Cincinnati Bearcats Legacy (CH2K5)

[BearcatsFan]

I am writing this as a newspaper, it will have game recaps, stats, articles, ect. I play the games with 12 minute halves on ESPN College Hoops 2K5. Hope you guys enjoy...




2004-05 Cincinnati Bearcats Preview
Saturday October 16th, 2004
The Cincinnati Enquirer

After a long and crazy summer, the Cincinnati Bearcats are excited to get their season underway. With coach Bob Huggins getting a DUI in June and Tony Bobbitt leaving for the NBA not long after, the Cats were looking at this year to be a failure. But, with Huggins great history under his belt, he was able to but his troubles behind him and focus on the team. "This team has a great shot at the Confrence USA title", says Huggins. When asked who will be this years team to beat in the C-USA, he replied, "Definetly Memphis and Louisville." Huggins was also asked about any newcomers to the team that would be big parts in the team success. Huggins said, "Every player will have to contribute, since we are a 'bench' type team and are very deep. Although, I am liking Roy Bright." Bright averaged 19 points a game and 11 rebounds with the Mt. Zion Christian Academy last year and was a big addition for the Bearcats. Jihad Muhammad was also a big addition as he will be the teams starting point guard this year.

As for the roster and starters, here is a breakdown of the team and its stars.

Starting Five

Point Guard

Jihad Muhammad - Guard/Junior - 5'11" 180 lbs.
2003-04 Stats - 17 PPG, 4 RPG, 7 APG

Shooting Guard

Nick Williams - Guard/Senior - 6'4" 185 lbs.
2003-04 Stats - 7 PPG, 3 RPG, 3 APG

Small Forward

James White - Forward/Junior - 6'7" 190 lbs.
2003-04 Stats - 8 PPG, 4 RPG, 4 APG

Power Forward

Jason Maxiell - Forward/Senior - 6'7" 250 lbs.
2003-04 Stats - 14 PPG, 7 RPG, 2 BPG

Center

Asrangue Souleymane - Center/Freshman - 6'8" 180 lbs.
2003-04 Stats - Not Avalible (Redshirted)

Bench

Eric Hicks - Forward/Center, Junior
2003-04 Stats - 7 PPG, 6 RPG, 2 BPG

Armein Kirkland - Guard/Forward, Junior
2003-04 Stats - 6 PPG, 3 APG, 3 RPG

Chadd Moore - Guard, Junior
2003-04 Stats - 3 PPG, 1 SPG, 3 APG

Roy Bright - Guard/Forward, Freshman
2003-04 Stats (High School) - 19 PPG, 11 RPG, 3 APG

Vincent Banks - Guard, Freshman
2003-04 Stats (High School) - 23 PPG, 7 RPG, 5 APG

Jamaal Lucas - Guard, Senior
2003-04 Stats - 2 PPG, 1 RPG, 1 APG

Preview
The Bearcats have won 8 of the last 9 Confrence USA titles and with this being their final year in the C-USA (2005 they move to the Big East) they are one of the favorites to do it again, the others being Memphis and Louisville. Jason Maxiell the standout player on the Bearcats has a high chance of taking C-USA player of the year honors, he would join other Bearcats like Kenyon Martin and Nick Van Exel. Cincy is known to be a deep team and rely strongly on not only their starters but their deep bench. With three Freshman on the team this year and one starting, there is alot to be proven by this years squad. Asrangue Souleymane is a standout star from the Central Africian Republic, he is a 6 foot 8 beast that is very quick, compared to the NBA's Amare Stoudamire. He is only a freshman though and will have to adapt quickly to the other C-USA bigmen. Nick Williams, last year starting point guard is being moved over to the shooting spot to make room for newcomer Jihad Muhammed, the other new Bearcat who will start this season. With the C-USA 6th Man of the Year Tony Bobbitt gone to the Lakers, a new 6th man will have to step up for the Cats. Vincent Banks a freshman who shot 45% from three point range last year is the one who is most likely to take on the role. There are lots of questions to be answered this year and lots of ball to be played, the season is only a few weeks away.

[BearcatsFan]

A Look at the Conference USA
Saturday October 23rd, 2004
The Cincinnati Enquirer

The Top-5 teams to watch in the the C-USA

Louisville Cardinals

2003-04 Record - 20-9, 9-7 in C-USA, Lost to Cincinnati in 2 of 3 games.
Players to watch - Taquan Dean (Jr.), Francisco Garcia (Jr.) and Larry O'Bannon (Sr.)
Head Coach - Rick Pitino

Memphis Tigers

2003-04 Record - 21-7, 12-4 in C-USA, Lost to Cincinnati in only 1 meeting.
Players to watch - Rodney Carney (Jr.), Jeremy Hunt (Jr.) and Anthony Rice (Sr.)
Head Coach - John Calipari

Charlotte 49ers

2003-04 Record - 21-8, 12-4 in C-USA, Lost to Cincinnati in 1 of 2 meetings.
Players to watch - Curtis Withers (Jr.) and Brendan Plavich (Sr.)
Head Coach - Bobby Lutz

Marquette Golden Eagles

2003-04 Record - 17-11, 8-8 in C-USA, Lost to Cincinnati in only 1 meeting.
Players to watch - Steve Novak (Jr.) and Travis Diener (Sr.)
Head Coach - Tom Crean

Depaul Blue Demons

2003-04 Record - 21-9, 12-4 in C-USA, Lost to Cincinnati in 2 of 3 games.
Players to watch - Quemont Greer (Sr.) and Drake Diener (Sr.)
Head Coach - Dave Leitao

Others teams to watch, St. Louis (18-12) and UAB (20-9)

As for the Bearcats, they posted a 24-6 record in 2003-04 going 12-4 in C-USA play. Cincinnati has been college basketball’s seventh-winningest program over the past five years. The Bearcats have posted a 127-37 record for a 75% winning percentage during this period. Coached by Bob Huggins, the nation’s seventh winningest active coach, the Cats had a nation's ranked 10th best recruiting class. Adding prep stars Vincent Banks (3rd best High School player in America) and Roy Bright (17th best High School Player in America). Jihad Muhammad also joined the team and was the 7th best Junior College player in America last year. November 8th will be the beginning of the Bearcats pre-season play and they open up their regular season on November 19th against Valparaiso at home. The Bearcats have won 38 straight home openers.

[elicoleman]

Looking good so far, I like the in-depth coverage alot. But, you did forget one thing. Sean Banks as a key player for Memphis

Good luck with the Bearcats, you'll need it

[BearcatsFan]

Quote: Originally Posted by elicoleman

Looking good so far, I like the in-depth coverage alot. But, you did forget one thing. Sean Banks as a key player for Memphis Good luck with the Bearcats, you'll need it

I thought I forgot someone, lol. Thanks for giving my legacy a read. Good luck with the Bison.

[BearcatsFan]

Bearcats Looking Great Going into New Season
Monday November 15th, 2004
The Cincinnati Enquirer

The NCAA Week One Rankings are out, and to many people's surprise the Bearcats are ranked #10 in the country:

NCAA Basketball

Week One Rankings
#1 - North Carolina (0-0, ACC)
#2 - Kansas (0-0, Big 12)
#3 - Illinois (0-0, Big Ten)
#4 - Georgia Tech (0-0, ACC)
#5 - Arizona (0-0, Pac-10)
#6 - Connecticut (0-0, Big East)
#7 - Wake Forest (0-0, ACC)
#8 - Duke (0-0, ACC)
#9 - Maryland (0-0, ACC)
#10 - Cincinnati (0-0, C-USA)

The ACC dominated the rankings this week, having 5 teams in the Top-10 and 7 in the Top-25. The Conference USA had 4 teams in the Top-25, heres a look at the C-USA Rankings for Week One:

#1 - Cincinnati (0-0, 10th in Nation)
#2 - Louisville (0-0, 16th in Nation)
#3 - Charlotte (0-0, 23rd in Nation)
#4 - Memphis (0-0, 24th in Nation)
#5 - DePaul (0-0, Unranked)

Now, back to the Cats, in their two pre-season games they dominated their opponents and most importantly looked great on the court, showing good chemistry and blending together nicely. Maxiell averaged a team high 19 points in the two games, Nick Williams led the team in assists, Maxiell also led in rebounds and blocks while newcomer Jahid Muhammad led the team with 2.5 steals a game. The final score of the two pre-season games were, Cincinnati 98, Northern Kentucky 67 in game one and Cincinnati 86, Southern Indiana 69 in game two.

2004-05 Cincinnati Bearcats Schedule

November
19th - vs Valparaiso
24th - vs Northern Iowa
27th - vs Purdue (at Indianapolis, IN) John Wooden Tourney

December
4th - at Dayton
9th - vs Vanderbilt
11th - vs Detroit
18th - vs Northwestern St.
20th - vs Jackson St.
22nd - vs La Salle
27th - vs Miami (OH)
28th - vs Yale (at San Francisco, CA) San Francisco Classic
31st - vs #3 Illinois (at Las Vegas, NV)

January
6th - vs DePaul (Conference Game)
8th - at St. Louis (Conference Game)
12th - at East Carolina (Conference Game)
15th - vs #16 Louisville (Conference Game)
19th - vs #23 Charlotte (Conference Game)
22nd - vs #7 Wake Forest
27th - at South Florida (Conference Game)
29th - Houston (Conference Game)

February
2nd - at #16 Louisville (Conference Game)
5th - at #23 Charlotte (Conference Game)
10th - vs Xavier
12th - at DePaul (Conference Game)
16th - vs Southern Miss. (Conference Game)
19th - vs UAB (Conference Game)
24th - vs Marquette (Conference Game)
26th - at TCU (Conference Game)

March
2nd - vs Tulane (Conference Game)
5th - at #23 Memphis (Conference Game)

NCAA Tournament Begins, Saturday March 13th, 2004

It clearly looks like the Bearcats can start the season 12-0, the Cats first tough game of the year looks like it will be when they host Illinois on New Years Eve in Vegas, although upsets can occur in the NCAA. A couple other games that the Bearcats have circled on their calender is the matchups against Louisville, Pitino and his Cardinals lead by star Francisco Garcia will be a handfull for Huggins. The Cats also are going to have their hands full when they play the Memphis Tigers later this year, the Tigers posted a 21-7 record last season and were the closest team the Cincinnati in the C-USA standings. DePaul and Charlotte are also big games for the Bearcats. Cincy will face Wake Forest in January, the Demon Deacons are #7 in the early polls and will just keep getting better with star Chris Paul running the frontcourt. The Bearcats will have alot of obsticles this year, and they need to pick up every win they can since their schedule is looking tough in the second half of the season.

[BearcatsFan]

Bearcats Win Home Opener in Blowout
"James White scores a team high 19 points and grabs 2 steals in Cincy's win over Valpo."
Saturday November 20th, 2004
The Cincinnati Enquirer


The Bearcats defeated the Valparaiso Crusaders 84-63 Friday night winning their 39th straight home-opener. James White picked up player of the game honors scoring 19 points, 12 in the second half while shooting 60% from the floor. He also grab two steals and had three rebounds. The story of the game was the Bearcat defense, which held Valpo to a field goal percentage of 44%, and forced 16 tunrovers. Jason Maxiell had three blocks and newcomer Asrangue Souleymane had 4 steals and 9 rebounds in his first start in the NCAA.


Jason Maxiell shoots over a Crusaders defender Friady night.

Cincinnati Bearcats Player Stats
James White - 19 Pts, 3 Rbs, 2 Stls
Jason Maxiell - 11 Pts, 6 Rbs, 3 Blks
Asrangue Souleymane - 10 Pts, 9 Rbs, 4 Stls
Nick Williams - 11 Pts, 1 Stl
Jahid Muhammad - 8 Pts, 4 Rbs, 2 Stls
Armein Kirkland - 10 Pts, 2 3-pointers
Eric Hicks - 4 Pts, 4 Rbs
Roy Bright - 4 Pts, 4 Rbs, 2 Stls
Chadd Moore - 2 Pts, Stl
Vincent Banks - 5 Pts, 2 Rbs

Valparaiso Crusaders Team Leaders
Jimmie Miles - 17 Pts, 7 Asts
Kenny Harris - 6 Pts, 10 Rbs
Ron Howard - 14 Pts, 6 Rbs

Team Stats
Score - CIN 84, VAL 63
FG% - CIN 57%, VAL 44%
3PT% - CIN 31%, VAL 10%
Asts - CIN 15, VAL 15
TO's - CIN 9, VAL 16
Rebs - CIN 36, VAL 28
Stls - CIN 12, VAL 5
Blks - CIN 3, VAL 2
Points in the Paint - CIN 32, VAL 20
Bench Points - CIN 25, VAL 10
Fast Break Points - CIN 16, VAL 8

The bench also played a huge role in this game, as it does every season for the Bearcats. 25 points came from players off the bench led by Armein Kirkland who hit two big threes in the second half and had 10 points. Kirkland is looking like he will be the new 6th man for the Bearcats filling the shoes of Ex-Cat Tony Bobbitt. Cincinnati dominated Valpo in every catergory, when asked about the win, coach Huggins replied, "It feels great, nothing like a home opening win for the fans. The off-season was tough for me, and this helps in the healing process."

Cincinnati Outlook
Last Game - Friday 11/19, Cincinnati 84, Valparaiso 63
Next Game - Wendesday 11/24, vs Northern Iowa



Week Two Rankings Out, Bearcats Drop to #22
Monday November 22nd, 2004
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Even though the Bearcats blew out Valpo Friday night by 21 points, they still fall twelve spots in the NCAA Rankings. Here is a look at the new Top-10 and the C-USA Top-5:

NCAA Basketball

Week Two Rankings
(Last weeks rankings in bold)
#1 - North Carolina (3-0, ACC) (1)
#2 - Kansas (2-0, Big 12) (2)
#3 - Georgia Tech (2-0, ACC) (4)
#4 - Illinois (2-0, Big Ten) (3)
#5 - Maryland (2-0, ACC) (9)
#6 - Duke (2-0, ACC) (7)
#7 - Notre Dame (2-0, Big East) (14)
#8 - Louisville (2-0, C-USA) (16)
#9 - Arizona (3-1, Pac-10) (5)
#10 - Michigan St. (1-1, Big Ten) (20)

#22 - Cincinnati (1-0, C-USA) (10)

C-USA Rankings
#1 - Louisville (2-0, 8th in Nation)
#2 - Memphis (6-0, 17th in Nation)
#3 - Charlotte (3-1, 18th in Nation)
#4 - Cincinnati (1-0, 22nd in Nation)
#5 - DePaul (2-0, Unranked)

The Bearcats also drop in the C-USA Rankings, but have only played one game, while the average games played by the three teams ahead of Cincy is four, with Memphis already having six games in this year.

[skitch]

Wow, this is awesome.

I really enjoy reading your legacy, keep it updated!

[BearcatsFan]

Quote: Originally Posted by Kredit

Wow, this is awesome. I really enjoy reading your legacy, keep it updated!

Thanks, I appreciate the feedback, and dont worry, I try to post at least one update a day.