Proud Season, Great Year.

[Juliepitzer]

While tonights game was disappointing, we can now hold our heads high again when sporting our UC gear. The team played hard all season long and represented themselves and the university very well. I am proud of them. Very proud in fact. I think Cronin matured a lot this season and believe the new crop of players coming in next season will compliment what we have returning. Go Cats!!!

 

[psax889906]

This team laid it on the line... So proud of them.

 

[bearcat jeff]

It sickened me to read some of the comments written in regard to the Enquirer article. We have a team that very few believed in that won 26 games, went 11-7 in the Big East, and made it to the third round of the NCAA Tournament and left their heart on the floor and people come up with some of that classless crap.

Great job Bearcats! Thank you for proving people wrong again and again!! Good luck to the seniors, I will always treasure what you have done for this prodram and respect the obstacles you overcame to do it.

To the returning players...Remember this feeling and channel it for success next season. You are rising stars not shooting stars. Looking forward to going along on the ride with you next season!!

We are proud of you all. Keep your heads up, you are more than champions, you are builders!!

 

[anbuc88]

Congratulations to the team and the coaches for a great season. This is what all of us who follow the Cats were praying for. That the Cats would become relevant again and the dreary winter months could be brightened by our beloved team. The horizon is bright, and now our coach has something that he can sell to recruits. The foundation is in place and the fruits of all the hard work over the past 5 seasons are soon to be realized. The seniors, who sacrificed and came to this program on the promise of better days ahead, have left a legacy that won't be forgotten. Lets remember these guys when the Cats eventually reach the summit of the mountain top, as they did all the prep work to get them there. To Rashad, Larry, Thomas, Darnell, Biggie, and Eddie Tyree. Thank You, Thank you, Thank You. You will always be Bearcats and we will not forget your contribution to the program. Good luck in the future and we will save you a piece of the netting when we win our national championship. GO BEARCATS!

 

[Thegreatone]

Every single year we have improved. I am really excited about the direction of the program.

 

[anbuc88]

Every single year we have improved. I am really excited about the direction of the program.

Next year will be better than this year. Yancy will be a 1st team BE player. Dixon and Cash will become more consistent. SK will be in the starting linup and will provide offensive power. With added weight and working on his shot, JJ can be consisent 6-8 point per game guy who provides toughness and energy. The starting 5 will be solid. I think Sanders will be the instant offense guy off the bench, much like SK was this year. Shaq will bring the athletism of Wilks, but with a much better offensive skill set. Davis or Guyn will be a capable backup for Cash, and need to only provide a combination of 10-15 minutes a game. The key will be to get a servicable Juco Big to add to the frontcourt rotation, and to get Gaines to give good minutes when Yancy gets tired. No question that there is a lot to be excited about.

I am also excited about the summer recruiting period. Mick has always been a very good recruiter. Now that he has something to point to, I think we will see the kind of recruits who we barely missed on (Kemba, Scotty Hopson, Thabeet, Teague) start committing to Mick. In very short order, Mike Thomas has to extend Mick's contract, and the snowball effect will start.

 

[ralph1950]

Next year will be better than this year. Yancy will be a 1st team BE player. Dixon and Cash will become more consistent. SK will be in the starting linup and will provide offensive power. With added weight and working on his shot, JJ can be consisent 6-8 point per game guy who provides toughness and energy. The starting 5 will be solid. I think Sanders will be the instant offense guy off the bench, much like SK was this year. Shaq will bring the athletism of Wilks, but with a much better offensive skill set. Davis or Guyn will be a capable backup for Cash, and need to only provide a combination of 10-15 minutes a game. The key will be to get a servicable Juco Big to add to the frontcourt rotation, and to get Gaines to give good minutes when Yancy gets tired. No question that there is a lot to be excited about.

I am also excited about the summer recruiting period. Mick has always been a very good recruiter. Now that he has something to point to, I think we will see the kind of recruits who we barely missed on (Kemba, Scotty Hopson, Thabeet,
Teague) start committing to Mick. In very short order, Mike Thomas has to
extend Mick's contract, and the snowball effect will start.

Great post!

 

[AAABearcat]

A great season; the team certainly exceeded my expectations. Cronin deserves to have his contract extended.
Next year, the fans should be back to filling the stands, the future looks bright.

 

[mplebanon]

It sickened me to read some of the comments written in regard to the Enquirer article. We have a team that very few believed in that won 26 games, went 11-7 in the Big East, and made it to the third round of the NCAA Tournament and left their heart on the floor and people come up with some of that classless crap.

Great job Bearcats! Thank you for proving people wrong again and again!! Good luck to the seniors, I will always treasure what you have done for this prodram and respect the obstacles you overcame to do it.

To the returning players...Remember this feeling and channel it for success next season. You are rising stars not shooting stars. Looking forward to going along on the ride with you next season!!

We are proud of you all. Keep your heads up, you are more than champions, you are builders!!

They definitely exceeded my expectations. I love being proven wrong.

Turning point was Yancy turning it around and Cashmere putting it together on the court.

Jackson needs to continue to channel that energy into improvement in his offensive and rebounding games. SK needs to be ready to start and work on his defense.

Really need a quality big man with that last open schollie. Also need Guyn to come in and back up Cash solidly.

Could be really fun next year with 4 of UC's top 5 leading scorers returning, their leading rebounder and assist man returning. Just need to build that depth.

 

[anbuc88]

They definitely exceeded my expectations. I love being proven wrong.

Turning point was Yancy turning it around and Cashmere putting it together on the court.

Jackson needs to continue to channel that energy into improvement in his offensive and rebounding games. SK needs to be ready to start and work on his defense.

Really need a quality big man with that last open schollie. Also need Guyn to come in and back up Cash solidly.

Could be really fun next year with 4 of UC's top 5 leading scorers returning, their leading rebounder and assist man returning. Just need to build that depth.

Good first post. Agree with everything you said about next year.

 

[Who Dey Time]

They definitely exceeded my expectations. I love being proven wrong.

Turning point was Yancy turning it around and Cashmere putting it together on the court.

Jackson needs to continue to channel that energy into improvement in his offensive and rebounding games. SK needs to be ready to start and work on his defense.

Really need a quality big man with that last open schollie. Also need Guyn to come in and back up Cash solidly.

Could be really fun next year with 4 of UC's top 5 leading scorers returning, their leading rebounder and assist man returning. Just need to build that depth.

SK needs to improve his ball handling if he wants to take his game to the next level. He is able to score in traffic so imagine what he can do if he can create on his own.

Cash needs to get healthy. Really, really proud of his effort these last 3-4 weeks because he has been struggling with that knee. He is starting to understand what it takes to be a great point guard at this level.

If post St. John's Yancy shows up 30 times next season, there is no reason to think he won't be first team all Big East. If Jackson can be the slightest threat offensively, our frontcourt could be better than most think. It'll be interesting to see who that last scholarship goes to....JUCO big man??

I think Dion Dixon is going to be a monster next year. He showed flashes of brilliance at times and had tough nights at times. As a senior, I expect that the flashes of brilliance will become most of a high level consistent performance. Really excited to see what he brings next year.

Now, the new guys have a standard to live up to when putting on the UC uniform. I think Shaq Thomas (SF) and Jeremiah Davis (backup PG) have the best shot of being contributors right away although I'm not counting out JaQuon Parker just yet.

Great season and a hell of a bright future.....GO CATS!

 

[bearcat18]

Really hoping Parker realizes there are a lot of minutes available for him coming off the bench next year. Getting quality minutes from JaQuon would be huge next year. I hope he has the type of summer that Dion had last year and works his tail off. Not saying we need him to be our leading scorer or anything but we know it's tough to rely on freshmen right away so some consistency from an upperclassmen would be good.

Can't thank the seniors enough for the way they fought. They have nothing to be ashamed of and I hope they come back to Fifth Third for some games in the future.

Seeing the emotion from our guys, especially Yancy and Cash, has me very excited for next year. The Big East better be ready for our boys next year.

I'm also excited to see what our nonconference schedule will be like next year. With the great year we had one would think we would have some opportunities to play some big teams. Does anybody know if we are going to be in a preseason tournament? Or is that TBD?

 

[thebeast]

Everything I have heard about parker is that he always has his head up and is never pissed at the situation and he wants to make the most of it. With that said he has every opportunity to be our 6 or 7th man and i fully expect him to take advantage of that.

 

[nparker1]

Everything I have heard about parker is that he always has his head up and is never pissed at the situation and he wants to make the most of it. With that said he has every opportunity to be our 6 or 7th man and i fully expect him to take advantage of that.

i agree about his missed opportunities. last night was the perfect example. he got a chance to play, did not run the floor, and shot a quick three. i think he is in over his head in BEast play, and i see next year's freshmen taking the majority of the available minutes. i could be wrong, but i do not see him bringing too much to the team next year. i am excited for next season and to see the final chapters in the career in Dixon and Gates. i agree with the post earlier, i see Dixon having a huge year, and with his head on right, Gates could really punch his ticket to the NBA next year. given the cash gets healthy, i think he is going to really lead this team next year. another big man recruit would be nice, but it was great to see Jackson get some real solid experience this year. everything i have heard about Gaines makes me optimistic as well. finally, there is Killa. this kid is a straight up scorer. same as Jackson, Kilpatrick gained a lot of experience this year, and given his attitude and dedication, i think he is going to have a break out year next. if you cannot tell, i am geeked about next year. the main reason for this excitement, was the success and camaraderie this team had this year. love having true bearcat basketball back.
Go Bearcats!

 

[Ryno99]

Agree with most everything said here. Thank you to the team, the coaches and all the fans who stuck with this team, it was a great ride this year and hopefully next year is just as good or better! I'm very proud to be a bearcat fan today.

 

[Bearcat_NTS]

Next year is UC's chance to move into the top 4-5 of the Big East...or fall back to the pack. I think next year will be the most critical year in Mick's tenure. because now that he has had success, people will betting on it being a "one year wonder". If he can sustain this success the next few years will set up excellently.

 

[bearcat jeff]

Next year is UC's chance to move into the top 4-5 of the Big East...or fall back to the pack. I think next year will be the most critical year in Mick's tenure. because now that he has had success, people will betting on it being a "one year wonder". If he can sustain this success the next few years will set up excellently.

Maybe in terms of image but the fact is when you bring 6 newcomers to a team you never know what you're going to get and how they'll respond and develop. That's not an excuse just a fact. First year players are so up and down. The light bulb doesn't come on or the physical strength simply isn't always there to compete.

I'm betting that by them returning Cash, DD, SK, JP, JJ, YG, and Gaines that the ability of Sanders and Davis to physically contribute right away, along with some depth at point guard and a solid juco big, will be plenty to remain competitive next season.

 

[cincycpaw]

Maybe in terms of image but the fact is when you bring 6 newcomers to a team you never know what you're going to get and how they'll respond and develop. That's not an excuse just a fact. First year players are so up and down. The light bulb doesn't come on or the physical strength simply isn't always there to compete.

I'm betting that by them returning Cash, DD, SK, JP, JJ, YG, and Gaines that the ability of Sanders and Davis to physically contribute right away, along with some depth at point guard and a solid juco big, will be plenty to remain competitive next season.

True, but if you can't sustain success bringing back Gates, Dixon, Cash, SK then you have some issues.

 

[TheLongHaul]

True, but if you can't sustain success bringing back Gates, Dixon, Cash, SK then you have some issues.

They most definitely should be better next year.

 

[psax889906]

They most definitely should be better next year.

It will be exciting to see how the incoming freshmen (and Gaines) are able to be absorbed into the team since they won't be counted on for significant contributions. It is so nice to have continuity once again in Bearcat land.