By Michael Perry
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Want to tackle the biggest preseason puzzle for the University of Cincinnati basketball team? Take a look at the center position.

It might be awhile before the Bearcats know which piece fits best in the open space.

"It's a battle for it every day," 6-foot-8 junior Derek Hollman said. "You can feel it. It's in the air."

Practices begin today at Shoemaker Center.

The way UC's coaches look at it, there are 80 minutes a game to be played by the power forward and center. Sophomore forward Jason Maxiell probably is going to get roughly 30 minutes, leaving 50 available.

To whom will the Bearcats turn?

B.J. Grove? Don't count on it. The 6-11 senior isn't allowed to be part of the team until he weighs 270 pounds. That might never happen. The last time he was weighed by UC staff, he was over 300 pounds.

"He will not step on the floor unless he's 270 - and not 271," Bearcats assistant coach Andy Kennedy said.

Grove had all summer to get in shape and didn't do it. Don't be surprised if he isn't on the roster when the season starts.

Hollman? He sat out last season after having shoulder surgery, then left school in the spring quarter and returned to Mississippi for personal reasons. Hollman got married about two weeks ago and has a 3-year-old son. He said his family is in Cincinnati.

"Now I can focus," said Hollman, who has dropped about 10 pounds since last year. "It was like a monkey on my back the whole season, worrying about me and him with 13 hours in between us. The phone bill was killing me. Now I'm worry-free.

"I feel like I've got a lot to prove. Everybody's looking at me thinking: 'Is he really supposed to be here? He hasn't laid it on the table for us yet.'"

Kareem Johnson? The 6-7 junior from Chipola College signed with UC after Donald Little was dismissed from the team in April, so Johnson knew he would have a chance to contribute right away.

"It's about developing," Johnson said. "What they're looking for in the center position is someone to rebound, post defend and go after loose balls."

Scott Greenawalt, the Bearcats' assistant strength coach, said Johnson has lost weight and gotten stronger since he arrived over the summer.

"He's got a great work ethic," Greenawalt said. "He busts his (butt) down here (in the weight room)."

Eugene Land? The former Roger Bacon star has impressed everyone in the program with his effort. But the 6-7 Land hasn't played organized ball since he was a freshman in 1998-99.

Land suffered a potentially career-ending injury in the summer of 2000. He isn't yet in good basketball condition, and he has to get his timing down.

Land certainly will help on some level. How much he can contribute will be determined by how much he continues to progress. One thing is certain: He would be UC's toughest inside presence.

"He's got a tremendous attitude," Kennedy said. "He's hungry. His leg's stronger than it was prior to the injury. He's got a knack for scoring the ball. He's a man."

Land leg-presses 750 pounds, 50 more than before his knee surgery two years ago, Greenawalt said.

A couple X-factors on the frontline are 6-8 junior Rod Flowers, who has seen limited playing time his first two years, and 6-6 freshman forward Eric Hicks, who had arthroscopic surgery on his knee in August.

UC signed Hicks because he was an explosive, high-energy player.

"Right now, he's a shell of that," Kennedy said.