Bearcats 2007-08; RIP

Watching Deonta Vaughan and his desperate attempt to drag the carcasses of his teammates into the second round of the Big East tournament, I was saddened knowing that this was the last time I would see the 2007-08 Bearcats play hoop. Others may snort and exclaim arrogant relief that this 13-win excuse for a squad was finally dead. They were wrong. Here comes the inaugural College Basketball Invitational. C – B – to the I. Look out NIT. Somebody's got a cooler acronym and they are breathing down your neck.

During the season, I had a prepared speech that I would break out on unfortunates in ear shot, back in the depths of winter. Something about how I enjoyed this version of the Bearcats more than all of the 25+ win campaigns filled with high rankings, ass-kickings and early tournament exits. Something more about how this team was "scrappy" and was taking down more talented teams with nothing but guile, grit and a scoring machine named Vaughan. And though the dialogue was canned, I meant it.

I was and still am desperate for a Cincinnati winner. The Bengals are frauds. The Reds are in Florida. The Bearcats were the now. The pre-conference schedule was horrific, with stink losses to Belmont and Bowling Green. But then they fought with Xavier (a game they gave away) and annoyed Memphis for a good 35 minutes. However, with a 5-7 record coming into conference play, a replay of the last year's 2-win conference record seemed imminent.

The Cats won at Louisville on New Year's day. Back-to-back wins against Syracuse and Villanova drove their conference record to 3-1. Curiosity. The Cats would tally wins at West Virginia and against Pittsburgh. The high water mark was 13-12, with a strong 8-5 Big East mark. The Cats were amongst the goliaths when the Big East standings graphics would flash. The tournament was in sight. Cronin demanded respect. Sucker fans studied the schedule and notched wins. Basketball was fun again.

And then the Cats ran out of gas and dumped. The margin of error, miniscule against an average team, was breached. Vaughan was doubled on every possession and the remaining staff could not fill the scoring void. The report card would read 5 games under .500.

So what happened this season? The Cats improved two wins from 2006-07. Four seniors gobbled up minutes and will never be seen again. Freshmen saw little time. You could argue the season was a waste. But I needed those 8 Big East wins. I needed to care again. I needed to stress through every possession and turnover and missed lay-up and rimmed out 3-pointer. I needed some success, however fleeting. Just to remember.

I don't fault Cronin for trying to steal some wins with seniors that should have never been on the roster in the first place. He's paid to win first, prepare for the future second. He did his job. I believe in him and the program. I have to.

And just maybe, when the Cats are cutting down the nets after winning the Midwest regional final in 2010, you will clink your glass with a bar mate and mutter "remember Adam H"? Oh, the laughs you will have. I wonder where a large Polish man with limited basketball skills and a University of Cincinnati degree goes from here. I was never able to hate him. I always thought his next point-blank shot would find the hole. I wanted him to succeed but his mind and body would not let him. He will soon be a footnote in Cincinnati basketball history. A scarlet letter "H", symbolizing the dark hour of a storied program. But I will always raise my glass to that rascal, and this team. They were just bad enough to make me appreciate the great times, and just good enough to make me hope for the future.