By Bill Koch
The Cincinnati Enquirer

John Albright got the call at about 2:30 p.m. Thursday. It was Tony Bobbitt on the phone informing him he had talked with University of Cincinnati coach Bob Huggins and Huggins had decided to let Bobbitt back on the team.

"I feel a lot better," said Albright, Bobbitt's stepfather. "I think he's all right."

Bobbitt, a 6-foot-4 junior guard, told UC coach Bob Huggins on Monday that he was leaving the program because of a lack of playing time, then had a change of heart.

Bobbitt didn't accompany the Bearcats to Louisville for their 77-71 loss to the Cardinals on Wednesday night, but he met with Huggins on Thursday afternoon in the coach's Shoemaker Center office and asked if he could return.

"Tony stated that he wanted to be back on the team," Huggins said in a statement. "He expressed his regret about letting his teammates down through his actions."

Bobbitt is expected back at practice today. UC didn't practice Thursday.

Basketball, Albright said, is one of the most important things in Bobbitt's life and he didn't want to see him lose it.

"It means a lot to him," Albright said. "I know he loves the game. He's been playing ever since he was big enough to know himself. He's been playing since he was 3 or 4 years old.

"I coached recreation basketball, and ever since he was big enough to walk, he was there with me."

Bearcats assistant coach Andy Kennedy, who recruited Bobbitt, said he was glad to have him back but didn't know if Bobbitt would be available for Sunday's game against 11th-ranked Oklahoma State.

When freshman forward Eric Hicks didn't return on time from Christmas break, he was benched for one game upon his return.

"He gives us another option offensively," Kennedy said of Bobbitt. "You've got to guard him. He's shown the propensity to score in bunches. As impotent as we are offensively, we can't afford to lose any of the weapons we have."

Bobbitt averages 7.2 points a game, which makes him UC's fourth-leading scorer.

Known as an accurate 3-point shooter at the College of Southern Idaho, where he played before transferring to UC this season, Bobbitt has made only 32 percent of his shots from beyond the arc. He also has experienced trouble adjusting to the defensive demands placed on Bearcats players, but the coaching staff said he had gotten better lately.

UC associate coach Dan Peters said he understands that players make bad decisions at times, but he was still upset that Bobbitt let the team down by leaving the program just before the Louisville game.

"If he would do what he's supposed to do, things would be a lot better," Peters said. "Hopefully, he'll learn from this thing."

Kennedy wasn't part of the meeting between Huggins and Bobbitt, but he spoke to Bobbitt just before he went in to talk with the UC coach.

"He was obviously humbled," Kennedy said. "He was very regretful for what he did. He was embarrassed. He knows he didn't handle the situation right. He was frustrated."

If anyone knows how Bobbitt feels, it's Hicks, who remained at his Greensboro, N.C., home after Christmas feeling the same frustration about playing time.

"I welcome him back," Hicks said. "It's OK with me. He just basically needed to get his head straight. I hope that was it. This is our life. You have to have time to think about what you're about to do."

Hicks said his attitude was different when he returned to the team.

"I'm glad I came back," he said. "I just went harder. When they told me to do something, I didn't say nothing back, I just did it."

Kennedy said it's not unusual for someone like Bobbitt or Hicks to get frustrated and decide to leave the team.

"It's that kind of business," Kennedy said. "Last year, at 31-4, a lot of that gets covered up when you're winning games. But it's the same thing. You're dealing with 18- and 19-year-old kids who for the most part have a false sense of reality."

E-mail bkoch@enquirer.com

UC vs. Oklahoma St.

Tipoff: 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Shoemaker Center.

TV: Ch. 9, 2.

Radio: WLW-AM (700).

About Sunday's game

UC, which lost to Marquette in the Bearcats' most recent home game, has never lost consecutive games at Shoemaker Center, which opened in 1989.

Oklahoma State is the third consecutive Top 25 opponent UC has played, following Marquette and Louisville. The Bearcats lost both previous games. In the 1993-94 season, UC played six straight games against Top 25 opponents and went 2-4. in those games.

UC has lost three straight games, to Louisville, Marquette and DePaul. UC hasn't lost four straight since the Tony Yates coaching era of 1987-88. The Bearcats finished 11-17 that season.

UC is 1-3 this season against Top 25 opponents, having lost to Xavier, Marquette and Louisville. Its win was over then-No. 5 Oregon in the Jimmy V Classic on Dec. 17.

UC has trailed at halftime in all six of its losses this season.