By Bill Koch
The Cincinnati Enquirer

After watching the last two University of Cincinnati basketball games on television, Rod Flowers walked into coach Bob Huggins' office Monday morning looking to return.

Flowers, who was suspended on March 5 for conduct detrimental to the team, spent 10 to 15 minutes talking with Huggins. The UC coach then reinstated the 6-foot-8 junior forward in time to play in Wednesday night's first-round Conference USA Tournament game against Southern Miss.

Flowers practiced with the team Monday afternoon.

"It was a player-coach thing," Flowers said. "It's in the past. Now I'm looking forward to helping the team beat Southern Miss, get in the NCAA Tournament and get a high seed."

Flowers has played in 21 games this season, with four starts. He averages 3.0 points, 2.4 rebounds and 10.6 minutes.

Huggins declined to provide specifics about why he took Flowers back or what was said during their conversation.

"We talked, and he's back," Huggins said.

Flowers will probably have to do extra work in the cardio room as a condition of his reinstatement, if Huggins treats him the same way he treated Eric Hicks and Tony Bobbitt after they left the program temporarily.

Like so many players who find themselves excluded from the game for one reason or another, Flowers said he realized how much he missed it during the suspension.

"It means a lot," Flowers said. "I just like being around my teammates, whether I play or I don't play. It's so boring by yourself. You don't have anybody to joke around or talk to."

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E-mail bkoch@enquirer.com