By Bill Koch
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Eric Hicks can reveal his secret now. The reason he put together the first double-double of his college career against Oakland on Monday night had nothing to do with more intensity or his offseason work in the weight room or motivation from University of Cincinnati coach Bob Huggins.

"I put some baby powder on my hands to catch the ball a little better," Hicks said, "because I've been fumbling with it. It worked, evidently. I never got a double-double before."

UC, 2-0 and ranked 19th, plays Coppin State (2-3) at 7:35 p.m. today at Fifth Third Arena.

As Hicks, a 6-foot-7, 240-pound sophomore forward, talked about the baby powder, he was smiling - something he didn't do much of last year at this time as he made the sometimes painful adjustment from high school star to overwhelmed college freshman.

That he began his UC career coming off knee surgery and just a few months removed from getting shot in the leg didn't help. He was so unhappy that when he went home for a brief Christmas break, he didn't return on time and contemplated not returning at all.

Hicks was one of the gems of last year's recruiting class after averaging 30.7 points, 12.3 rebounds and 6.7 blocked shots as a senior at Dudley High School in Greensboro, N.C. But when he arrived at UC, he was having trouble just getting on the court.

"You go from in high school just about playing every minute of the game and now, my freshman year, I was barely getting in the game," Hicks said. "Ain't too many people are going to be happy."

Hicks eventually earned some playing time - about 13 minutes a game - and proved to be one of the Bearcats' best rebounders. This year he has accepted his status as a reserve and is at peace with Huggins' demanding style.

"When the season was over, I looked back on everything and came to realize, hey, he's not changing," Hicks said, "so you might as well adjust."

Said Huggins: "I out-stubborn most of them."

The UC coach admits he can be pretty hard on Hicks, maybe harder than he is on his other players. But he says there's a reason for that.

"I have higher expectations than what Eric has," Huggins said. "He's just got a lot of bad habits. He was so big and strong and athletic in high school that he could stand behind guys. He can't do that here. He's undersized. And he's one of those guys that if you don't stay on him, he doesn't work as hard every day."

Hicks is averaging 6.5 points and 8.0 rebounds in two games. He also has blocked four shots. His rebounding average is second only to Jason Maxiell, who's playing an average of 10 minutes more a game than Hicks.

"Last year I didn't know what to expect," Hicks said, "but this year you know you will run all practice if you don't do it right. It's either run or rebound. I'd rather rebound than run."

• The Wooden Tradition will continue its Cincinnati connection next season when UC plays Purdue on Nov. 27, 2004, at Conseco Fieldhouse. In the opening game, Illinois plays Gonzaga. Tickets are available online at WoodenTradition.com or ConsecoFieldhouse.com.

UC vs. Coppin State

Tipoff: 7:35 p.m. today, Shoemaker Center's Fifth Third Arena (13,176).

Records: UC 2-0, Coppin State 2-3.

Radio: WLW-AM (700).

Line: None.

TV: None.

UC

Player	Yr.	Ht.	PPG
Armein Kirkland	So.	6-8	8.0
Jason Maxiell	Jr.	6-7	17.5
Robert Whaley	Jr.	6-10	7.5
Field Williams	Sr.	6-3	9.5
Nick Williams	Jr.	6-4	8.5

Coach: Bob Huggins (351-112, 15th season; 519-184 overall).

COPPIN STATE

Player	Yr.	Ht.	PPG
Chad Yates	Jr.	6-9	8.8
Nicholas King	So.	6-7	8.8
Henry Colten	Jr.	6-11	1.6
L. Muhammad	So.	5-9	2.6
Jimmy Boykin	Sr.	6-7	16.0

Coach: Ron "Fang" Mitchell (288-217, 17th season; 513-259 overall).

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E-mail bkoch@enquirer.com