By Bill Koch
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Bob Huggins was waiting for Robert Whaley when he walked onto the practice floor Monday.

"I've got an article in there for you about Levi Jones," the University of Cincinnati basketball coach said.

Whaley, UC's 6-10 junior center, just smiled and kept walking. He has heard all he wants to hear about the Bengals' offensive tackle.

Whaley and Jones both underwent arthroscopic surgery recently to repair torn meniscus in a knee. Jones was back on the field six days after his Dec. 8 surgery, playing left tackle for the Bengals in their win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

Whaley, who was operated on Dec. 3, has been "less than diligent" in his rehab, according to Huggins, who has repeatedly nagged Whaley with references about Jones.

Apparently, Whaley has gotten the message.

He practiced for four hours Sunday night and said Monday that he will be ready to play Wednesday against Clemson.

"The knee feels great," Whaley said. "There's just a little fluid in there."

Whaley said he met Jones last week while visiting Dr. Angelo Colosimo to have his knee checked. Colosimo did both surgeries.

"Dr. Colosimo said, 'Look, he's coming back and he had worse surgery than you,' " Whaley said. "I knew I had to get back or keep hearing about it."

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E-mail bkoch@enquirer.com