By Bill Koch
The Cincinnati Enquirer

At about 3 p.m. Monday, the University of Cincinnati basketball players and coaches retired to their locker room to view tape in preparation for Wednesday's game against Saint Louis.

When they emerged, UC coach Bob Huggins gathered them on the court and said, "Rob's not going to be with us."

And with that, the UC career of two-time junior college All-America center Robert Whaley apparently came to an end.

"I think Bob Huggins has spent an unbelievable amount of time trying to work with him," associate head coach Dan Peters said Monday. "If that kid can't make it here ... Huggs tried. He really tried."

According to Brian Teter, UC's associate athletic director for external relations, Whaley called Huggins Monday and told him he was leaving the team.

Whaley, a 6-foot-10, 260-pound junior center from Benton Harbor, Mich., transferred to UC before this season from Barton County (Kan.) Community College. He was the centerpiece of UC's recruiting class.

After averaging 16.9 points and 7.7 rebounds for Barton County last season, he was expected to keep defenders from focusing on UC forward Jason Maxiell.

But Whaley, 21, who started UC's first three games before undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery Dec. 3, was never able to adjust to Division I basketball. He leaves the program after averaging 6.2 points and 2.7 rebounds in 20 games.

"I just need a break right now," Whaley said in a prepared statement released by UC. "I need to get my head cleared and think about some things. I wish the team the best and hope they have a great season."

Whaley could not be reached for further comment Monday.

His mother, Sonia Wright, contacted by phone in Benton Harbor, said she hadn't talked to Whaley and didn't know he had left the UC program.

"We all wish Rob the best in his future endeavors," Huggins said, also in a prepared statement. "I hope that he gets things sorted out and is able to be the best student-athlete he can be."

Huggins declined to elaborate.

Teter said Whaley is not expected to return this year.

Whaley was chided by Huggins for taking too long to recover from surgery. The UC coach compared him unfavorably with Bengals offensive lineman Levi Jones, who had similar surgery without missing a game.

Prodded by Huggins, Whaley returned in time to play 14 minutes vs. Clemson Dec. 17, totaling four points and four rebounds, but later said he believed he came back too early. Huggins did not take Whaley to New Orleans for the Jan. 7 Conference USA opener against Tulane because he failed to "fulfill his obligations to the team."

Two days before the Feb. 3 Xavier game, Whaley told the Enquirer that he wonders "all the time" if he made a mistake by choosing to attend UC.

"I don't ever get off the bench," he said.

He played only four minutes against Xavier, then played 21 in the Feb. 7 game at Houston, scoring a career-high 17 points. But he was unable to sustain that kind of production. He played 10 minutes in UC's win over Louisville on Saturday and failed to score.

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E-mail bkoch@enquirer.com