Leonard Stokes and Taron Barker won't wait until mid-October — when preseason practices begin — to establish themselves as leaders of the University of Cincinnati basketball team.

Taron Barker and Leonard Stokes sign team photos before the basketball awards ceremony Tuesday. (Brandi Stafford photo) | ZOOM |

        “That's way too late,” Stokes said Tuesday night while signing autographs before UC's postseason awards ceremony. “If you wait that long, nobody's going to listen to you.”

        Stokes will be a senior. He is the most experienced returning player and should be the Bearcats' go-to guy when the season tips off.

        Barker, who backed up All-American Steve Logan last season, will be a senior in his second year at UC. As the point guard, being a leader is crucial.

        “I'm much more vocal,” he said. “My teammates told me that's what I need to do in order to be a great point guard. ... If I don't, then me coming here is just a big waste for me.

        “I've got to follow the footsteps of a man who has grown from a boy to a man here, Steve Logan, and those are some big shoes I've got to fill. It starts in the weight room, then in conditioning and in the pickup games. It's also got to begin in the classroom, making sure everybody's getting to class and doing what they've got to do for next year.”

        The Bearcats are playing pickup games five days a week, and lifting weights and conditioning Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

        Stokes has played alongside Logan and Kenyon Martin and is trying to apply what he learned from those two. Naturally quieter than Logan, Stokes said he, too, is becoming more vocal.

        “Whenever something is wrong, guys are starting to look to me,” Stokes said. “This is what I came to school for. Guys helped me when I didn't know what was going on, so I've got to help the other guys when they don't know what's going on, the (same) things that guys like Kenyon and Lo did.”

        Stokes and Barker want to fill the leadership roles served by Logan and Immanuel McElroy last season. Stokes was UC's second-leading scorer (12.7 ppg) behind Logan. Barker averaged 2.5 points and had 44 assists and 22 turnovers.

Stokes, Barker ready to lead UC

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