Attending UC wasn't just an opportunity. It was a lifeline. How could Whaley blow it?

Bob Huggins blew it. He took a chance on a junior college stud and proven trouble-finder. He believed he could right Whaley's ship. He couldn't. Not to this point. Huggins didn't bend to accommodate his weak-willed prodigy. UC needed a low-post scoring presence.

If Whaley had played as advertised, maybe nobody is wondering what's up with the Bearcats. How could Huggins blow it?

UC head coach Bob Huggins. (Ernest Coleman/file photo)

Whaley neglected his talent. Huggins needed to lighten up. It's a process repeated almost yearly in Clifton. I remember Terry Nelson quitting, briefly. That was 12 years ago. It's fair to wonder how much longer Huggins will feel like fighting these fights.

Here's a fact: The Bearcats have won 18 times this year. Whaley helped them win exactly once. He had 17 points against Houston, when the rest of the team was sucking exhaust. Even that day, Whaley needed 18 shots to make six baskets.

Here's another fact: The Bearcats couldn't have played any tighter in the last month if you marched them to a cliff and told them to jump-shoot. It's hard to make a layup looking over your shoulder.

Whaley didn't listen. It might be hard to play for Huggins. It isn't hard to understand how he expects you to play for him.

Huggins won't change. Even if times and teams demand it.

He has a track record with big men: Corie Blount, Art Long, Danny Fortson. Kenyon Martin embodied every belief Huggins owns. It's hard to argue with the first player taken in the draft. Listen, learn and work, and you have a well-paying job. Quit, and you're B.J. Grove. Where is B.J. Grove?

Coaching is teaching. Teaching is knowing which buttons to push, when. It's not one-size-fits-all.

And so forth. It's all true about Robert Whaley and Bob Huggins.

Can Huggins reach players the way he did a decade ago? They hear him. How could they not? But do they listen?

Should Huggins adapt to survive? Would he even want to?

It would have been easy for him to play Whaley more. Huggins is paid to win games. If character is developed along the way, OK. It's not mandatory. Huggins hasn't played Whaley, partly because Kareem Johnson, a lesser talent, practices harder and better than Whaley has. There's a lot to admire about the coach, sticking to his guns.

But could Whaley have benefited from kinder and gentler? Could Tony Bobbitt have used it last year, or Eric Hicks?

Do Huggins' teams fade in March because, occasionally, they're mentally fried, physically drained and relieved to be finished? Or does the mental meat grinder make them better than they might have been otherwise? Tough teams survive March better than teams that aren't tough. There is a fine line, though, between tough and browbeaten. The Bearcats walk it a lot.

Robert Whaley walked it Monday, right out the door. He could be back today, next week or next year. He might never be back. It makes you wonder, again: How much of it is the player? How much is the coach?

Episodes like this make Huggins wish he were fishing.

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E-mail pdaugherty@enquirer.com