There's no escape. Donald Little hears about it every day. He said friends tell him, “You're the man this year.” And University of Cincinnati coach Bob Huggins tells him, “Kenyon would do this, Kenyon would do that.”

        All are constant reminders that Little, a 6-foot-11 sophomore, has a big role for the Bearcats. Very big.

        If there is one key player for UC, it might be Little. The Bearcats lost veteran post players Kenyon Martin, Jermaine Tate and Ryan Fletcher. Their centers this year are Little and sophomore B.J. Grove, who has played even less than Little.

Donald Little is in his third year at UC, but this season is the first time he'll be needed to play a major role. (Steven M. Herppich photo) | ZOOM |

        “I've got big shoes to fill,” Little said. “It doesn't bother me, though. Not at all. Kenyon was a great player. If somebody compares me to Kenyon, that will be a compliment.”

        Said junior power forward Jamaal Davis: “He has to be a big impact on this team. He has to be.”

        It has been four years since Little played this major a role on a basketball team. The last time he was a starter for a full year, he was at Mount Zion Christian Academy for the 1996-97 season.

        The next year, he attended The Winchendon School in Massachusetts and left the team in midseason. As a freshman at UC, he had surgery on his left elbow in December and ended up redshirting. Last season he averaged just 8.7 minutes in 26 games and totaled 30 points and 50 rebounds.

        This season, University of Cincinnati coaches need at least 25 to 30 minutes out of Little, who is in his third year in the program.

        “I feel right now I'm a veteran,” he said. “Everything comes easier.

        “The team needs me because I can block shots, I can run the floor, I can take up a lot of room in the paint. (Kenny) Satterfield and (Steve) Logan are the main attractions, but I'm one of them. If I stay out of foul trouble, we'll win games. That's key. It has been (a problem in the past).”

        So has inconsistency.

        Little, who added roughly 15 pounds of muscle and improved his upper-body strength, can dominate pickup games and practice drills when he is focused. He catches the ball better than in the past, and he has shown the ability to put it in the basket in a variety of ways.

        During open gym, there were stretches when he was almost unstoppable. But just like that, Little would stop being a presence and become easier to defend. Satterfield and Logan were vocal, pushing Little to concentrate on +every play. They know of his importance to this season.

        “Sometimes nobody could guard him, and sometimes he'll pace himself,” Satterfield said. “Then he'll pick it back up. He's just got to play hard the whole 40 minutes.

        “I try to push everybody to play every possession hard. If everybody plays that way, it will be very hard to beat us.”

        Last season, Little knew that no matter how hard he played or how much he improved, he would see limited minutes with a slew of seniors, including Martin, the player of the year, in front of him.

        But this fall has been different. Little is a main target of Huggins' teaching and prodding. And he has a new confidence level.

        “Last year I didn't want to score,” Little said. “I didn't want the ball on the block. Now I want the ball on the block because I know I can score .

        “I know I've got to step it up. I'm just ready to start playing games and see how I do.”
       

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