the Meadowlands (Nick Van Exel was amazing, I remember it well).
• Overall, Huggins is 399-127 in 16 years at UC, taking the Cats to 14 straight NCAA Tournaments.

So, why am I so upset? Well, let me tell you why:

• The last couple of days, many people have said that UC didn't have a basketball program before Bob Huggins came. HOW CAN YOU FORGET OSCAR ROBERTSON?!?!?!?!?! 1959-60, he put UC on the map with back-to-back Final 4 appearances. Then, UC won the National Championship in 61 and 62 before losing in the finals the next year (in overtime) to Loyola (IL). So don't tell me there was no UC program before Bob Huggins. In addition, these same people feel if Huggins is forced out, UC will go right in the tank. This won't happen either, especially since UC is now part of the Big East, the second best basketball conference in the nation (ACC 1st). UC will have no trouble attracting top-notch recruits and coaching candidates.
• In his 16 years, Bob Huggins has graduated 24 players. 24?!?!?!?! I guess they couldn't spell CINCINNATI. This is just about as bad, if not worse than Tennessee football, who graduates less than 10% of their players. Huggins hasn't actually been turning out star power either. The last UC player to get drafted was Steve Logan in 2002, but he was only a 2nd round pick. UC's last 1st round picks were in 2000 when Kenyon Martin and DerMarr Johnson were taken. So, in the last 4 drafts, only 2 UC players were taken. Let's compare it to other schools:
• Teams that have had more drafted: 7, Duke; 6, Arizona; 5, Stanford, UCLA; 4, Michigan St., Kansas, Oregon; 3, Alabama, USC, UConn, Fresno St., Illinois, Texas, and my favorite XAVIER!!!! UC fans have this superiority complex, and yet over the last 5 years, Xavier has outperformed them.
• Teams that have also had 2 players drafted in the last 5 years: Seton Hall, Notre Dame, DePaul, Indiana, North Carolina (remember, they've been pretty bad until the last couple of years), Iowa St., California, Georgetown, Georgia Tech, Memphis, Tennessee, Missouri, Kentucky, The U, Gonzaga, Wake Forest, Georgia, Mississippi St., BYU, Florida, Minnesota, and St. Joe's. Basically, the 2nd and 3rd tiers of college hoops. UC thinks they're an elite program. Guess what, YOU'RE NOT!!!!!
  
• Off the court. In 1998, UC was put on probation for two years by the NCAA for "lack of institutional control" over the basketball program. Here is a link to the Infractions report put out by the NCAA The only thing that I've seen worse than is is Jim Harrick Jr.'s Basketball theory exam. Also, who can forget Donald Little hitting his roommate with a whiskey bottle, taping him to a chair while dropping weights on him. Of course, this was after he had already been dismissed from the team once for assualting a woman, possessing marijuana and other traffic violations. In addition to Huggins's DUI arrest, assistant coach Keith LeGree was also arrested for DUI, and most recently, freshman Roy Bright had to be dismissed from the team for carrying a firearm on campus. Huggins has relied on junior college players and players with talent, but troubled pasts to try and get back to the Final 4. Unfortunately, it's resulted in a theme that can be summed up in three words: SECOND-ROUND LOSS.

Let me ask you something. Can you think of another person who didn't lose his job after a DUI conviction? I didn't think so, yet UC fans are quick to forgive, or they're just ignorant ( I think it's the latter). With the controversy that surrounded the program to begin with, the question becomes, how badly do you want to win. UC basketball has a very negative perception currently, yet their fans don't seem to mind their team is one of the more hated ones out there. How much of your integrity are you willing to give up in order to win basketball games?

I will say, the timing of the UC president is pretty bad. This should've been dealt with immediately after the NCAA tournament, not after the spring recruting season ended. If a coach is released, players can forego their commitments and go to another school, without having to sit out a year. This could've been devastating for UC. It does seem Nancy Zimpher is trying to be the next Myles Brand. The only reason why Myles Brand is President of the NCAA is because he fired Bob Knight, so now he has the perception of a tough guy, when in fact he's just another money hungry university director.

I'd like to hear your thoughts, pro and con, about what I had to say. I hope I was able to be a little informative, as well as opinionated.