Andy Kennedy's New Order

During the Bearcats 10-game winning streak, the Bob Huggins hangover finally started to shake off. At least, from the muddled heads of Bearcats nation who refused to accept the ugly end to Huggins’ career. Meanwhile, Andy Kennedy has been in firm command of the basketball program since the ‘interim’ crown was placed on his head. More rather, the position was thrown in a hump on the ground. But Kennedy picked it up, dusted it off and has led this team with pride and passion. He may have even coached himself right out of Clifton and into another program. This would be a travesty.

The Bearcats, under Huggins, were always prepared to play big time basketball. They were in shape and physically imposing. They were mentally tough and carried a swagger that won them a lot of games before the tip off. They worked hard and could impose their will on weaker teams. That was the mark of Huggins' teams and his legacy.

The Huggins’ Bearcats were a first-half team. They would routinely streak to big first-half leads before squandering them in the second half. After the break, I often referred to the period of time between the 16-minute and 4 minute mark as the Bearcat '2nd half malaise'. The team would become disinterested and kick the ball around. Wild three pointers would be launched and easy transition baskets allowed. 20-point leads shrunk to 6. You could set your watch to it.

Huggins was never a good in-game coach. The offense resembled an NBA set, with four guys standing around on the perimeter while one man posted in the lane. At the end of close games, when the contest became possession basketball, the Cats always seemed a little clueless. If the Cats had the final shot, Huggins would call for a clear out to isolate the point guard. Every time. I remember Kenny Satterfield's last season when he missed at least 6 shots at the end of regulation that would have won games. The same play was called every time.

Andy Kennedy's Bearcats are a second half team. They make adjustments during intermission. The Cats overcame a 10-point half time deficit on the road to beat a Marquette team that had just crushed Connecticut. They outscored Ohio University 47-20 in Act II to destroy a rising team.

Andy Kennedy's Bearcats have a half court offense. Despite not having a serious post threat that stands over 6" 6' and using a true freshman point guard, the Cats have been effective in their offensive sets. They can adjust when defenses toggle man-to-man and zone. Their motion offense actually has motion and guys are getting open looks. The Cats look like they practice.

Huggins had reached that grumpy, despondent point in his career in which he was coaching almost out of spite. He had succeeded and had become an icon so he was going to coach his way, no matter his personnel or opponent. He was no longer willing to adapt or adjust. And his temper tantrums no longer got any play. You can only scream at an 18-year kid so many times before he simply shuts down his ears. His players stopped listening.

Kennedy is new blood. He is young and hungry. (he is an athlete too and can actually run up and down the court with the players, for whatever that is worth). He has a commanding presence on the sideline. The players listen to him. He speaks candidly about his team and the challenges they face. And he can coach.

Kennedy's performance against 4th ranked UCONN this past Monday night was nothing short of masterful. UCONN was coming off a humbling loss on the road to Marquette and barely escaped a home game against LSU. This team was not about to go 0-2 in the conference on their home floor. The Cats did not get a call the entire night. ESPN analyst Jay Bilas disputed four different, crucial whistles that went against the Bearcats including a charging foul against James White with 7 minutes to play that gave the Senior four fouls and led to a crippling 4-point swing (The Cats, being one of the new kids on the block in the Big East, will not get a call on the road all season. Get used to it). When you top these conditions with the loss of Senior Forward Armein Kirkland, the Bearcats were faced with incalculable odds.

The Bearcats trailed only by 6 points with three minutes to play. And they had the ball.

Kennedy employed a weave offense, taken out of the Harlem Globetrotters playbook, to eat time off the shot clock and shorten the game. He switched to a 1-2-2 zone to save his players legs, pinch down on the Husky big men and force them to shoot jump shots. He gave the Bearcats a fighting chance and he did it all with seven undersized men, on the road. The Cats should have lost by 30. But they did not.

The season rages on and the one question is: how long can the Bearcats hold up? Here are the top minute eaters from the Connecticut game:

Hicks – 36
White – 35
Downey – 35
McGowan – 31
Moore – 26

The Big East season is a grind. Can these men possibly hold up until March with this kind of work load? Chadd Moore’s back is going to go – it is just a matter of time. After that you have 5 players with extended Division I experience. Then comes juco Ronald Allen who is shaky at best and Dominic Tilford who is not ready. Kennedy was forced to recruit two bodies from the football team just so the team could run a full practice. One of the players, Freshman tight end Connor Barwin (complete with a no. 51 jersey that appeared to have the name of another player recently unstitched off the back), played 8 minutes last Saturday against perennial power Syracuse.

Kennedy refuses to make excuses for his team. But I don’t mind. Consider the following litany of events that have crippled the Bearcat program:

· In May, Roy Bright was dismissed from the team after being arrested for a felony charge of attempting to carry a conceal weapon. Bright is currently averaging 20.5 ppg for Garden City (Kansas) junior college.
· In August, Bob Huggins was fired from his head coaching position at Cincinnati.
· Following the Huggins dismissal, 6” 8’ forward Ivan Johnson decides to renege on his commitment to UC and signs with Oregon. Johnson is averaging 8.2 ppg and 3.3 rpg in a sporadic season for the Ducks. He was recently suspended indefinitely for having an attitude detrimental to the team.
· Freshman guard Tyree Evans was not allowed to enroll in the school after being indicted for statutory rape in Massachusetts.
· Assistant coach Keith LeGree resigned after being arrested for DUI in late November.
· 6’ 6” freshman forward DeAndre Coleman leaves the team in mid-December because he was unhappy with his role in the program.
· 6” 10’ freshman center Abdul Herrera is ruled academically ineligible for the season. Herrera, from Panama, was penalized for taking an English course as a second-language class. His appeal was denied December 19.
· 6” 8’ Senior Forward Armein Kirkland suffered a season ending ACL injury against Connecticut on January 9. Kirkland was enjoying his best offensive game of the season, scoring 14 points in 12 minutes.

The Bearcats stand at 13-4. It’s a steep road to 20 wins and a tournament birth. But if I could pick a coach to lead this team to that plateau, with this ensemble, it would be Andy Kennedy. Imagine what he could do with a full roster?