Hello to all the Bearcat fans!  It has been a great year for basketball.  The UC Bearcats were thought to be a very average basketball team to start the season and have turned into one of the country’s elite.  Michael Jordan decided to put his cape on once again and prove that even though he is an older superman, he is still superman though!  High school basketball was at an all-time high this year.  Winton Woods, Loveland and Roger Bacon (my alma mater)  turned out to be the true gems of high school basketball in this city.  This has been a year to remember for me!!

On Wednesday March 6^th, I resigned as assistant varsity coach at Walnut Hills High School.  I coached at Walnut for 2 seasons.  Coaching was a short-term goal for me, and I have decided to walk away from coaching.  I enjoyed educating the young players on basketball and more importantly, life!  In my basketball life I have been around some very special players ie; Kenyon Martin, Ruben Patterson and Steve Logan.  But at Walnut I was around some truly special people ie: Scooter Lamkin, Isaiah Stayton and Chris Heater.  I think every person that plays organized basketball should coach it at some point.  Playing it and coaching it are too very different things. 

I have now moved on from coaching to training.  I have joined forces in business with former Xavier point guard Sherwin Anderson.  Sherwin founded Shining Star Sports Program almost 2 years ago.  It is a sports program to help kids of all ages that are interested in basketball.  We train young people to be better basketball players and more importantly better people!!!  For anyone interested in having their son or daughter trained you can contact me at Shining Star- 641-5852 or alxmeach@aol.com.  Also anyone interested in buying a copy of my book or scheduling a speaking engagement can contact me at the same number and email.

Now on to the good stuff.  Bearcat basketball!!!  

I have to admit that when the season started I never imagined this team having the chance of getting a one seed.  The only way to describe this team is, blue collar.  Even its biggest star is a blue-collar guy.  This goes to show that Huggins is a great coach.  I have always said that if given a team that is willing to work hard and listen, Huggs will take them far in the tourney.  Unfortunately, in years past he has had some teams with great players that didn’t listen.  That is not his fault.  He had done an excellent coaching job this year.  Maybe his best since he has been at Cincy. 

After losing the first game at Oklahoma State, Huggs settled the guys down and got them focused.  They went on to win 20 games in a row.  That is just good coaching!  With the loss to Marquette, people began to worry.  How would the team react?  They came back with vengeance and fury, beating Charlotte at home and then dismantling a good Wake Forest team.  But on February 22 they had a rematch with Marquette.  In all my years of watching and eventually playing for UC, that game was one of the best home games I could remember.  Both the energy from the crowd and the players had the Shoemaker Center rockin’.  A rivalry was born that night.  Even though UC won, Marquette proved that they are going to be a force to reckon with in this league for a while.  Let’s hope Wade leaves for the NBA this year.  Better yet, let’s all pray right now…………Amen!   

Things got interesting when UC went to Louisville.  I honestly thought that UC would beat them pretty easily.  But that just goes to show you how tough playing on the road in your conference is.  I really thought that the loss was crucial.  It took me about two days to get over that one.  But, there was no time to dwell on the past.  Sunday afternoon Memphis was in town!!! 

When I first got a copy of this years basketball schedule I immediately saw that the Memphis game was the last one of the regular season.  I thought that would be the showdown for the conference championship.  In my opinion that game went down as the greatest game ever in the Shoemaker!  There was so much on the line for that game.  No UC team had not won a Conference USA regular season championship.  The opportunity to still get a NO. 1 seed was on the line.  I was as nervous as I have ever been when Logan came down court with 6 seconds and did a running one handed shot from the free throw line.  Well, maybe I was more nervous when Donald Little took the game winning shot against Marquette.  Ok, Donald’s shoot was the most nervous moment, but Logan’s was second.  What a great game! 

So that brings us to now.  What happens from here?  UC must win the Conference USA tourney.   The road looks as follows.  They will beat South Florida to then have a showdown with Charlotte. Remember when it comes to the Conference USA Tourney, Charlotte is the team to beat.  The Cats must come with there A game.  It will be a tough test that I think they will pass.  This will set up the Showdown III.  Marquette/Cincy, what everyone has been waiting for.  This will be one of the biggest games of the year.  Why?  They have a chance to get a one seed in the NCAA if they win the tourney.  If they lose they are a lock for the number 2 seed.  Believe it or not, Huggs has never had a team that was a one seed in the tourney.  If it is a nice day they might have to move the game to Paul Brown Stadium! The energy is going to be unbelievable in the First Star Center.  It will go down to the end and The Cats will come out the victors! 

I think that if UC wins the tourney, they will get a number one seed.  You have to understand that everything is about marketing and money anymore.  The country wants to see Kansas,Duke,Maryland and Cincy as number one seeds and that is what the NCAA will give them granted UC wins the tourney. 

My prediction is as follows. UC will be the one seed in the West, Kansas the one in the Midwest, Duke in the East and Maryland in the South.  If this happens, I am predicting a Final Four for the Cats!  I really believe that they can make it.  I think that UC will be strong in the tourney because they defend so well.  Teams are not used to seeing that much half-court pressure defense.  You have to remember that the teams in Conference USA see UC so much that they have them scouted so well.  They know their every move.  That is why conference games are so tough, even if the team is just average.  This will be an advantage for UC in the NCAA’s.   

If UC does make it to the Final Four, it is time for UC fans to stand up.  By this I mean they must show Huggs and the team how much they love them.  Out of all the sports we have in this city, UC is the best ticket in town.  The quality product that Huggs puts on the court year in and year out is phenomenal.  Name a better coach than Huggs in town?  Bob Boone? Dick Lebeau?  I don’t  think so.  Props to Huggs and the University are in order no matter how they finish in the tourney.  They deserve a parade for how they have played this year. 

I plan to be at the Final Four this year, sitting in a sea of red.  The goose-bumps will raise up when I hear, “B-E-A-R-C-A-T-S.”  I fell that this year is, “THE YEAR OF THE CATS!”