Who's laughing now?
From the top
A few questions
SPORTS
Who's laughing now?
by John Bach
Ten years ago, Bob Huggins, a relatively unknown coach from Akron, Ohio, arrived at UC, uttering phrases like "Final Four."
His optimism drew snickers from local reporters accustomed to UC's mediocre style of basketball in the '80s. That was 1989. By 1992, the Bearcats made it to the Final Four, and nobody was snickering, especially the media. Huggins had won over the home crowd, but nationally, many still doubted UC.
"After '92, there were a lot of people who said we couldn't stay there," Huggins says."We have finished among the top 10 in the country three of the last four years. The battle is to stay there. Getting there is great. Staying there is better."
Huggins, 46, considered one of the premier coaches in college basketball, began his 11th season in Cincinnati this year, becoming the longest-running coach since UC picked up the game at the turn of the century. To date, his tenure is only matched by Boyd Chambers, who led the Bearcats from 1918 to 1928.
To his credit, Huggins has nearly 100 more victories than any other coach in the school's history. Most meaningful, however, has been the fact that his 247 wins and 82 losses prior to this season means Bearcat fans have gone home happy 75 percent of the time over the last decade.
That is three out of every four games. He entered the season as the ninth-winningest active coach.
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