Monday, December 28, 1998
UC NOTEBOOK
Levett comes home with a clang again
BY MIKE DeCOURCY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Melvin Levett wants to play in the NBA. He is less certain, though, that playing for his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers would be a good idea.
Levett assaulted the Gund Arena rims for the third time in his UC career, finishing 1-of-10 from the field that makes his career mark in this building 3-of-28. That's a .107 percentage.
“You can't blame it on the place. I've got to look inside myself.”
UC coach Bob Huggins was not pleased with Levett's shooting and believes he and other Bearcats need to “work overtime” to improve. Levett has made just 13-of-50 from the field in the past four games, 4-of-29 on threes.
But Huggins was less pleased Levett allowed his shooting slump to affect the rest of his play. “Mel can't do that, because there are too many positive ways he can affect the game. He hasn't done that much this year. Last year, he did it all the time.”
Even on a clutch block of a Tony Stanley layup with 15 seconds left, Levett had to recover to make the play. He called it his “silver lining” in a clouded performance.
Holiday blues?
Huggins was at a loss to explain the Bearcats' lack of intensity for the Dayton game, other than the fact it so closely followed the Christmas holiday.
The team had an awful practice on Christmas after returning from two days off. “But it's Christmas. What am I going to do, holler at them on Christmas?” Huggins said.
They were slightly better Friday and Saturday. But still UC was flat when it came time to play the Flyers.
“It continually amazes me that guys want to play for a living, want to play 80-some games, and they can't even be ready to play 30,” Huggins said. “How can they not be ready to play?”
Red-shirt unlikely
UC freshman center Donald Little, who sat out Sunday's game with acute bursitis in his left elbow, will be examined today by team orthopedist Angelo Colosimo.
There is a chance Little will need a procedure that could cost him three weeks, but he hopes to be back by Sunday's game against Marquette.
He is eligible for a medical redshirt, but doesn't want one. “Oh, no, no. I don't want to do that,” Little said. “I want to get a ring first.”
All 1998 Bearcat stories