By Bill Koch
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Until another University of Cincinnati basketball team makes it to the Final Four, Bearcats coach Bob Huggins will always hold the 1991-92 team as the standard for others to follow.

So it's no surprise that when Huggins was asked how this year's heralded recruiting class stacks up against some of the other classes during his 15-year tenure, Huggins quickly referenced the players who took UC to the Final Four.

"The best recruiting class we ever had that nobody ever thinks about was Nick (Van Exel), Corie (Blount), Erik (Martin) and Terry (Nelson)," Huggins said. "And LaZelle (Durden) was in that class, too."

HEAD OF THE CLASS

UC's top recruiting classes under Bob Huggins: 1991: • Corie Blount, 6-10 center; Nick Van Exel, 6-1 guard; Terry Nelson, 6-5 forward; Erik Martin, 6-5 forward; Anthony Buford, 6-3 guard, transfer from Akron; John Jacobs, 6-7 forward; LaZelle Durden, 6-2 guard; Shane Komives, 6-5 guard; • Best accomplishment: UC went to Final Four in 1992 and Elite Eight in 1993. 1993: • Dontonio Wingfield, 6-8 forward; Damon Flint, 6-5 guard; Darnell Burton, 6-2 guard; Marko Wright, 6-1 guard; Jackson Julson, 6-9 center; Brian Wolf, 6-6 forward; • Best accomplishment: UC advanced to Elite Eight in 1996. 1999: • DerMarr Johnson, 6-9 guard; Kenny Satterfield, 6-2 guard; Leonard Stokes, 6-6 forward; B.J.Grove, 6-11 center. • Best accomplishment: UC was ranked No. 1 nationally for most of the 1999-2000 season. 2003: Robert Whaley, 6-10 center; Nick Williams, 6-4 guard; James White, 6-7 forward, transfer from Florida; Mike Pilgrim, 6-7 forward; Asrangue Souleymane, 6-8 center.

Huggins did not mention Anthony Buford, who transferred to UC from Akron and spent the 1990-91 season practicing with the Bearcats before gaining his eligibility in 1991-92, but he, too, was an integral member of that group of newcomers.

This class - with Robert Whaley, Nick Williams, James White, Mike Pilgrim and Asrangue Souleymane - has been rated by most recruiting analysts among the nation's top 10. It has a long way to go to become Final Four material, but there are plenty of similarities between it and the 1991 class.

Both feature a highly rated 6-10 center and a point guard with the potential to dominate a game. And both are loaded with players who were either junior college transfers or transfers from other schools - or both.

Another of Huggins' more highly regarded classes was the 1993 contingent that featured McDonald's All-Americans Dontonio Wingfield and Damon Flint, along with Darnell Burton, Marko Wright, Jackson Julson and Brian Wolf. Unlike this group, that class was composed entirely of freshmen just out of high school.

"Those kids were maybe more talented," said UC assistant coach Keith LeGree, who practiced with that group the year after he transferred to UC from Louisville.

"You look at Dontonio. He's probably the best player Huggs ever had."

Wingfield left after one year for the NBA. But Flint and Burton both finished among the top 20 scorers in UC history and helped the Bearcats to the Elite Eight in 1996. Wright and Julson, hindered by injuries, eventually transferred, as did Wolf.

Huggins also pointed to the 1999 class that included Kenny Satterfield and DerMarr Johnson, both McDonald's All-Americans, and Leonard Stokes. Johnson left after one year for the NBA, Satterfield left after two years for the NBA and Stokes became a 1,000-point scorer during his four years at UC.

This year's recruits arrive at UC following the most disappointing season in Huggins' previous 14 years at the school. Already, they're being counted on to lift the Bearcats back to prominence.

"The expectations are going to be high," said White, a transfer from Florida who practiced with UC last winter. "Last year, we were missing key things that would have put us over the top. People are looking forward to us coming in and stepping up and filing those roles. I like those expectations."

The keys to the class are White at small forward, Williams at point guard and Whaley at center. Pilgrim is a raw talent, and Souleymane, a native of the Central African Republic, is a candidate to be redshirted this year, according to the UC coaches.

"The one guy who gets all the press is Rob Whaley because he's 6-10, 260 pounds and he's very, very talented," said Andy Kennedy, UC's recruiting coordinator and the architect of this class. "Typically, 6-10, 260-pound guys that are very talented, they're not in college anymore."

On paper, this could be as talented as any class UC has ever had, including the Tony Yates class of 1987 that featured Levertis Robinson, Lou Banks, Marty Dow, Keith Starks, Kevin Williams, Terrell Jackson and Elnardo Givens. But its productivity remains to be seen.

"They're not going to come in here and automatically put us on their shoulders and lead us," Kennedy said, "but they allow those other guys to get back in a more comfortable role and they give us so many more options."

E-mail bkoch@enquirer.com