Saturday, March 04, 2000
Mickeal out of the doghouse
Senior star will play in home finale today
BY MIKE DeCOURCY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
There were no easy answers regarding Cincinnati Bearcats forward Pete Mickeal's benching by coach Bob Huggins during Thursday night's stunning 64-62 comeback victory at DePaul.
Except one: Mickeal will be back in the lineup tonight as the No.2-ranked Bearcats (27-2, 15-0) celebrate Senior Night with their final Conference USA regular-season game, against Saint Louis (15-12, 7-8).
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SAINT LOUIS at UC
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• When: 6 p.m today
• Where: Shoemaker Center (13,146)
• Records: UC 27-2 (15-0 Conference USA), Saint Louis 15-12 (7-8)
• TV: Ch.19
• Radio: WLW-AM (700)
BY THE NUMBERS
• 6: Minutes played by Leonard Stokes against DePaul before he sprained his ankle. X-rays were negative Friday, and he may play vs. SLU.
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“Contrary to popular belief, there aren't any doghouses here,” Huggins said. “Everybody ought to be accountable to take care of their business.”
Mickeal, a 6-foot-6 senior who is the Bearcats' best perimeter defender, had started all 61 games since he arrived at UC in the fall of 1998. He averages 13.1 points and 6.4 rebounds this season. Even after missing the entire DePaul game, he still has played 62 minutes more than any Bearcat, save for star center Kenyon Martin.
There was no clear explanation from either Huggins or Mickeal as to why he did not play, but the reason is fairly apparent from his play in the four games sandwiched between UC's two victories over DePaul.
He shot 9-of-33 and averaged 9.5 points in the four games after scoring 12 points and holding DePaul's Quentin Richardson to seven points in an 87-64 UC victory on Feb.13 at the Shoemaker Center.
But in UC's 68-59 win over Louisville last Sunday, Mickeal shot 2-of-11 from the floor and committed three turnovers. With five minutes left and the Bearcats playing sloppily and allowing the Cardinals to score at will, Mickeal was called for traveling. Huggins pulled him from the game and the two exchanged words.
Mickeal hinted personal concerns might have affected his performance in that stretch.
“I'm a college student, and I've got a family, and we all go through things that maybe everybody doesn't know,” Mickeal said. “And sometimes those are the consequences of that.”
The Bearcats learned against DePaul they will have a heck of a time reaching the Final Four without Mickeal playing well. But Mickeal said there was no lesson for him to learn in sitting on the bench.
“You can't get anything done on the bench, but if it's good for the team, it's good for me,” Mickeal said. “Maybe I needed it ... discipline.
“There's no hard feelings. There's no breech between us. I talked to last night after the game. I gave him a hug.”
Mickeal learned shortly after UC beat Louisville at the Shoe last Sunday that he would not play against DePaul. He acknowledged he was not sharp offensively against Louisville, but said he was comfortable with the shots he attempted and noted that Louisville forward Tony Williams — the player he guarded — was held to four points.
Although he knew he would be benched, Mickeal had two of his best practices in the days preceding the DePaul game. He played mostly with the second team in drills and scrimmages. “I was getting those guys ready to play DePaul,” he said. “I had no problem with it. I never hung my head one day. Never sulked.”
Mickeal showed no emotion as UC mounted its furious comeback in the closing stages against DePaul Thursday.
With his team trailing by 10 points with 3:42 left, Martin carried UC to victory by scoring 10 points, blocking two shots and assisting on DerMarr Johnson's game-winning jump shot with 2.7 seconds left.
With six NBA general managers and numerous scouts in the building, Mickeal sat stoically.
“I was happy. No way I felt like we should lose because I'm not playing. I'm a total team player,” Mickeal said. “I never show any emotions. Hardly ever. I figured it was going to happen.”
Mickeal no longer is UC's first option on offense, as he was during his junior season. He has averaged 8.6 shots per game, down about one per game from last season, and claims to be comfortable with that.
“You've got to know your role,” Mickeal said. “You've got to be able to sacrifice something to get something, and everybody's sacrificing a lot this year. “What that lets my teammates know is that, "If he can bench Pete, anybody can get benched, so I've got to keep doing my thing.' ”
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