Cincinnati In Latest Polls

After a methodical 47-15 rout of Rutgers on the road in the first game of the season, the Cincinnati Bearcats football team has reached the top 25. Cincinnati sits at #23 in both the AP and USA Today polls. A positive showing from the Bearcats on national TV Monday gave the team a bout of confidence and gave voters a chance to see the team without any other games on at the time. The Bearcats proved naysers wrong and showed that once again they will be a force in the Big East.

University of Cincinnati Football

Get ready for College Football to start. The University of Cincinnati looks to build on last year's Big East Championship and BCS berth. Here are some recent interesting news and notes

* UC starts off the new season on national television Monday September 7th vs. Rutgers. Pretty big game to start the season opener on the road, against a conference rival, with 10 new starters on defense.

* Last years backup quarterback and previous Notre Dame transfer Demetrius Jones has been named the team's starting linebacker. That will be interesting.

* The University of Cincinnati and head coach Brian Kelly continue to surprise by announcing impressive non-conference opponents year after year. The team announced today that it will travel to Knoxville in 2011 to play at the University of Tennessee. Bold move by the Cats but one I respect. Brian Kelly has always stuck to his word about having no fear playing against top competition. (Take note Ohio State."

“Our philosophy is to play the best possible out of conference schedule,” UC head coach Brian Kelly said. “Tennessee’s football tradition and geographic location make it a great matchup for us.”

Jamail Jones Takes 2nd Visit to Xavier

Jamail Jones, a 6'6 stud from Georgia, recently took his second visit to Xavier University with his parents this past week. Jones is the 64th ranked recruit for the 2010 class on Rivals. Jones has offers from Xavier and Cincinnati but also has offers from more than 10 other major D-1 programs. We could use a quality small forward so I wouldn't mind having him. And Kentucky... stay out of this, you already have enough top recruits on your team fighting for playing time!

2009 Deveroes Summer League: Current Standings, Rosters and More

2009 Deveroes Summer League Standings
OHC 4-1
S.I. Pool Care 3-1
Game Day Communications 3-2
Camp's Collision Center 3-2
SuperiorCars.com 3-2
Jackson All-Stars 3-2
McCluskey Chevrolet 2-2
SLATS 1-3
John H. Flessa Law Office 1-3
Clovernook Health Care 0-5

The top team right now is OHC’s team which includes Mark Lyons, C.J. Anderson and Norman Plummer.

S.I. Pool Care is a half-game behind and their team includes some Holmes boys in Arrez Henderson and Greg Rice.

My old employer, Game Day Communications, is at 3-2 behind a pretty solid team which includes Cashmere Wright, Armein Kirkland, Gary Lumpkin and Eric Daniels.

The rest of the teams include the following players:
Camp’s Collision Center: Jordan Crawford (when he’s there), Jamel McLean and Brian Walsh.
Superior Cars: Deonta Vaughn, Dante Jackson and Anthony McClain.
Jackson All-Stars: a bunch of old farts.
McCluskey: the NKU squad.
SLATS: the main UC team with Yancey Gates, Dion Dixon, Sean Kilpatrick, and many others.
John Flessa: Kenny “You Just Got Frozen” Frease and Deonte Byrd.
Clovernook: Terrell Holloway and Brad Redford.

Some players switch teams on occasion but for the most part this is how each team is structured for the league.

Who I think will win the league tournament.....Superior Cars. The tandem of Vaughn and Jackson is pretty good.

Best name of any player at the summer league belongs to Wimpy Woods, seriously that has to be made up.....

Moeller Star Griffin McKenzie Receives Offers from Xavier and Cincinnati

Griffin McKenzie, a 6'9 power forward out of Moeller high school, recently received scholarship offers from Xavier and Cincinnati. McKenzie was injured most of last year and averaged only 9.7 points per game in limited time. The senior to be also recently picked up offers from Tennessee and Wake Forest. Many sites have rated McKenzie as the #2 power forward in Ohio for the class of 2010 behind Adreian Payne.

I like Xavier's chances of getting McKenzie. They seem to do a good job of recruiting local talent, especially from the GCL (i.e. Josh Duncan, Johnny Wolf, etc.).

Is Lance Stephenson Worth It?

The story of Lance Stephenson has been everywhere in the national recruiting scene since he is the last of the Rivals top 100 yet to sign with a school. Stephenson, who has dominated in NYC, has unfortunately had a lot of bad issues surrounding him and his recruitment. From a sexual assault charge, dominating and demanding father, academic eligibility issues, and issues surrounding an Internet reality show, most Division I programs and coaches have steered away from Stephenson. But now we have Cincinnati and Mick Cronin emerging as a potential suitor for the services of "Born Ready."

Is this a desperation move for Cronin? Obviously he wouldn't sign Stephenson until the assault allegations and issues regarding his eligibility are resolved with the NCAA, but I ask is it worth it? Sure Stephenson is a star on the court and will undoubtedly end up in the NBA. But with all of the negativity and the assertion from coaches and teammates that he is a selfish player would Cronin want to put his program at risk? He has spent time since taking over UC to get the Graduation rate up for his student athletes and build a successful college program. But do you sacrifice winning to doing the right thing? Kentucky fans grew tired of Tubby Smith and his quest to recruit the four year student athlete and have now anointed John Calipari and the King of suspect one and done players.

Obviously Mick needs to win and win now. And by winning he should be able to boost attendance which has hit all time lows for the men's team. The University has shown their patients with Cronin and even extended his contract despite a mediocre record. So why is Cronin willing to sell his soul for a one and done superstar with a lot of baggage? I don't know but I am afraid for the program. In the current system that does not allow players to enter the NBA out of high school Stephenson could come to Cincinnati, help them be competitive and leave after his Freshman season for the NBA. But the after effects of recruiting and signing a kid like Stephenson could potentially harm the Cincinnati Basketball program in the future. I am not saying that Lance is guilty of any of the allegations and I am not saying that NCAA sanctions are inevitable. I am saying there is a lot of smoke and typically where there is smoke there is fire. If I were Mick I would join the rest of the coaches and stay away from Lance Stephenson.

Brian Kelly Signs Extension

The University of Cincinnati announced through a press conference today that head coach Brian Kelly has signed an extension with the school. The new contract will pay Kelly $1.5 million dollars per season through 2013. In two seasons with the University of Cincinnati, Kelly has led the team to a combined 22-6 record and back to back bowl game appearances. His accolades included 2007 Big East Coach of the Year and 2008 Big East Championship as well as the school's 1st BCS bowl appearance. The new 5 year contract also includes a $250,000 raise for assistant coaches as well as no clause for a new practice bubble.

In related UC football news, the University of Cincinnati has signed a contract to play Purdue University. The Boilermakers of the Big Ten will come to Nippert Stadium in 2013 and 2015 while Cincinnati will return a visit to Lafayette in 2014.

Cincinnati Bearcats sign JaQuon Parker

It has been a long offseason in waiting, but the University of Cincinnati Men's basketball team signed JaQuon Parker yesterday. Parker is a strong, physical 6'4 and 200 pound point guard from the state of Virginia. He was Mr. Basketball in the state of Virginia last season and led his team Kings Fork High School to a 31-1 record and state championship. Originally a member of the 2010 recruiting class, Parker will take two summer classes and will be eligible to play for the Bearcats in the fall. Parker is listed as a physically gifted point guard and was ranked #24 in his class. He committed to Old Dominion early on in high school but retracted his committment after big name programs began calling.

This signing is a big one for the Bearcats. UC was in major need of a back up point guard and was able to sign a very good one. Parker was being recruited heavily by several major college basketball programs, including numerous members of the Big East. His addition will allow a smoother transition for Redshirt Freshman Cashmere Wright and will also allow Senior Deonta Vaughn to play his more natural shooting guard position.

The University of Cincinnati still has one remaining scholarship for next season. It is possible that the scholarship will be held for 2010, but reports are beginning to surface that a potential big man may be added.

A video of the new bearcat can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9puZhdVlPgo

Justin Martin Rescinds Louisville Scholarship, Xavier and Cincinnati Possible Suitors

Justin Martin, the #56 ranked recruit by rivals.com for the class of 2010, has decided to part ways for the moment with Louisville by backing out of his commitment.

Martin has scholarship offers from six schools including Xavier, Cincinnati and Dayton. Kentucky and Arizona have also expressed interest in the 6'7 small forward.

When Martin originally committed he narrowed it down to two schools, Louisville and Xavier. Now that Sean Miller has left Arizona could be a strong suitor if they decide to pony up a scholarship. Martin averaged 10.4 points for a stacked Lawrence North team last year.

Louisville has recruited several others from Lawrence North. The high school is most known for two highly touted recruits by the names of Greg Oden and Mike Conley.

2009 Mens Basketball Attendance: Kentucky, Xavier and Cincinnati

Kentucky ranked 1st in all of college basketball last year with an average attendance of 22,239 a game and a total of 422.547 fans in 19 home games. Rupp Arena holds 23,500 for basketball games. UK filled 95% of there seats last season, despite a down year.

Xavier ranked 41st in attendance with an average of 10,097 a game and a total of 151,456 fans in 15 home games. The Cintas Center holds 10,250 for basketball games. X filled 99% of there seats last year, not to shabby.

Cincinnati ranked 70th with an average attendance of 7,818 a game and total of 140,725 fans in 18 home games. Fifth Third Arena holds 13,176 for basketball games. UC filled 60% of there seats last year. It shows that in Cincinnati it's all about winning (i.e. look at UC football (way up) and the Reds (down because of a decade of losing)).