Sunday, October 17, 1999

UC freshmen take spotlight

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'It was their show,” said senior Mickeal

BY MIKE DeCOURCY
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Freshman DerMarr Johnson takes part in Midnight Madness workout. (Jeff Swinger photos) | ZOOM |

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        The Cincinnati Bearcats started their basketball season a bit later than planned. Perhaps this time they'll end the season later, as well.

        Midnight Madness did not actually begin until 12:05 a.m. Saturday because the program ran behind schedule and UC officials did not want to scrub a video presentation of coach Bob Huggins' 10 favorite moments from his first 10 seasons as Bearcats coach.

        UC would like to end the year about five games later, playing for the NCAA championship. “We feel we've got a good team,” said freshman DerMarr Johnson. “Everybody can play. Everybody on this team.”

        Johnson, a 6-foot-9 guard who is the most highly recruited player to sign at UC in Huggins' tenure, made his first appearance for UC fans in a slam-dunk contest (he missed both tries, including one on which he slipped the ball through his legs while in the air) and in a scrimmage that ended with him scoring 11 points.

        Freshmen guards Kenny Satterfield and Leonard Stokes and 6-11 center B.J. Grove also made their first public appearances on the Shoemaker Center court.

Freshman Kenny Satterfield. | ZOOM |

        “It was exciting,” Johnson said. “We came out here playing in front of the crowd, and we wanted to give them something to see.”

        UC senior Pete Mickeal, an All-America candidate at forward, mostly stayed to the background during the scrimmage. He took only a few shots and scored six points, although one was a 3-pointer. He made only five 3s last season.

        “The young guys can do a lot. This was their day,” Mickeal said. “I told them it was their show, and I'd get them the ball as much as possible. Everybody has seen me before.”

        CENTER ATTENTION: Was it a coincidence that two of the leading scorer's from the 20-minute scrimmage are competing with each other for playing time?

        Seniors Ryan Fletcher and Jermaine Tate each started at center for part of last season. In the scrimmage, Tate scored 15 points and Fletcher 10. Fletcher hit two 3-point shots and beat Tate with a drive along the left baseline. Tate appeared more confident with his shot and also finished better in traffic than at any time last year.

Ryan Fletcher gave himself a 10 in the dunk contest. | ZOOM |

        It was only a pickup game of sorts, with little defense played. There were some other impressions to be taken from it, though:

        • Stokes, a 6-5 shooting guard, showed off surprising ballhandling ability. He is not a stationary shooter, like so many other first-year wings. Stokes scored nine points.

        • Satterfield, a 6-2 point guard, advances the ball with all the speed and confidence promised. With sophomore Steve Logan much trim mer than last season and even more precise with his shot, the competition at this spot will be fascinating.

        • At one point late in the scrimmage, the white team had a front line of 6-11 redshirt freshman Donald Little, 6-9 senior Jermaine Tate and 6-11 freshman B.J. Grove. That left 6-9 Kenyon Martin playing shooting guard.

        DUNKED: The slam-dunk contest certainly did not live up to last season, when Melvin Levett leaped over a golf cart and slammed.

        The only players to make both their dunks were Fletcher and Little, and the majority of the others missed both their tries. At one point, Huggins walked by the press table and said, “This is the lamest dunk contest I've ever seen.”

       

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