Aug. 2
Get a Bearcat bulletin out, baby! Get a bulletin out, because people have been screaming and yelling about coach Bobby Huggins' Cincinnati program and its academics.

	Bob Huggins

Critics have hit him hard over the years. He has been ripped and buried like you wouldn't believe over the Bearcat program and its academic status. People have recognized his program's success on the court, his recruiting savvy and his star players -- like 1999-2000 national player of the year Kenyon Martin -- but critics have ripped the academics.

Well, now it's time to give Huggins the salute he deserves. That's right, Cincinnati had the best GPA among Conference USA hoop teams for the 2001-2002 school year (2.57). You better believe the SID's office in Bearcat Country was publicizing that great stat, baby!

The Bearcats have every right to do so after being maligned so often. Huggins got in the faces of his kids and got them to put it together in the classroom. They're winning not only on the court but also in the important game of life.

For achieving the top GPA, the Bearcats received the C-USA Sport Academic Award for 2001-02. Besides winning this award, Cincinnati won Conference USA's regular-season and tournament hoop championships last season.

One big area where critics have hit Huggins is Cincinnati's graduation rate; they say it's been abysmal, sad, tragic. There has been a steady diet of anti-Huggins people jumping on him big-time! But Huggins has retaliated with criticism over the way graduation rates are formulated. I've heard it loud and clear that juco players aren't factored in. He's talked about the fact that transfers who graduate elsewhere count against you. He's made a strong case that the analysis of graduation rates needs to be re-evaluated.

So, with this GPA news, where are the critics now? If you rip Huggins for his team's academic failures, why not salute him now? He has made an adjustment and seen success. Cincinnati and Bobby Huggins have gotten the job done, baby, both on the court and in the classroom.