We are quickly winding down this year and also quickly winding down the countdown of the top UC ballers of the decade. With the Bearcats kicking off Big East action Wednesday against UConn, look for a preview Wednesday. There will be a write up probably Thursday morning or Wednesday night. It depends because I may attend this game. There will be a Sugar Bowl preview going up Friday, and there is a 80% chance of a live blog Friday night. That does not say much about my New Years Day plans, but it works out for you, the reader. In case you have missed any of the countdown so far, here is a run down. 12-10, 9-7, 6-4.
3. Jason Maxiell. The man known as Mad Max comes in third on the list. I remember at Midnight Madness his freshman year, Jason Maxiell dominated the slam dunk contest and won the fans over that night. As the 6 man on the 01-02 Bearcats, Maxiell made an impact. He averaged 8 points and 6.8 rebounds and along with Donald Little and Jamaal Davis, they were a formidable front line. Maxiell entered the starting line up the next season and was a fixture the rest of his UC career. Max averaged 12, 7 and 1.9 blocks his UC career, capped off by a senior year in which he put up 15, 7.7 and 2.7 blocks a game. Maxiell was known for his shot blocking skill, and for his monsterous dunks. Jason seemed to want to break the rim with every jam. Max was the leader of the last UC team to make the NCAA tournament. He is also the leader of the last Bearcat team to win in the NCAA tournament. Who can forget him making his first 2 3s of his career against Iowa? I can. In another NCAA 05 story, Jason Maxiell had 50-14-6 to lead the video Cats past UConn in the Final Four. It’s nice to see Jason doing well in the NBA as well. Also, check out that picture. Maxiell slamming it down on some random Marquette player has to make you smile.
2. Steve Logan. Steve Logan may have a case for being the top Bearcat of the decade. But, part of the thing that hurts Steve is the fact that he disappeared off the face of the earth after the 02 season. And the other part is that number 1 is one of the best Bearcats of all time. That takes nothing away from 22. Steve Logan was one of my favorites from about the minute he stepped on campus. Logan showed flashes of his talent his freshman and sophomore years, while taking mostly a back seat. But, his last 2 seasons in Cincinnati, Logan showed he was a superstar averaging 17.6 and 22 points a game. He was mostly a scorer his junior year, and in his senior year, he evolved his all around game while playing point guard. Logan averaged 5.3 assists and 3 rebounds a game. There were quite a few memorable performances from Logan in his All-American season. He had 15 points and 16 assists against Coppin State. He had 1 game in single digits. If you take out the 2 Charlotte games, he had no fewer than 14 points in a game. Steve started the season with 31 against Oklahoma State, showing he could carry the load. In the Steve Logan pantheon game, he scored a career high 41 points while Southern Miss only had 37. He outscored a team! That UC team overachieved all season going 31-4 and earning a 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. They would lose a classic against UCLA in the second round. I was at nearly every home game this season, and this is one UC season, and player, I’ll always remember.
1. Jihad Muhammad. Jihad Muhammad was the greatest Bearcat of the decade. Oh wait, no he wasn’t.
1. Kenyon Martin. Kenyon Martin is one of the greatest Bearcats of all time. Jack Twyman, Oscar Robertson and Kenyon are the only male basketball players with their numbers in the rafters. Kenyon won every major award a man could win in his senior season, and carried the Bearcats to the top of the polls. They were the odds on favorite to win the title that year, and we all know what happened against St Louis. I was at school when the game was happening, and as I was leaving, people were talking about how Kenyon got hurt. I was consumed by this and when I got home, I turned on the tv and watched the reports until it made me sick. It didn’t take too long. Broken leg and dreams aside, Kenyon Martin was the man. He single handily beat DePaul in Chicago with a 33 point effort where he willed the Bearcats to win. He put up a triple double against Memphis going for 28 points, 13 rebounds and 10 blocks. K Mart had 14 double doubles that season. Not just run of the mill variety. Kenyon had 19-17, 26-17-5, 31-16-7 against UAB, 33-14, 23-13, 27-13-5, 24-12 and a couple of 19-10s. There was no better player to symbolize what Cincinnati was all about than Kenyon Martin. In fact, he gets 2 pictures. Look at that block. I love you Kenyon Martin
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