Bob Huggins won't be losing his football team after all.
Huggins, Rick Minter and Athletic Director Bob Goin met Friday to work out the logistics of permitting seniors Brad Jackson and Brent Petrus to play both football and basketball in the next month.
''We'll be running back and forth between shooting free throws and meetings,'' Jackson said. ''It's what we want to do. Obviously, football is first priority. We'll sit down and work out the details.''
Jackson, a linebacker, and Petrus, a wide receiver, joined Huggins and the UC basketball squad after Minter and the football team ended their regular season Nov. 20 at East Carolina. With the football team invited to the Humanitarian Bowl, Huggins faced the possibility of losing two guys who combined to play 28 minutes in Wednesday's win against Alcorn State.
During the meeting between the two coaches and Goin, it was determined to let the two athletes play both sports if they so choose.
They will.
Both, in fact, practiced with the basketball team Friday, the day the football team returned to the field to prepare for the bowl. As seniors, they were given the day off from football.
UC plays five more basketball games before the Dec. 29 bowl game, including a Dec. 27 date against Massachusetts in Cleveland.
With the football team planning to leave for Boise, Idaho, on Dec. 25 or 26, Goin is investigating whether the two can practice with the football team on the 27th and then fly to Cleveland in time for the 9:30 p.m. basketball game with UMass.
Minter thinks the players can handle both.
''It's not like they don't know how to play football,'' he said. ''I'm not worried about them mentally. Physically, it may be tough on them.''
Petrus has been the first guard off the bench as junior Shawn Myrick has recovered from a stress fracture in his foot. Myrick may play against Wright State tonight and, barring a setback, would definitely be available for Xavier Dec. 13.
When he was AD at Florida State, Goin said, athletes Charlie Ward and Brad Johnson left the site of a bowl game to play basketball.
''Our job here is to see if we can't work together,'' Goin said, ''and both coaches seemed to agree on that.''
Jackson, who plays much more significant role in football, says his foray into basketball will help.
''I'm in better shape now than I was after football,'' he said.
BASKETBALL FANS AWOL
FOOTBALL TEAM BACK TO PRACTICE
BASKETBALL SEASON IN STORIES
FOOTBALL SEASON IN STORIES
