By Bill Koch
The Cincinnati Enquirer

M O R E   I N F O R M A T I O N

UC women Bearcats at a glance Coach: Laurie Pirtle (254-240, 18th season; 337-256, 22nd overall). 2002-03 record: 23-8. Conference: 11-3 Conference USA American Division, second place; lost in the final of the conference tournament to TCU, 85-76 in overtime. Postseason: Lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to Arkansas 71-57. Top returning scorers: Debbie Merrill (18), Valerie King (16.4). Top returning rebounders: Debbie Merrill (8.5), Brittani Young (4.2). Top returning assist person: Brittani Young (2.1). Games to watch: • Nov. 14 vs. Liberty • Dec. 16 vs. UC Santa Barbara • Jan. 25 at TCU Go-to player: Center Merrill, an honorable mention All-American last season, averaged 18 points and 8.5 rebounds. Newcomer to watch: Crystal Ashley, an honorable mention junior-college All-American, averaged 13.1 points and six rebounds last season at Cowley County (Kan.) Community College and has the inside track to start at power forward. X factor: The Bearcats have two scorers in Merrill and King, but they need a point guard to replace all-time assist leader K.B. Sharp. Freshman Treasure Humphries and sophomore Micah Harvey are vying for that job.

University of Cincinnati guard Valerie King says she doesn't know much about Cheryl Cook, even though when she looks up at the north wall of Shoemaker Center's Fifth Third Arena at practice every day she sees Cook's retired jersey hanging there with the No. 24 on it.

So here's the scoop, Valerie: Cheryl Cook played at UC from 1982-85. She was a 5-foot-9 guard from Indianapolis and reigns as the Bearcats' career scoring leader with 2,367 points. As a senior, she was a second-team All-American and the nation's second-leading scorer.

She's the only UC women's player to have her number retired.

King, a 5-10 senior from Washington Court House, has a chance to be the second.

She begins her final season at UC with 1,661 points, seventh on the school's scoring list. She needs 707 points to pass Cook. If the Bearcats advance far enough to play 32 games, that would mean she would have to average 22 points a game, about two more than the 19.8 she averaged as a sophomore.

UC coach Laurie Pirtle thinks she can do it.

"It's an outside chance, but she's capable," Pirtle said. "It depends on how other people on the floor perform so (defenses) just can't focus on guarding Valerie."

King will receive plenty of help from junior center Debbie Merrill, who averaged 18 points a game last season, giving the Bearcats a potentially devastating inside-outside attack.

In her quiet, unassuming way, King says she would love to pass Cook, but she's more concerned with winning the Conference USA championship and getting the Bearcats to the NCAA Tournament for the third year in a row.

Always known as a hard worker, she has stepped it up a notch in preparation for this season.

"In the summer, I tried to get in 500 shots every day," King said. "I work on my jump shots and shooting off the dribble. I didn't really have an off-the-dribble jump shot."

King is UC's career leader in 3-point shooting, having made 39.4 percent of her shots. She's also the Bearcats' career free throw percentage leader (87.4 percent). But she's not a naturally gifted shooter and especially isn't a natural from 3-point range.

"It took me years," King said. "My freshman year (in high school), I didn't shoot 3s at all, because I had no strength. But I ran track and started lifting every day after basketball. During my sophomore year, I started shooting. It came all of a sudden after my freshman year. That's when I really started working on it. I knew I needed to increase my range."

When she signed with UC, she was a major coup for the Bearcats' growing program, but she has exceeded even Pirtle's expectations.

"We knew she had a lot of talent," Pirtle said, "but I had no idea she was the shooter that she is. She's given us the ability to open our game up for the inside players. Ever since she's come on board, we've gotten better. She's helped take us to Top 25 status."

Assuming King, who averaged 16.4 points last season, has another productive season, the UC coach would like to see her jersey on the wall next to Cook's.

"I don't control that," Pirtle said, "but you've got to feel there might be a chance for that. I can only hope that with the impact that Valerie has made, she'll have a senior year that will give credibility for that so that others can decide that for us."

E-mail bkoch@enquirer.com