X’s and O’s, Huggs and Kisses Goodbye

We just want to thank you, Coach Bob Huggins, for everything you've done for the university and its basketball program. We just want to thank you for your 16 seasons of intense and competitive basketball.

Oh, and by the way, you now have 24 hours to either quit or be fired!

That is basically the message that UC President Nancy Zimpher, who came to the university in 2003, sent to Cincinnati's own success story, who ranks eighth on the list in percentage wins among active Division I coaches.

And as for the 51-year-old, he got no love from Zimpher for his faithfulness to the school. He turned down the ideal head coaching position at West Virginia, his alma mater, in 2002 to fulfill his own obligation to the fans, players, and the city. Huggins got no love from Zimpher after he suffered a heart attack last September and then was back at practice within a couple weeks, good as new, focusing on the team. His dedication and determination were evident in more ways than his notoriously painful practices and pushing his players to the max.

However, the timing for this decision is all off. Huggins wasn't even in town on Tuesday for the news, as he was on a recruiting trip in Las Vegas. Also, practices are on the horizon with less than eight weeks remaining. Is UC really planning on finding a worthy head honcho who could restore order that quickly? So much for impressing the new rivals right away. This announcement came just two months after Zimpher refused to implement Huggins' contract rollover option, raising eyebrows and assumptions that Huggins' days at Cincinnati were coming to a close. Yet Tuesday's news did more than just raise eyebrows.

Why now, Mrs. President, when Huggins could (and wanted to) finish out his two-year deal and get his team settled into new territory? Why now, when UC is in the middle of transitioning from Conference USA to the Big East? Why now, when Huggins was about to bring in one of the best recruiting classes ever with Cincinnati's own O.J. Mayo and teammate Bill Walker out of North College Hill High? Pardon me, but this is no Mid-American Conference they're moving to. This is the conference that sent eight schools to the Big Dance last year with high expectations to do the same again.

UC basketball was already projected to finish last among these powerhouses in 2005-06. Now they've probably fallen to a negative ranking in the Big East. Now they're likely to be the embarrassment of the Big East for several years. Now they're likely to become the "Bengals" of college basketball. And UC sure as heck isn't going to the Big East for football...

The handling of this situation was off, as well. UC faxed the news in a letter to Huggins' agent Richard Katz, and Huggins did not know of the news until the reporters contacted him. After all Huggins did for the university, shouldn't there have been a better way for this UC icon to go out? Shouldn't there have been a ceremony of some sort? Applause? Cookies and punch? A standing ovation? The only standing "O" that Huggins has now is his posse of protestors outside the Fifth Third Arena, cheering not for Huggins, but for the firing of Zimpher.

What exactly does UC think it will use at the moment to attract top recruits away from the Notre Dame's, the Syracuse's, the Connecticut's? A not-so-scenic campus in a bad neighborhood? Not really. A harsh and frigid winter weather not suitable for outdoor hoops? Not so much. A top-rated academic program? Don't count it.

Count this, though. President Zimpher has said that the reason for the ultimatum was because "character counts" now at UC, and Huggins was not setting a good example for his players, most notably with his DUI arrest in 2004. Or was he, though?

On Tuesday night, UC has already lost one recruit, and maybe more to come. There is no way Jason Bennett, a 7-2 center from Jacksonville, will be a Big East Bearcat. He was going there because of Huggins. Bennett's coach, Rex Morgan, was as devastated, as well.

"With the way Cincinnati handled everything," Bennett said, "I hope no one goes there."

That's probably exactly what Zimpher wanted to hear, but it gets better. Nick Aldridge, a 6-6 power forward from Webster, Ohio, withdrew his oral commitment. So much for using the Big East as a recruitment tool.

But yes, Zimpher won the power struggle. She smirked as she spoke the news that she wouldn't apologize for setting high standards. Here's some news for her — she won't be smiling very long when she finds out how many former UC supporters will be holding back their funds. Count on less financial support. Count on less attendance. Count on people not renewing their season tickets. And count on thousands of angry fans.

How about Huggins' players? Will they warm up to assistant Andy Kennedy, who is slated to take over as interim head coach? What's going to happen to Huggins' seniors, his finished products? Eric Hicks' future could be in question now. With the Bearcats likely to struggle immensely, his 13.7 points per game and 8.9 boards per game could be long shots for this forward.

Huggins had a special connection with all of his players, past and present, which is difficult to find in a lot of coaches these days. He listened to his players' opinions. They flocked to him. Anthony Buford left the University of Akron, where he played three years under Huggins, to play for the Bearcats when Huggins accepted the job there.

They respect him. Michael Perry, the sports editor at the Cincinnati Enquirer, wrote in his book "Cincinnati Bearcats Basketball" that, "UC players may complain privately about Huggins when they're on the team, but after their eligibility expires, most are extremely loyal to Huggins. All he has to do is ask for something, and it's done."

So what if Huggins wasn't getting past the Sweet 16 in the tournament? So what if he got a DUI? He still had the respect of his players and fans. Now, the school is the one losing respect from the fans. But if it was his time to go, fine. Fire him after the DUI. But why wait until now, in late August? This situation was not handled the right way, and that is why fans are upset.

Indiana moved on from Bobby Knight. Now UC has to move on from Huggins, but it's a lose-lose situation for them. If he's fired, UC pays him $1.9 million. If he resigns, UC pays $3 million. Yet either way, UC loses a mentor, friend, icon, and basketball savior. And this is how they chose to lose him — a paper faxed to his agent. Bottom line — there is no way UC would ever be in the Big East this year if it weren't for Coach Bobby Huggins.