By Bill Koch
The Cincinnati Enquirer

The last person Vincent Banks expected to hear from Tuesday night was University of Cincinnati basketball coach Bob Huggins.

So when he heard that it was Huggins on the line, Banks said, "My eyes got real big, but he doesn't know that."

It took Banks, last year's Mr. Basketball in Georgia, all of a few seconds to accept Huggins' offer of a scholarship. He's expected to sign a letter of intent with UC in November.

"I know I'm under a good coach and I like their style of play," Banks said.

Huggins called Banks shortly after he had a phone conversation with Jamar Butler, the Lima Shawnee High School point guard who committed to UC in February 2002 near the end of his sophomore year.

When Butler told Huggins he was no longer sure he wanted to attend UC, Huggins turned to Banks.

Banks, a 6-foot-3, 185-pound guard from South Atlanta High School, averaged 31.4 points, seven rebounds, five assists and four steals last season for coach Michael Reddick. South Atlanta was 57-5 during the last two years.

Banks scored 58 points in one game and finished his South Atlanta career with 2,300 points.

He was moved to small forward last season after playing his first three years at point guard and shooting guard.

"He can do it all," Reddick said. "He has the jump shot, he can post up and he can shoot from deep range. Even last year when he played small forward, if the pressure got really tough, he'd bring the ball down court. From his freshman and sophomore years, you saw it coming, but his junior year he really blossomed.

"If he continues his improvement, I wouldn't be surprised if he's only there for a year or two."

Recruiting analyst Clark Francis of Hoop Scoop rated Banks 70th nationally last year. Asked if Banks was an upgrade over Butler, Francis said, "It's a wash."

Banks originally committed to Miami (Fla.) but did not have the test scores he needed to play as a freshman. He'll attend Laurinburg Institute, a prep school, in North Carolina.

"It's going to help him in a lot of ways," said Laurinburg coach Chris Chaney, "with his test scores and hopefully basketball-wise, too. He'll be playing with great players every day. Our situation is a lot like the college situation, being away from home for the first time. When he gets to Cincinnati, he's already been through the tough practices, being away from home, the study halls."

Laurinburg is the same school that produced Asrangue Souleymane, who will be a freshman at UC this year, and Boubacar Coly, who will be a freshman at Xavier.

Banks said he was interested in UC because of Huggins: "I just like the way he forces his guards to play hard."

He said he knows all about Huggins' reputation for pushing his players hard in practice.

"I need that," he said, "because that will get me going."

Said Reddick: "He loves the way they play. Cincinnati is a team that gets up and down the court. They get after it. If you can shoot and score, Coach will let you shoot and score."

Banks brings with him a reputation as an intense competitor.

"He's not afraid to play against anybody," Reddick said. "He's going to practice hard and play hard. He's a special player. He needs to get stronger and continue to improve his passing game. Defensively, he's a good player. ... I've seen him stop some of the best."

Laurinburg's Chaney is already looking forward to having Banks on his team this season.

"I guess you could call him a gamer," Chaney said. "He's a guy who plays with an aggressive style. He can score in a variety of ways. He's the type of kid who just doesn't like to lose. He'll fit in great with Cincinnati."

E-mail bkoch@enquirer.com