BY MIKE DeCOURCY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
The one thing missing from the Cincinnati Bearcats' locker room - aside from junior point guard Charles Williams - was a sense of outrage.
Saturday's loss to Iowa State that signaled they had played their last game was not clean or decisive. There was cause to be angry, if the players and coaches wished to hang onto something of this season for a while.
Instead, there was tolerance all around. Not a pleasant acceptance of their fate, to be certain, but a grasp of reality that said much about how the winter of 1996-97 developed for UC basketball.
The team that began the season ranked No. 1 in the nation ended it no better than 17th, the 67-66 loss to the Cyclones finishing the Bearcats in the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three seasons.
At this, they shook their heads, packed up their gear, went home. It took some work to get anyone to comment on the traveling call made when Iowa State's Kenny Pratt tackled UC guard Darnell Burton with 35 seconds left.
It was the last, fatal blow to a team that two weeks before had its development handicapped by the removal of Williams as his eligibility was investigated by the athletic department. The Bearcats were too fragile by March to survive that disruption.
In games they expected to win, the Bearcats were something to behold. Ask Southern California, which trailed by 26 in the first half. Or UNC Charlotte, which fell by 10 at home. Or Marquette, swept in the regular season.
Against elite competition, they played without the same confidence. With an 0-5 record against teams ranked in the final Associated Press poll, they appeared more concerned about the consequences of defeat than eager to experience the rewards of victory. This may be understandable, as the rewards were limited. They went 10-1 through the month of February and never escaped public criticism of their performance.
If next year figured to be anything like this one, it might be tough to round up enough Bearcats to play and coach. But there ought to be plenty of talent left on the roster.
Forward Ruben Patterson says he'll return. His first season with the Bearcats was hardly what he anticipated upon leaving Independence Community College as the nation's No. 1 junior college player.
UC lost the Iowa State game with Patterson and his 13-point average sitting the bench for all but 14 minutes, this after he had found a rhythm with six consecutive double-figure scoring games entering the tournament. He has been told by those close to him, however, that committing to the UC program will help him become a pro.
Coach Bob Huggins says he'll return, but in less convincing fashion. He has quietly campaigned for the vacant coaching job at Ohio State, calling influential boosters in Columbus to build a base of support.
Asked following the Iowa State game if he intended to remain at UC, Huggins first said, ''I don't know. I don't know what's going on. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.'' Later, he was more emphatic about returning. ''Why not? I've got a great group of guys coming back.''
Fortson, barring a stunning reversal, will not return. He has made his decision about whether to enter the NBA Draft, but has chosen to keep it private.
Should Patterson and Huggins remain part of the program, though, the next team's possibilities are immense. Presuming Williams is permitted to remain when the investigation concludes - that's expected this week - the Bearcats would have a core of athletic players at every position, a dynamic defensive center in 6-8 Kenyon Martin and two scoring threats in Patterson and shooting guard D'Juan Baker.
Forward Melvin Levett and center Bobby Brannen greatly improved this past season. Center Jackson Julson and forward Ryan Fletcher, who missed the year as an injury redshirt, are big players who can score and bang for rebounds, if they'll play with aggression.
With at least five scholarships available, Huggins is likely to sign two junior college big players, with 6-8 Jermaine Ousley of Tyler (Tex.) Junior college and 6-8 Deon Edward, a Woodward product at Westark in Arkansas, the primary targets. Expect UC to be a strong contender for top point guard Michael Horton of Allegany (Md.) Community College and to pursue an athletic high school wing player.
There will not be the same level of expectations for that team as for the one just disassembled. That could make the 1997-98 season more fun for the Bearcats, and maybe longer, as well.
MARCH MADNESS
NCAA Tournament stories
MARCH 16, 1997
IOWA STATE 67, UC 66
UC LOSS NOT ALL SURPRISING Daugherty column
BRANNEN BECOMES SCORER
MARCH 15, 1997
IDENTITY CHECK FOR UC
IOWA STATE GETS ASSISTS FROM HOLLOWAY
MARCH 14, 1997
UC 80, BUTLER 69
IOWA STATE IS TALL ORDER
20 MINUTES ENOUGH FOR UC THIS TIME Daugherty column
MARCH 13, 1997
UC'S FORTUNES HINGE ON FORTSON
NCAA LETTER LED TO WILLIAMS INQUIRY
WILLIAMS PUNISHED BEFORE TRIAL Daugherty column
HUGGINS TO OSU? A COMMON QUERY
MARCH 12,1997
GUARD PROBLEMS PLAGUE BEARCATS
HUGGINS QUOTES GILLEN ON OSU JOB
MARCH 11, 1997
FORTSON ALL-AMERICAN
WILLIAMS PREPARES TO START
MARSHALL HAS THE MUSCLE TO CHECK FORTSON
MARCH 10, 1997
UC, XU ON COLLISION COURSE IN SWEET 16
LET FORTSON PLAY, REFS - IT'S HIS TIME Daugherty column
OPPONENT DOESN'T MATTER TO BEARCATS
BUTLER ROSTER HAS LOCAL FLAVOR
