By Bill Koch
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Tarrance Gibson was on his way to Indianapolis when he got the call from former teammate Andre Tate about University of Cincinnati basketball coach Bob Huggins' drunken-driving arrest.

HUGGINS ARRESTED

• UC puts Huggins on leave with pay • Tape implies prior Huggins stop • Judge's discretion has guidelines • Bearcats lose their identity • Stress, crises took toll on coach • UC not worried about NCAA • Bearcats of seasons past standing by their mentor • Goin statement RELATED LINKS • Saturday news conference • Police in-cruiser video of Huggins being pulled over • Video of Huggins' Friday news conference • Daugherty: DUI is a blessing for Huggins • View the police report

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"He was visibly shaken," Gibson said. "If a tree shakes at the top, all the leaves at the bottom are going to feel it."

Gibson, who played for Huggins from 1990-93, along with Corie Blount, who played for Huggins from 1991-93, attended Saturday's news conference to hear that athletic director Bob Goin had suspended Huggins indefinitely.

"I called a lot of my other teammates, too, but they all had other arrangements," Blount said. "It's not that they don't have the same respect and admiration that I have for Coach Huggins, they just weren't able to make it. I thought I would come to represent all the former players and the present players."

Blount, the starting center on UC's 1992 Final Four team, said he talked to Huggins on Friday night.

"He was hurting," Blount said. "The last thing he wants to do is put a scar on this program. It happened and he's sorry for it, and we're ready to move on."

Blount said he was relieved to learn Huggins hadn't been fired.

"I was worried at first," he said. "But after listening to Mr. Goin, I was very pleased. You hear all of these options and you don't know which direction they're going to take.

"We're talking about somebody who I love who was there for me when I got in trouble. He's the main reason why I came to Cincinnati. It wasn't because of the university. It wasn't because of the program, because when I came here the program wasn't all that successful."

Gibson said he had spoken with all of his former teammates and they were upset: "Lou (Banks) said the cops should have taken him home. But the situation happened. He has to man up for it."

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E-mail bkoch@enquirer.com