COTP’s Top 10 Bearcats of the Mick Cronin Era
Long-time Enquirer fixture turned GoBearcats.com writer Bill Koch just wrapped up his Top 10 Bearcats of the last decade, and I decided to tweak his list based on my own opinions.
In case you missed it, during the past month or so, Bill Koch has methodically revealed his list of the Top 10 Bearcats Basketball Players of the Mick Cronin Era on GoBearcats.com. You can find his final write-up here, along with a very cool compilation of video highlights for each of the ten players. Koch’s list goes like this:
- Sean Kilpatrick
- Deonta Vaughn
- Lance Stephenson
- Cashmere Wright
- Yancy Gates
- Justin Jackson
- Dion Dixon
- JaQuon Parker
- Rashad Bishop
- John Williamson
For the most part, I think Koch is right on and got it right. Anyone who would argue that Sean Kilpatrick isn’t #1 is certifiably insane, and it’s so great to see him getting an opportunity to play in the NBA for his hometown(ish) Brooklyn Nets. By the way, SK averaged 11.1 PPG this season – not too shabby. It’s tough not to put Vaughn at #2 considering the scoring numbers he posted at UC. You could debate swapping Cash and Yancey, but overall it’s a pretty good list. I have only a few problems with it. Mostly minor, but one major.
The glaring flaw in Koch’s ratings, in my own opinion, is putting Lance “Born Ready” Stephenson at #3. The way he played during his one season at UC came nowhere close to living up to that nickname. Yes, Stephenson was a big name. Yes, his committment to UC generated a lot of buzz for Bearcats Basketball, since he was McDonald’s All-American. Yes, he was physically able to dominate and had a wealth of talent. Yes, he went to the same high school at Jesus Shuttlesworth and was a five-star recruit. Yes, he is the only Bearcat drafted during the Cronin era. But while he was at UC, I just didn’t see him as a valuable asset to that 2009-10 team.
Despite hogging the ball and bringing the offense to a grinding halt, Born Ready averaged just 12.4 points per game. Now, that’s not bad for a freshman, but when you had the ball as much as Lance did, I don’t think it’s all that impressive. Truth is, I was happy when he left for the NBA. And despite being the only Bearcat drafted, he was picked in the second round (40th overall), and has gone on to a lackluster NBA career which has been more known for his “when keeping it real goes wrong” moment of taunting LeBron James and for pushing his girlfriend down the stairs than for his 8.8 PPG scoring average. Definitely not awe-inspiring for a player who was supposed to be the next best thing since sliced bread. His is already becoming a journeyman. He’ll likely sign with his fifth team in seven NBA seasons this summer.
I don’t think I can put Stephenson higher than – wait for it – sixth. As excited as I was for him to get to Clifton, I soon became equally as excited for him to leave. I can’t in good conscience put him below guys like Dion Dixon or Jaquon Parker who weren’t star players, but Lance gave us one okay, mediocre, and somewhat disappointing year, and the other guys on the list from 1-6 gave us all they had for four years. Even Justin Jackson, who was only a key contributor for one of his four seasons, brought more to the floor for UC with his insane defense and rebounding than Lance did. He complimented the scorers on that team, played his butt off every day, protected the rim, was a great teammate, and became a fan favorite for all the right reasons. Sorry, Lance. Sixth it is.
Minor problem number one is John Williamson’s inclusion. Williamson played admirably during the first two Cronin years when the full rebuild was on, and averaged 11.6 and 13.5 PPG in two seasons, but those teams were just horrendously awful. Somebody had to score a few points. Averaging double-figures on a terrible team doesn’t make you better than, say, an Octavius Ellis or a Farad Cobb. Ironically, all three of those guys were JuCo transfers. And if I had to pick one guy to round out the list at #10, I’d choose either of the other two over Williamson. Ellis averaged 9.9 and 9.8 PPG in his two seasons, including leading the team in scoring in 2014-15. Oh, and both of those teams went to the dance. Same thing with Cobb. 8.5 and 10.7 PPG in two seasons with the Bearcats – on the same two NCAA tournament teams. And he was the only a credible 3-point threat in the lineup after the graduation of SK. Without Cobb, UC would’ve had exactly zero chance to stretch out opposing defenses. Look, numbers don’t tell the whole story. Wins and losses matter more than numbers, and Williamson’s teams went 11-19 (2-14) and 13-19 (8-10). Don’t get me wrong – I like the guy. He lived in the same dorm that I did in 2006. He was a really nice guy. But I can’t put him above Ellis or Cobb.
Also, it’s tough for me to put Rashad Bishop on the list. But I will keep him on and leave him at #9 above the JuCo bunch only because he played four years. He’s solidly below Parker and Dixon, who were much more important to the team’s success. Parker was a better shooter, but Dixon was a great defender. You could almost go 7a and 7b, and then justify going Cobb and Ellis, putting Bishop out of the top ten. But then again, he probably would’ve scored a lot more if he didn’t play with Stephenson and Vaughn, so I’ll leave him at #9.
So here’s my list of the Top 10 Cronin-Era Bearcats:
- Sean Kilpatrick
- Deonta Vaughn
- Cashmere Wright
- Yancy Gates
- Justin Jackson
- Lance Stephenson
- Dion Dixon
- JaQuan Parker
- Rashad Bishop
- Farad Cobb, narrowly, over Octavius Ellis (tiebreaker was career ejection total)