Sunday, February 06, 2000
COLLEGE BASKETBALL INSIDER
Charlotte needs to control fans
BY MIKE DeCOURCY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
At least three times during the course of the Cincinnati Bearcats' victory at UNC Charlotte last week, the fans at Halton Arena threw objects onto the court. Some ice, a rolled-up piece of paper, even a baseball cap. The Bearcats weren't shocked.
“They've been throwing things since I've been here,” said UC center Kenyon Martin, a senior who has made four trips to play at Charlotte.
The Bearcats are accustomed to the hostile treatment and absurd behavior of the UNCC fans, but they saw something new during their visit to Halton last week.
As bad as it was that students were permitted to carry in handmade signs with profane messages regarding the opponent, the Charlotte situation reached a new low when area businesses were permitted to sponsor placards and T-shirts that bore negative, stereotypical messages about the Bearcats.
The placards were sponsored by a Charlotte-based Web site and made reference to UC's NCAA graduation rate. The T-shirts, which played on the perception of the Bearcats as outlaws, bore the name of a local restaurant.
Where was the UNCC administration when these deals were struck and these items were worn and carried through the arena doors?
Bearcats coach Bob Huggins was reprimanded by Conference USA last season for declaring, “Unlike some of the people in this league, we have class,” as he warned Shoemaker Center fans not to throw objects on the court during the Bearcats' game against UNCC. The UNCC administration deserves at least as much for failing to prevent corporate denigration of a league partner.
UNCC is caught in a difficult position. Its basketball team consistently ranks near the top of C-USA. Coach Bobby Lutz is one of the finest strategists in the nation, let alone the league, and the 49ers invariably compete hard and clean and above the level of their individual talent. Halton Arena is by far the best place in the league to watch a game. With all those positives, attendance is generally disappointing. Visits by the Bearcats generated three of the six sellouts in the building's four-year history.
The school wants better support, but the definition of “better” must involve more than a head count. UNC Charlotte needs to take action to develop a fan following worthy of its basketball team's class, rather than simply counting up the extra money generated when the Bearcats come to town.
HOME FIRES: The NCAA entered a frightening new area of intrusion on its athletes' lives when it suspended Michigan freshman Jamal Crawford for six games because of where he lived while attending high school.
With his mother's permission, Crawford lived with a man who was not his legal guardian during three years at Ranier Beach High in Seattle. Although the man was not a Michigan fan and not involved in basketball, the NCAA ruled that living with him meant Crawford had a “sponsor,” which violates the organization's by-laws regarding amateurism.
It's ridiculous the NCAA now is deciding where athletes should live before they even become NCAA athletes, but it was Michigan that badly mishandled this case in the first place.
Because of the school's recent troubles with the NCAA, members of the Michigan administration overreacted when they learned of Crawford's living arrangements while in high school. They declared Crawford ineligible and reported this as a potential rules violation, which never should have happened. Some powerful figures at the university are angry about how this was handled internally, which is why Michigan is appealing the punishment.
The appeal process won't begin until Monday. The Wolverines will be depleted when they face Ohio State today at Crisler Arena, and may be without their leading scorer (16.6 points a game) for most of February while attempting a run at an NCAA Tournament bid.
POINT OF EMPHASIS: There are plenty of freshmen better-known than South Carolina's Chuck Eidson, but not many are doing a better job.
Eidson, who is 6-foot-7, was recruited to play small forward but has had to play point guard because of an injury to regular starter Aaron Lucas. Eidson averages 10.1 points, 3.7 assists and 3.2 steals, best in the SEC.
“I don't see any other option,” Gamecocks coach Eddie Fogler said. “He's hard not to have in the game. If Chuck Eidson is not tired, he's going to be in the game. His awareness of the game is amazing at times. It's just one of those situations we've got to work our way through it and see if we can win some of the games we've been losing late.”
Eidson has kept the South Carolina offense functional and the Gamecocks competitive, although they've lost.
“I think Chuck's done an adequate job under the circumstances,” Kentucky coach Tubby Smith said.
AROUND THE NATION: Georgia Tech coach Bobby Cremins said he will evaluate his job status at the end of the season. “I've always said that if I ever felt I was not the right person for Georgia Tech,” Cremins said, “I would do what I had to do.” Cremins is almost certain to resign if the Yellow Jackets do not reach the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time in seven years.
They are all but dead at 9-11 following a loss Wednesday to Clemson, last-place in the ACC, and would need to win the ACC Tournament to make it.
• Southern California coach Henry Bibby was questioned last weekend after allowing his starters only five minutes of rest — combined — even though the Trojans were blowing out Oregon State for most of the second half. Bibby insisted his players weren't tired. They came back five days later, however, and were sluggish in a crucial home loss to California. The USC starters got just 16 minutes of rest in that one.
• Purdue point guard Carson Cunningham, who ranks third among the Boilermakers in shots and averages slightly more than four assists, tends to force his own offense more than coach Gene Keady would like. “As long as Carson takes balanced shots, he can make them,” Keady said. “Carson is still learning he runs the team, he's not the team.”
• With three losses in the past four games, all to teams exploiting point guard Jeff Boschee's defense, Kansas will have to seriously consider tinkering with its lineup to get freshman Kirk Hinrich more time at the point.
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