bearcat jeff
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The start of practice is still a long way off, but University of Cincinnati basketball coach Mick Cronin has pinpointed two issues that he says will decide how good the Bearcats will be next season.
One is defense. The other is the play of junior point guard Cashmere Wright.
"We have great potential as a team," Cronin said. "The key is going to be can we become the same defensive team or better than we were a year ago because that's why we won.
"If you're trying to be a highly successful program you've got to be able to play defense. I love our talent and our returning guys but we've got to have the new guys fill some roles for us."
The Bearcats went 26-9 last season and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, where they lost to eventual national champion Connecticut.
The UC team that takes the floor next season will be much younger and less experienced, with seven newcomers - five true freshmen, a redshirt freshman in Kelvin Gaines and a junior college transfer in forward Cheikh Mbodj.
UC was ranked No. 8 by Sports Illustrated's Luke Winn, which makes Cronin smile after a season in which the Bearcats had trouble receiving any national recognition.
"Last summer I told everybody that we were going to have a very good basketball team and nobody listened, so I'm done talking," Cronin said.
Wright, who averaged 8.9 points and 3.9 assists last year, underwent surgery on his left knee shortly after the season. It was the third time he has had surgery on the knee since he tore his ACL as a true freshman.
"If he's full strength, I really like our chances," Cronin said. "We signed a couple of guards and I have great confidence in what they're going to be someday, but the one thing about the Big East that I've learned is that they eat the young.
"To have a guy that's in his fourth year in college and his third year playing and he's a talented player, we all saw when he was healthy and he was at his best how good he was at times."
Wright struggled with the knee as the season wore on and had to play through pain in the postseason.
"He wasn't (healthy) in the NCAA Tournament and that probably was the difference between us and UConn," Cronin said.
Cronin said last season success accomplished three things for the program.
"It left a taste in our mouth with the players of what they can achieve as a team when they play together and it's left them wanting more," he said. "The second thing would be that hopefully we developed a confidence in our fan base, an excitement ... And the third thing would be recruiting. When you win, it helps recruiting."
http://news.cincinnati.com/article/...-defensive?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Sports|p
One is defense. The other is the play of junior point guard Cashmere Wright.
"We have great potential as a team," Cronin said. "The key is going to be can we become the same defensive team or better than we were a year ago because that's why we won.
"If you're trying to be a highly successful program you've got to be able to play defense. I love our talent and our returning guys but we've got to have the new guys fill some roles for us."
The Bearcats went 26-9 last season and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, where they lost to eventual national champion Connecticut.
The UC team that takes the floor next season will be much younger and less experienced, with seven newcomers - five true freshmen, a redshirt freshman in Kelvin Gaines and a junior college transfer in forward Cheikh Mbodj.
UC was ranked No. 8 by Sports Illustrated's Luke Winn, which makes Cronin smile after a season in which the Bearcats had trouble receiving any national recognition.
"Last summer I told everybody that we were going to have a very good basketball team and nobody listened, so I'm done talking," Cronin said.
Wright, who averaged 8.9 points and 3.9 assists last year, underwent surgery on his left knee shortly after the season. It was the third time he has had surgery on the knee since he tore his ACL as a true freshman.
"If he's full strength, I really like our chances," Cronin said. "We signed a couple of guards and I have great confidence in what they're going to be someday, but the one thing about the Big East that I've learned is that they eat the young.
"To have a guy that's in his fourth year in college and his third year playing and he's a talented player, we all saw when he was healthy and he was at his best how good he was at times."
Wright struggled with the knee as the season wore on and had to play through pain in the postseason.
"He wasn't (healthy) in the NCAA Tournament and that probably was the difference between us and UConn," Cronin said.
Cronin said last season success accomplished three things for the program.
"It left a taste in our mouth with the players of what they can achieve as a team when they play together and it's left them wanting more," he said. "The second thing would be that hopefully we developed a confidence in our fan base, an excitement ... And the third thing would be recruiting. When you win, it helps recruiting."
http://news.cincinnati.com/article/...-defensive?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Sports|p