Sunday, November 21, 1999
UC NOTEBOOK
Freshmen relaxed in opening victory
BY MIKE DeCOURCY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
It seemed to help the UC freshmen to have played a couple of times before large audiences at the Shoemaker Center.
After shooting a combined 3-of-15 from 3-point range in two exhibition games, Kenny Satterfield, DerMarr Johnson and Leonard Stokes made a combined 6-of-12 in their collective debut Saturday night against Youngstown State.
Together, they had 37 of UC's points in a 94-67 win. They committed six turnovers in a combined 66 minutes of playing time.
“I just wanted to relax, really play my game, not try to do anything fancy or whatever,” said Satterfield, who nonetheless did by making three consecutive 3-pointers in the first half. “As soon as you hit your first college shot, all the pressure's off now.”
Satterfield said playing exhibitions against Hungary's B.C. Honved and Athletes In Action “really helped me concentrate on not really thinking about the crowd, just playing.”
Big shots
Although the players on their roster were suggestive of a team that would be dangerous from 3-point range after a year of .327 shooting, the Bearcats struggled from deep in their two exhibitions. They were a combined 6-of-29.
Against Youngstown, however, they hit .435 (10-of-23). The 10 long-distance shots were UC's most since hitting 14-of-30 against Houston last year.
“We did a lot of extra shooting today and during the week,” said sophomore guard Steve Logan, who was 3-of-5. “A lot of guys' confidence went up, and they were just taking open shots they feel they can make.”
Island hoppers
Although the Bearcats do not begin competition in the Big Island Invitational until Friday, they depart Monday for Hilo, Hawaii.
Their flight for Atlanta leaves at 7 a.m. They change planes there for a flight to Honolulu, then switch to a commuter plane for the hop to the big island. They expect to arrive in Hilo at 11 p.m. Hawaii time, which makes it about a 20-hour travel day.
Obviously, there'll be no time for practice.
Numerology
UC won its 20th consecutive opening game. The Bearcats last dropped their opener in 1979-80 to Mississippi State.
• The win was UC's 33rd consecutive at the Shoemaker Center, the fifth-longest streak in the NCAA's Division I.
• UC's 94 points were its most in an opening game since 1996-97, when the Bearcats opened against Western Carolina with a 99-72 win.
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