Two weeks into practice, Moore, who was hindered by back problems last season, has impressed UC coach Bob Huggins.

"Chadd's playing very well," Huggins said. "It's a very competitive situation with those two."

Three years ago, Moore was the one entering the UC program with the glowing credentials and the vast potential. The junior from Huntsville, Ala., had some promising moments as a freshman but ended up playing behind senior Taron Barker.

Last season, a sore back limited him to 10.4 minutes a game.

He averaged 3.2 points and 2.0 assists, but when the Bearcats needed a point guard in the final weeks of the season, they turned to forwards James White and Armein Kirkland.

Moore knew he would face stiff competition this season after UC signed Muhammad, a junior-college All-American.

After working during the summer to make sure his back was OK, Moore went through all of preseason conditioning without a problem.

"It's way better than last year," Moore said. "I'll just keep treating it, and hopefully it'll be all right."

Asked if he took the signing of Muhammad as a sign of a lack of confidence in his game on the coaches' part or as concern about whether his back would allow him to play extensively, Moore said it was probably a little of each.

"I really don't know," he said. "I can't worry about it. I've just got to go out there and play like I know I can play."

Moore says he has been trying to help Muhammad make the adjustment to a new system and has been impressed with the newcomer's game.

"He's got a bouncy game," Moore said. "He's just jittery. He can't stay still. He changes direction. He's real quick."

FOR THE BEST: Jamar Butler might have done UC a favor when he reneged on his oral commitment to the Bearcats a year ago and decided instead to attend Ohio State.

"If Jamar Butler would have come, we wouldn't have had Vincent Banks or Jihad Muhammad," said Andy Kennedy, UC's associate head coach.

When Butler, a former Lima Shawnee star, told Huggins he planned to look into other options, Huggins and Kennedy told Butler they would do the same.

They contacted Banks, who was Mr. Basketball in Georgia his senior year, and Banks expressed an immediate interest in UC.

"He was a kid who wanted to be a Bearcat," Kennedy said. "He accepted and committed without visiting campus."

Because they had Butler, UC had not actively recruited a point guard for this season.

But when Butler changed his mind and it became apparent Nick Williams couldn't play the point, the Bearcats landed Muhammad, one of the top junior-college point guards in the country.

Of course, it remains to be seen how well these players develop, but on the surface, the change seems to have worked out for UC.

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E-mail bkoch@enquirer.com