Huggins was on his way back to Cincinnati on August 24, 2005, after attending the Michael Jordan Fantasy Camp in Las Vegas.
Kennedy and assistant coach Frank Martin were sitting in the basketball office when they saw a fax had arrived.
“It was basically the terms of the end,” Kennedy said. “It said, ‘You resign by this time and here are the terms; if not here’s the other option.’ I just remember Huggs wasn’t in the office. We didn’t know if he was even aware of it. I’m sitting there holding this fax thinking, OK, what does this mean? Does Huggs know this? That was three or four hours of uneasiness.
“I just kind of sat tight. I didn’t feel it was my place to call Mr. G [Goin]. I just waited until Huggs was back.”
The day is well documented. After 16 years as head basketball coach at the University of Cincinnati, Huggins was given the choice to resign or be fired.
Kirkland said he found out from reporters. Eric Hicks said he saw the news on TV while in an airport returning from playing with the U.S. team at the World University Games in Turkey.
This can’t be true, Hicks thought. He called Kennedy, who confirmed what was happening. “I was angry as hell,” Hicks said. “I had bought into the program completely. I had given myself to the team. It felt like I was betrayed. If Andy Kennedy didn’t get the job as interim, I was transferring to North Carolina.”
Kennedy didn’t know what was going to happen. He tried to reach out to players, most of whom hadn’t yet arrived on campus for the school year. He didn’t know if he should start looking for a job. The next day, UC asked whether he would take over as interim coach with a contract through the following March.
Kennedy first wanted to speak with Huggins face-to-face and drove to his Loveland home.
“I don’t really know how to feel about this,” he told Huggins. “I don’t really know what to do. I’m certainly not going to do it without your blessing. I need to know you’re OK with it.”
“He obviously was in an emotional state based on all he had poured into the program and now within a few short days he was no longer captain of that ship,” Kennedy said. “But he said without hesitation, ‘Hey, if you think you can do it, do it.’ He understood it would be a challenge based on the roster. His concern was not about UC and how he had been treated; his concern was more about wanting me to have a chance to be successful. He felt responsible for bringing those kids into the program, especially the seniors, and said, ‘We have a responsibility to see this through. It’s a no-brainer if you’re up to the task.’”
Kennedy accepted the challenge.
11
ANDY KENNEDY ERA (2005-2006)
IRONY
The first victory of the Andy Kennedy era came in the first game of the 2005-06 season . . . at home.
. . . in overtime.
. . . against Murray State.
. . . coached by—wait for it, wait for it—Mick Cronin.
Not once during that night did Cronin envision becoming UC’s head coach, he said. In fact, on the bus ride home to Murray State, he told his assistant coaches he felt the Cincinnati program would be decimated after that season, as it was losing five seniors and rumors were already circulating that freshman guard Devan Downey would transfer.
“Whoever takes that job next is screwed,” Cronin says he told his assistants.
Little did he know.
WHO NEEDS SLEEP?
After an encouraging 3-0 start, UC lost back-to-back games at home to the University of Dayton and the University of Memphis. The loss to the Flyers was the first ever against UD in Shoemaker Center. And it was the first time ever that UC lost consecutive games at The Shoe.
“My popularity was soaring,” Kennedy recalled, laughing.
The next game was December 10, 2005, in Nashville against Vanderbilt University, which had a 28-game home winning streak versus non-conference opponents.
The Bearcats were fitting in one more practice in Cincinnati before flying to Nashville. As practice began, light snow flurries fell from the sky; by the time they left, heavy snow covered everything.
It wasn’t until they were on the bus to catch their flight that Kennedy and the team learned the airport was closed.
What the heck? Let’s drive, Kennedy thought. It’s typically about a four-hour drive to Nashville.
“They had given us a bus that was only supposed to take us to the airport; it wasn’t a real nice bus,” Kennedy said. “We simply had no choice. We couldn’t risk it and try to fly on game day. So we had to go. We drove to Nashville, and it took us like 11-12 hours. We got into Nashville in the wee hours of the morning.”
The Cincinnati players showed no ill effects from the journey. All five starters scored in double figures, led by Downey and James White with 18 points each, and the Bearcats won 92-83.
That kicked off a 10-game UC winning streak. “From that point on we soared,” Kennedy said.
UNTIL
Armein Kirkland suffered a heartbreaking season- and college-career-ending knee injury—at a time when he was playing his best basketball.
“He had this talent, this Scottie Pippen-like point-forward game,” Kennedy said. “Everybody was waiting for this kid to show what he could do consistently. He really started playing well.”
In Milwaukee on January 7, 2006, Kirkland helped hold Marquette star Steve Novak—coming off 41 points against the University of Connecticut—to 17 points in a 70-66 Bearcats victory. Also in that game, Eric Hicks collected a triple-double with 22 points, 12 rebounds, and a career-high 10 blocked shots.
“That was a special game because I almost broke my ankle,” Hicks said. “I think I got a rebound and landed on somebody’s foot and rolled it. I didn’t even know I had a triple-double until the end, when [then-associate Athletic Director Brian] Teter told me. I knew the rebounds were there. I didn’t know how many blocks I had. I was just playing to get a win.”
Anticipation was building for the next game on January 9 against the No. 4 UConn Huskies. The Bearcats finally entered that season’s Associated Press rankings at No. 25. It was ESPN’s Big Monday game. ESPN’s Andy Katz was working on a story about UC’s turnaround. And, a number of NBA scouts were on hand.
“There was all this hype,” Kennedy said. “People were starting to get excited about the team.”
“I remember telling James [White], ‘We’re gonna get paid tonight,’’” Kirkland said. He thought if he could impress the scouts, his NBA stock would rise. “I was getting my confidence back. I felt good about the game.”
Kirkland started out impressive, all right. He scored 14 of UC’s first 18 points, including three 3-pointers, and helped the Bearcats stay within 21-18.
And then it happened.
“I just went up for a normal layup and my left knee gave out,” Kirkland said. “It was a split-second thing. It was a freak accident. I felt the pop. I kind of hopped to the sidelines. I was just holding my knee. [Athletic trainer David] Fluker was looking at me as they were trying to examine it.”
He left with 7:49 remaining in the first half. After his knee was wrapped, he limped to the locker room with 4:55 to play.
“I went back to the visitor’s training table inside the locker room,” Kirkland said. “Their team doctor came in there. He checked my knee, and I just remember him saying, ‘Armein, I’m not going to sugarcoat anything. I’ve been doing this a long time. I’m pretty sure you tore your ACL.’ I was hurt. My season was over with. I was hoping to go to the NBA and have a career and now I couldn’t even finish my senior year.
“I was crying. My teammates came in and tried to console me after Coach Kennedy’s halftime speech. They put a brace on me. I was on crutches. I kind of just chilled on the bench the rest of the game.
“It was tough to deal with for a while. That’s not how I wanted to spend my senior year. I guess it was definitely in God’s plan. At least I went out playing the start of the best game I had.”
UC lost the game, 70-59.
Said Kennedy: “I was depressed for the kid, for our program, for everything that transpired.”
HELP WANTED
Monday was Kirkland’s last game.
Kennedy’s team was already low on numbers, and he was even more concerned about merely having enough players to practice.
Tuesday, Kennedy visited Bearcats football coach Mark Dantonio to inquire if he had a player with high school basketball experience good enough to help with practices.
Dantonio suggested true freshman Connor Barwin, a 6-foot-4, 230-pound tight end who played football and basketball at the University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy.
Wednesday, Kennedy met with Barwin.
Thursday, Barwin practiced with the basketball team.
Saturday, against perennial power Syracuse, Barwin suited up in jersey No. 51 without a name on the back.
“I’m sure he’s thinking, I’m here to put on a uniform and just go through layup lines,” Kennedy said.
Instead, Barwin played eight minutes and finished with two points (on free throws) and one rebound. He played in 18 games that season, averaging 9.9 minutes and scoring a total of 18 points.
Barwin played one more season of basketball for incoming coach Mick Cronin, scoring 27 points in 23 games. On the football field, Barwin moved from tight end to defensive end and helped lead UC to its first Big East football championship while leading the league in sacks.
He was selected by the Houston Texans in the second round of the 2009 NFL draft and made his first NFL sack against Cincinnati’s Carson Palmer. In March 2013, he signed a six-year, $36-million contract with the Philadelphia Eagles.
SENIOR NIGHT SPECIAL GUEST
In the time leading up to his final game in Shoemaker Center on March 4, 2006, Hicks called Bob Huggins, the coach who recruited him to UC, and said, “If you’re not there for my Senior Night, I’m not playing. It’s as simple as that.”
Hicks echoed that to Kennedy and anyone else who would listen. Hicks wanted Huggins to walk out with him on the court before the game. “I know they wanted him to be there,” Kennedy said of the seniors.
“It’s going to cause too much controversy,” Huggins told Hicks. “I don’t want to cause any more controversy. I’ll just be in the building. You’ll see me.”
“I don’t recall having any issues with that,” then-UC Athletic Director Mike Thomas said. “As a matter of fact, I probably thought it was the right thing to do. Certainly you always want to look at what’s in the best interest of your team. Bob Huggins was part of the fabric of the basketball program, and he still is.”
In pre-game ceremonies, Hicks received a loud ovation from the sellout crowd of 13,176. Carrying a framed photo of himself—a gift from the school traditionally given to seniors—he hugged Kennedy and a few teammates, and then walked to the far corner of the court where Huggins stood. It was the first time Huggins was at a home game since leaving the university.
The two embraced and Hicks started crying. An emotional Huggins hugged all five seniors, including James White, Chadd Moore, Armein Kirkland, and Jihad Muhammad. Hicks walked back toward the bench, using his warm-up shirt to wipe away tears.
“You never saw me cry like that,” Hicks said. “I just broke down. Those were tears of joy. Huggs was a father figure to a lot of us. He’s the man who got me there. He needed to be there for my last [home] game. It just felt right.”
“I wanted to be here,” Huggins said that night, “but I didn’t want to do anything they didn’t want me to do.”
UC’s opponent West Virginia was ranked 16th in the country. Led by Kevin Pittsnogle and Mike Gansy, the Mountaineers had beaten UC a month earlier.
It didn’t matter, though. The Bearcats won 78-75. Hicks scored 18 and went into the student section to celebrate when the game ended. He said it was the most special game of his college career.
“I thought it took a lot of courage for Coach [Huggins] to come,” Kennedy said afterward. “It shows you what kind of man he is. It’s a tribute to these seniors. They wanted him to come. I thought it was fitting going against his alma mater in a game that decided our season.”
Not only was West Virginia Huggins’ alma mater—it’s the team he would take over as head coach in 2007.
AWKWARD TRANSITION
Kennedy thought the West Virginia victory would be enough to boost UC into the 2006 NCAA Tournament. UC went 6-9 to finish the regular season, then lost in its first Big East Tournament game to Syracuse 74-73 on a Gerry McNamara runner at the buzzer.
At 19-12, the Bearcats were still predicted by bracketology expert Joe Lunardi to make the field of 64 as a 10th seed. The team watched the NCAA Tournament Selection Show in its locker room. “I thought we were in,” Kennedy said. “Lunardi doesn’t miss. I was relieved because we had been to like a thousand straight tournaments and I didn’t want it to end on my watch. Well, we didn’t get in. I kept thinking, there’s got to be another bracket. Our locker room was in stunned silence.”
Cincinnati settled for a bid to the National Invitation Tournament. It won home games against Charlotte and Minnesota. After those games, Kennedy asked Athletic Director Mike Thomas for permission to speak with other schools about jobs, and Thomas agreed.
That’s when Kennedy had his first conversation with University of Mississippi Athletic Director Pete Boone. Boone flew to Cincinnati to meet with Kennedy on March 23, 2006, the morning of UC’s NIT quarterfinal game at home against South Carolina.
Kennedy woke up and went to meet with Ole Miss officials, including chancellor Robert Khayat and senior associate Athletic Director for finance John Hartwell, at the downtown Omni Hotel.
Upon his return to campus, he retrieved a voicemail summoning him to a meeting, where he was informed James White and Jihad Muhammad were academically ineligible. Their seasons were over. Kennedy then went to UC’s shootaround to tell the players and the team.
“Again, we have to regroup,” he said. Kennedy told Boone he would keep his cell phone turned on until an hour before the game. It turns out that while Kennedy was in the coaches’ locker room in Shoemaker Center, Boone called to offer him Mississippi’s head coach position. Kennedy accepted.
As he walked on to the court before the game, Kennedy approached his wife, Kimber, in the corner stands and told her, “We’re going to Ole Miss.”
“She had no idea,” he said. “She didn’t know the job had been offered.”
The Bearcats played a gutsy game but lost 65-62 to South Carolina before 7,775 fans, many of whom gave Kennedy multiple standing ovations and shouted their support for him to remain as head coach.
Kennedy said he knew long before that night it wasn’t going to happen. He said he and Thomas had candid conversations during which Kennedy expressed he wasn’t interested in the job.
“I just didn’t think it was the right fit,” Kennedy said. “I will always be a Huggs guy. I am not going to divorce myself from Bob Huggins. I am not going to act is if I was there for any reason but because of him. It wasn’t in anyone’s best interest.”
Thomas said that when he arrived as UC’s Athletic Director in December 2005, he was open-minded and considered Kennedy a candidate for the job. “There was no foregone conclusion that I was going down a certain path,” Thomas said. He felt that early on, Kennedy was interested in the job. But as the season went on, the two agreed it was indeed not the right fit.
The aftermath of UC’s final game was, well, active. Long-time UC reporter Bill Koch of The Cincinnati Enquirer wrote that the day “will be remembered as one of the most bizarre in the history of the UC basketball program.”
In his one year as UC’s interim head coach, Andy Kennedy’s team went 21-13. The Bearcats started the season 13-2, and Kennedy was selected as CBS Sportsline’s Mid-Season National Coach of the Year. (AP Photo/Al Behrman)
Kennedy held his standard postgame interview with radio announcers Dan Hoard and Chuck Machock, but instead of his comments being broadcast
in the arena for the fans, as they usually were, the sound was turned off. The crowd, which had waited around to hear Kennedy, was angry.
Soon after, Kennedy and Thomas met in Thomas’ office.
“I think by that point in time we both knew where it was going,” Thomas said. “I wish I could tell you how the conversation went. I am sure my mouth opened first, but what came out I don’t really remember.”
Within an hour of the final buzzer, UC issued a press release announcing Mick Cronin had been hired as its new basketball coach. Cronin was unavailable to the media. Thomas left the building without talking.
Mississippi announced Kennedy as its new basketball coach.
Oh, and earlier that same day, Huggins had been hired as head coach at Kansas State University.
“I think this is the end of the chapter for Bob Huggins basketball,” Kennedy said that night.
Later, Kennedy said, he, assistant coach Frank Martin, and Huggins all met at the Holy Grail in Clifton and talked about the strange previous seven months.
“It was really a crazy year,” Kennedy said. “But I have a lot of good memories.”
12
MICK CRONIN ERA (2006-PRESENT)
HOME-GROWN HEAD COACH
Leading up to Murray State University’s first-round 2006 NCAA Tournament game against No. 3 seed University of North Carolina, Mick Cronin heard Cincinnati might be interested in interviewing him for its head coaching position. But he was concentrating on his team and had no direct contact with UC at that point.
The Friday night game on March 17 didn’t begin until after 9:30 p.m. The 14th-seeded Racers lost to the Tar Heels 69-65 at University of Dayton Arena. After the loss, which left some Murray State players in tears in the locker room, it was after 1 a.m. before the team returned to its hotel. It was then that Cronin learned from Murray State Athletic Director Allen Ward that Cincinnati had asked permission to speak with him about its vacancy.
“My phone had been off,” Cronin said. “When I turned it on, I had all kinds of messages—from my agent and from people in Cincinnati. They wanted to meet with me immediately—the next day.”
Tales from the Cincinnati Bearcats Locker Room Page 21
