2008-2009 BIG EAST PREVIEW: 11) CINCINNATI

October 5, 2008

Quietly and under the radar, the Cincinnati Bearcats go about their business preparing for the 2008-2009 season. All-Big East performer Deonta Vaughn returns to lead Mick Cronin into the all-important third year of a coaching tenure and the Bearcats could be a team ready to surprise in the Big East.

Last season, UC was starting to make some noise as they reached 8-5 in the Big East, but the bottom fell out from there as they lost their last seven games of the season to fall back to 13-19 overall and 8-10 in the Big East. This year another infusion of new talent and hopeful progress of their sophomores to team with Vaughn could make the Bearcats a team on the prowl this season.

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Comings:

The big catch for Mick Cronin on the recruiting trail this past year was local product Yancy Gates, a 6-foot-9 power forward that should step in immediately and help the Bearcat frontcourt that has been under fire in the Big East the last two seasons. Gates joins freshman guards Dion Dixon of Chicago and Cashmere Wright out of Georgia in the class. Wright could also make an immediate impact at the point guard position.

Also on the roster is 7-foot-2 John Riek. The story on Riek is pretty well documented, but at this point, injuries and academics have yet to clear him for competition. The Bearcats hope to have his knee issues rehabbed and a green light on his academics where they will have him available in the second semester.

A couple other newcomers to the UC frontcourt include JUCO transfer Stephen Toyloy and Mike Williams, a transfer from Texas who missed last season because of a leg injury after sitting out the previous year as a transfer.


Goings:

When Mick Cronin first was hired as the head coach at UC he had to make quick work on the recruiting trail and he hit the JUCO circuit very hard. With his first class heavy on the JUCO’s, he is seeing a lot of production from last year leave the program, 52% of his scoring to be exact. UC graduates include four of their top five scorers including John Williamson, who also lead the team in rebounding, Adam Hrycaniuk, who was second in rebounding, starting point guard Jamual Warren and instant offense Marvin Gentry. Marcus Sikes was the fifth member of the class to graduate.


Net Impact:

Potentially the class of newcomers will have a much bigger impact on the UC program, with or without John Riek, as the departed. Look for Gates, Toyloy and Williams to more than make-up for Williamson and Hrycaniuk next season and in the future. A freshman point guard is a dicey situation, but the offensive potential of Wright excites those near the Bearcat program, harnessing that ability to be a true point guard could be a challenge early on when replacing Warren. Dixon should also add an offensive weapon much similar to what Gentry provided. This new UC line-up will be much deeper and have a much higher potential than last year’s squad.


2008-2009 Backcourt Outlook:

Leading the UC backcourt is junior guard Deonta Vaughn, an explosive scorer that lead the Bearcats with 17 points and 4 assists a game. At times, Vaughn can become dominant offensively, showing it by scoring 36 against Coastal Carolina, 34 against UConn and 30 against Pittsburgh. All too often, however, it seemed like only Vaughn was a threat to score for UC and both teams on the floor knew it. Vaughn still managed to shoot 44% from the floor last season, not a bad percentage figuring how much of the burden fell on him to score and how much attention he drew from the opponents.

The key to Vaughn’s success is finding a point guard to play with him. If Vaughn is called on to be the scorer and run the show, the efficiency of the offense will likely suffer. Vaughn’s best skill for this team is to score and letting him worry about scoring will benefit this team. Freshman Cashmere Wright is the likely starter at point guard, but expect to see Vaughn spend some time running the offense, too.

Wright was a prolific scorer at Urban Christian Academy in Georgia and now will have to adjust and be then one to run the UC offense. Fellow frosh Dion Dixon, a combo guard, also could get some time playing point guard, but he is also more of a scoring guard in the mold of Vaughn.

At the wings, UC returns a trio of sophomores in Rashad Bishop, Larry Davis and Alvin Mitchell. All three had their moments in their freshmen seasons, now they will be asked to step-up and take hold of a role to etch their place into the program. Bishop started most of the season and averaged 5 points and 3 rebounds in 22 minutes a game. Davis showed some ability to score, averaging four points in 11 minutes of action. Mitchell has some intriguing potential as a high-level athlete, but struggled as a freshman playing within the system. He ended the season suspended and was on thin ice, but he showed the dedication to the team and his academics that coach Cronin was looking for. Mitchell struggled from the field, shooting just 26% from the floor as a freshman. If he earns his minutes this year, it could be he is showing signs of tapping his impressive potential that made him one of the highest scoring recruits out of Florida in his class.


2008-2009 Frontcourt Outlook:

The frontcourt is where this year's Cincinnati Bearcats should be the area where their College Basketball Odds most improved. Despite graduating their top two rebounders from last season in Williamson and Hrycaniuk, the excitement around the programs centers around the addition of Yancy Gates. The local Cincinnati product out of Withrow High School has the build of a Big East defensive end and has been impressive in early season workouts. Teaming with him in the frontcourt could be Mike Williams, the former McDonald's All-American who came to UC after two seasons playing at Texas. Williams will have to shake off two seasons of inactivity as a year of residency and an Achilles injury has kept him out of game action for two seasons.

In the middle the Bearcats have 7-foot sophomore Anthony McClain who looks to contribute more as a sophomore. McClain should benefit greatly from a full year in the strength program at UC and be much improved at mixing it up inside. JUCO transfer Steven Toyloy was one of the nation's leading rebounders for two sesaons at Miami-Dade CC and is another big body entering the mix. Rounding out the deep line-up in the frontcourt is sophomore Kenny Belton, yet another 6-foot-9, 250 pounder, and uber-athletic forward Darnell Wilks.

The wildcard is John RIek, the 7-foot-2 mystery that exploded on the scene a couple years ago at the Lebron James Skills Academy in Akron where he dominated the action on both ends of the floor. Once thought of as a sure-fire lottery pick and a highly sought after recruit, Riek has battled injuries, a strange custody battle between prep schools and advisers and made himself available for the NBA draft, but the sore knees left him looking like a shell of himself and he ended up withdrawing his name for the draft. There was speculation he had signed with an agent, but then out of the blue, he signed with Cincinnati. It is a risk worth taking for the Bearcats as they had an open scholarship and if Riek returns to pre-injury form and the NCAA clears his academics (and amateur status?) they get an intimidating 7-foot-2 big man ready to go in the Big East.


2008-2009 Team Outlook:

There is a lot to like about this Cincinnati team and they could be a spoiler in the conference come later in the Big East season. Their youth might have them being one year from a major break-out, but Mick Cronin is definitely lining up the pieces to get the Bearcats program back to prominence. He has added some intriguing talent the last couple seasons and with the deep frontcourt this season, the Bearcats will be a much more consistent team that could push for .500 in the conference. Ball-handling is still an area of concern and experience, but if they continue to buy into the defense-first mentality of their head coach, this could be the surprise team of the conference if a sophomore or two steps up their game to give another consistent scoring threat on the perimeter to pair with Deonta Vaughn.

Keep an eye on the Bearcats, they could be a team ready to bust out this year...



2008-2009 Big East Prediction: 8-10