Real Basketball Talk

With a basketball coach in place there is now serious hoop talk going on around Bearcat Nation. Here are some of the talk Bearcat Insider is hearing after talking with several of our hoop sources across the state and country.

Shoes May Play A Part

Want to know where O.J. Mayo and Bill Walker end up playing college basketball at? Look at the shoes on their feet and the sponsorship of the D-I Greyhounds for the answer. Reebok and "Hoop Guru" Sonny Vaccaro may play a part in their choice. Vaccaro, now Reebok's senior director of grassroots basketball has influenced the likes of Michael Jordan (Nike) and Kobe Bryant (Adidas) over the years, but it's his way of getting into the click of high school players like O.J. Mayo that could be part of the answer of where Mayo and company end up. Reebok, now owned by Adidas could be in the running to replace the shoe and clothing deal at the University of Cincinnati. It's no secret UC will see the end of their basketball deal with Jordan and be looking for one company to provide all sports with equipment. While the school has a Nike contract in place for football and other sports, a change may be coming with Reebok and Adidas in the running.

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RUMORS AT STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

Dayton Dunbar who won the Division Two Championship this weekend may see star "Big Man" Aaron Pogue looking to transfer from Dayton to Cincinnati and North College Hill High School. It looks as if Pogue has built a solid friendship with Mayo and Bill Walker and will play for the D-I Greyhounds during the upcoming AAU season. If true then what Pogue was saying over the past week of going to the same school as the two North College Hill stars may hold some merit.

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Bearcat Head Man Turing Heads

Look for new Cincinnati Head Coach Mick Cronin to turn heads when he starts showing up at high schools and junior colleges across the state and country. With a six-year contract under his belt, recruits will know who will be calling the shots in the Bearcats program. Talking with our sources at the state tournament it seems Coach Cronin made sure he was at the Championship games on Saturday.

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2nd Championship

Talking about North College Hill. They won their second straight state championship this weekend defeating Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph in grand fashion. Mayo who returned for the championship game showed no ill effects from missing a game. Combined Walker and Mayo would score 56 points and pull down 18 boards in helping the Trojans to the victory 90-72 over Ohio State recruit David Lighty. Over 16,000 fans attended the championship game. The fans saw early what was ahead in this game as O.J. hit a three pointer to start the game followed by a Walker dunk.

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Still Open

One player that showed interest in Cincinnati before the coaching change back in the fall was Ramar Smith. Smith who gave an early verbal to UConn and then changed his mind has taken one visit so far and that was to Arkansas. Other programs Smith has said are showing interest are Arizona, Tennessee and Illinois. Don't be surprised if Coach Cronin gets into this race and finds Devan Downey the perfect running mate. One reason Smith may still be open are academics and home sickness. A Detroit native he might find Cincinnati to his liking over other programs.

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