The slam-dunk contest at halftime of UC's Midnight Madness scrimmage early Saturday morning turned out to be no contest.

        Donald Little's competition conceded after the 6-foot-11 center jumped over the Bearcat mascot — who was lying in the lane — on his third-round dunk. In the second round, Little put the ball between his legs on the way to the basket, then slammed the ball in.

        “I just wanted to win for my family, to tell you the truth,” Little said. “My whole family was here from Georgia, like 28 people. They hyped me up. When you get momentum flowing, you can do anything. That's what it was.”

        LITTLE HELP: The Bearcats will have at least two walk-ons this season. Junior Rodney Crawford, a 1997 Withrow High School graduate, is a 6-5 forward who played at Bakersfield (Calif.) College. Junior Torrey Robinson is a 6-4 guard from Detroit who played at St. Mary's College in Minnesota. Both are practicing with the Bearcats, who will hold additional walk-on tryouts Monday.

        MADNESS VISITORS: There were no recruits taking official visits at Midnight Madness, but several high school underclassmen were in attendance at Shoemaker Center. Among them was 6-foot-2 Robert Hite from Winton Woods, rated by Athlon magazine as the No. 29 prep junior in the country.

        Also at The Shoe: B.J. Walker, a 6-8 junior from Woodward; and 6-8 Ivan Harris from Springfield North, one of Ohio's top sophomores. Winton Woods coach David Lumpkin said Hite already has been offered scholarships by UC, Xavier and Ohio State.

        TALENT SCOUT: Coaches can't watch teams play pick-up games before practices begin officially, but that doesn't mean new players aren't being evaluated. Veterans are very aware of how rookies are performing.

        Junior guard Steve Logan, the most experienced Bearcat, has been impressed.

        “The moment I saw them, I knew they could play, every last one of them,” Logan said.

        His breakdown:

        • Field Williams: “He's a great shooter. I didn't believe he was knocking in 62 percent (from 3-point range as a high school senior) before he came in. He showed me.”

        • McElroy: “A tough, tough player. He sits down on "D.' He makes baskets.”

        • Rod Flowers: “I think Rod is coming along. He's a true freshman. He's just got to learn the physical part of this game.”

        • Jamaal Davis: “He's been showing me a lot. Left to right, layups, playing de fense. He's a great player.

        • Antwan Jones (recovering from foot surgery): “Before he got hurt ... man, he can play.”

Louisville 38, UC 24 Minter wants what Louisville's got Huggins honors Fortson, Martin Little big man with dunk

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