By Bill Koch
The Cincinnati Enquirer

You already can sense the change in attitude at the University of Cincinnati during the first week of basketball practice. The coaches are upbeat, the players are eager and everyone's looking forward to what they believe could be a memorable season after last year's disappointing 17-12 record.

The infusion of five talented new players is one cause for the excitement, but it's a veteran player - junior forward Jason Maxiell - who has caught the eye of the UC coaching staff.

"I think people are going to be pleasantly surprised with his improvement," said assistant coach Andy Kennedy.

"He's been really good," said UC coach Bob Huggins. "He's much improved. He shoots it better. He's got more range. He's more active. He's stronger. He handles the ball better and he's passing it better."

Last year was tough on everybody at UC, but it was especially difficult for Maxiell, who was named to Conference USA's preseason all-conference team Thursday.

The 6-foot-7 forward was coming off a freshman season in which UC won a school-record 31 games. Two years ago, he was the first front-line player off the bench and averaged 8.1 points and 6.8 rebounds.

But that was in a subordinate role. All-American guard Steve Logan was the focus of attention. Maxiell was able to cruise under the radar with his strong body and baseline jump shot.

Then came his sophomore year. Center Donald Little was gone because of legal troubles. The Bearcats had no true center to replace him, and suddenly all of the front-line scoring responsibility fell on Maxiell's shoulders.

He increased his scoring average to 11.9, but his shooting percentage fell from 55.2 to 44.5. He was frequently double-teamed and found it difficult to get shots off in crucial situations.

"It was hard," Maxiell said. "It was more of a mental thing than it was physical. But that's in the past. Now I'm just working on this year. I feel more of a captain on this team. I know that if I go hard, the team will go hard. I know this is my team and I've got to be a leader."

Maxiell also knows that he won't face the same defensive pressure he faced last year. With 6-10 junior college transfer Robert Whaley at center, Maxiell should find a lot more room to roam along the baseline and should reclaim his share of offensive rebounds.

"He's got a nice little jump hook," Maxiell said of Whaley. "With him inside, it will help out a lot."

C-USA PICKS: UC has been picked to finish second in Conference USA by the league's coaches.

The coaches picked Louisville, which won the C-USA tournament last year, to win the regular-season championship this year.

The coaches' predicted order of finish:

1. Louisville, 2. Cincinnati, 3. Marquette, 4. Memphis, 5. UAB, 6. Charlotte, 7. DePaul, 8. Saint Louis, 9. Southern Miss, 10. South Florida, 11. TCU, 12. Tulane, 13. East Carolina, 14. Houston.

E-mail bkoch@enquirer.com