Thursday, January 20, 2000

Martin USA Today's best

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UC NOTEBOOK

BY MIKE DeCOURCY
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Kenyon Martin (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        Cincinnati Bearcats center Kenyon Martin appears to be halfway to a pretty impressive collection of postseason honors.

        Martin was selected by USA Today as its “player of the half-year,” in Wednesday's editions, joining Quentin Richardson of DePaul, Shane Battier of Duke, Troy Murphy of Notre Dame and Khalid El-Amin of Connecticut on its midseason all-America team.

        USA Today's Steve Wieberg wrote of Martin, “He scores. He rebounds. He defends. He blocks shots. He has even exhibited a bit of an outside touch. The best player on the best team.”

        Martin, who leads the Bearcats with averages of 16.9 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.0 blocks, also was part of the midseason all-America team in The Sporting News, where he joined Battier, Murphy, El-Amin and Indiana guard A.J. Guyton.

DJ and his "J'
        Bearcats guard DerMarr Johnson was 0-of-5 from 3-point range, which makes him 1-of-11 in the past two games.

        Johnson said he has been working on not letting his inconsistent jump shot affect his total game. He had seven rebounds against the Tigers, his most in five games, and he made five of eight shots from inside the 3-point arc.

        “That's what I've been working on the last couple games,” Johnson said. “Me being active is something I have to have. Through all the games, I don't think I've really been attacking like I can, and if my shot's not falling, that's something I have to do.”

C-USA news
        Former Massachusetts and New Jersey Nets coach John Calipari denied a report by a Memphis television station that he would be announced today as the future head coach of the Tigers.

        Now an assistant coach with the Philadelphia 76ers, Calipari spoke informally last month with Memphis athletic director R.C. Johnson about the job, which became open when Tic Price resigned just before the season opened.

        Calipari does not want to make any decisions about his future until after the season and is not interested in undercutting the current staff. Former assistant Johnny Jones was elevated to interim coach and has campaigned to be retained.

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