Bob Huggins on #1 Cinci vs. #4 Depaul

[MUCrisco]

The Nike Coaches Clinic was this past weekend at the Al McGuire Center.  I was skeptical of the lineup this year but once again, I had a great time and I learned a lot.  The last two speakers were Todd Kowalczyk and Darrin Horn.  I know them kinda well and I was able to talk to Coach Horn after his segment.  I have some new insight on the Marquette offense that I will post later when I have more time.  Perhaps the weirdest thing was seeing everyone in their brand new warmups, like Gail Goestenkors with her Texas colors, Steve Alford with New Mexico, and the Huggy Bear in his shiny new West Virginia gear.

First of all, let me say that I hated Cincinnati and everything about them.  A huge reason was because of Huggins.  I didn't like who he recruited and how he ran his program.  However, I will admit that when it comes to basketball, he definitely knows what he is talking about.  Also, he actually is a very charismatic guy and he has a great sense of humor.  He started out telling a couple of stories, one that I will tell now.  Who knows how much of it is true, but it sure was entertaining.

A while ago, in the CUSA days, Cincinnati was ranked number one in the country and DePaul was ranked 4th.  So, when they played each other, it was a huge deal.  This was when Steve Logan, Kenyon Martin, Q Richardson, Pete Mikael, Bobby Simmons, and DeMarr Johnson was playing.  Everybody was talking about this game.  It was nationally televised with Dick Vitale announcing. 

When the game finally got underway, it wasn't much of a game at all with DePaul really taking it to Cinci.  They were really getting clobbered in the second half, and they were down by 14 points.  Huggins wanted to call a timeout, but he knew a media timeout was coming up.  He could just hear Dick Vitale after the game asking,"Coach, why did you burn a timeout 30 seconds before the media timeout?  What were you thinking?" 

So, he waited, and Depaul came down and hit a 3 pointer.  So, they were down 17 points and he had to call timeout with under 4 to go.  Now, there are times when a coach has nothing left to say to his team, because he is out of stuff.  Before the game started, they already set their game plan.  He had made all the adjustments he could to that gameplan.  He had already yelled and screamed.  He had already patted them on their backs.  He had done erything he could think of.  So, when his players were walking towards him and huddling around he really had nothing to say to them.

So, he looked over to the Depaul bench, and he loved him, but there was little 5'7 Rashon Burno high fiving everyone and it was getting to him.  So he says to his team,"Look at those guys over there.  They're celebrating.  They think the game is over.  Do you guys think it's over?"  And they all shook their heads and said no, even though most of them were thinking,"Yeah, it's over coach."

After he said that, there was still a lot of left in the timeout.  A minute and 20 seconds is a long time.  So, he looked at his players and he saw Kenyon Martin and he said,"Kenyon, do you have anything left in you?" 

Kenyon responded, "Coach, I have 4 minutes left in me.  And if it gets tied up, I have another 5 minutes left."

So, Huggins, stil needing something to say, told his team,"OK, I don't want anyone taking a shot, unless Kenyon touches the ball.  Now, that doesn't mean he is the only one who shoots it, but he has to touch it on every possession in order for us to take a shot."

After he said that, there was still time left in the timeout, but he was out of stuff to say.  So he sent his team out onto the court and they were standing around for 30 seconds while Depaul was still on their bench planning on what they were going to do.  Dick Vitale sees this, stands up, makes eye contact with Huggins and extends his arms as if to say,"What's going on?  Why is your team out there?" 

Huggins just kinda shrugged his shoulders at him as if to say,"I don't know, I got nothing."

So the game resumes, and Kenyon Martin is a mad man.  He's blocking shots, he's rebounding, and he's hitting crazy shots that he's never hit before.  It was the best 4 minutes that he has ever seen anyone play.  (Huggins chuckles, and tells everyone at the clinic sarcastically,"Now, that's coaching.")

So, with about 30 seconds left, Cincinnati is able to tie the game and Depaul calls timeout.  This time, Huggins has a lot to say to his team.  He tells them, "OK, this is what they probably are going to do.  They are going to set a cross screen with Burno for Q and post him up.  So, let's make sure we don't switch on the screen and get a bad mismatch and offer help on the post."  He sends him team out there to play defense.  His assistant coach tugs on his coat and says, "That's not what they are going to do.  In last game situations, they like to set a staggered double screen for Q."

So he calls them back and tells him that and says,"OK, we are going to defend it like we always do.  The guy defending the first screen will sag and help on the slip, and the guy guarding the next screen will hedge and make Q catch it higher while giving room for his defender to get over the top of the screen."  His players go out there.

Sure enough, Depaul sets a staggered screen for Q, and the hedger jumps it and gets a steal.  He passes ahead to Demarr Johnson on the wing, who has a clear path to the basketball for a layup with about 8 seconds left.  For some reason, Johnsn pulls up with the ball and knda stalls for a bit.  Everyone on the Cincy bench was going nuts and yelling at him to shoot it.  However, since the whole crowd was going crazy, he couldn't hear them.

Finally, with about  seconds left, DeMarr Johnson takes a jumpshot and hits it and Cinci wins the game and everyone is going crazy.

After the game, they find out that Dick Vitale wants to interview Martin, DeMarr Johnson, and Huggins at half court.  Before that happens, Huggins pulls aside Johnson and says,"What happened man?  I'm glad you hit that shot, but you had a clear path for a layup.  Why didn't you take it"

Johnson responds,"Well coach.  You told us that Kenyon had to touch the ball before we shot it and he hadn't touched the ball yet.  So I didn't know what to do."

[77ncaachamps]

Ahhhhh....the talented yet unintelligent players of UC.

Thanks for the story!

[mu_hilltopper]

Excellent story, MUC!  Hope to hear more of what you witnessed.

[muarmy81]

Ahhhhh....the talented yet unintelligent players of UC.

Thanks for the story!

I still recall the "You won't graduate" chants as the UC players shot their free throws...man i hated UC

[muwarrior87]

It would be more fun to hate them if their team was a little better than they were last season. But that doesn't mean I don't hate 'em!! I still do!

[ChicosBailBonds]

Crisco was Crean there?

[augoman]

Thanks, Crisco.  A great anecdote from one of my favorite coaches..., the "warden".  The story is similar to Wm. Earl Tatum's response when Al asked where he was hurt..."out there on the floor."

I was ecstatic when he came back to the BEast, and look forward to watching him resurrect the WV program.   

[MUCrisco]

Crisco was Crean there?

Coach Crean was not there.  Here was the lineup:

http://www.cbbconline.com/20070427.html

Instead of Stu Vetter, Todd Kowalzcyk spoke.  In my opinion, the lineup the past two years were better.

Coach Crean did that clinic a couple of years ago and it seems like they rotate coaches around.  There are 5 other clinics around the country in the spring and 4 other clinics in the fall.  Coach Crean does give a fantastic clinic since he is so full of energy and I think he does them purely to help out other coaches and not just as an obligation to Nike or to make money.  Usually, these segments are put on DVD and you can order them here:

http://www.championshipproductions.com/cgi-bin/champ/index.html?mv_pc=A00006

However, Coach Crean, for whatever reason, doesn't want his to be recorded.