Tickets2017-18 MEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
By Bill Koch
GoBearcats.com
CINCINNATI – Because Cane Broome averaged 23.1 points two years ago playing for Sacred Heart it's logical for University of Cincinnati fans to assume that he'll put up similar numbers this year in his first season playing for the Bearcats.
But UC coach Mick Cronin made it clear before practice Wednesday that he doesn't expect the 6-foot junior point guard to make that kind of scoring impact on a team already loaded with offensive threats in Jacob Evans, Kyle Washington, Gary Clark and Jarron Cumberland.
"I'd be shocked," Cronin said.
Cronin said he would happily accept 20-plus points per game from Broome or any other player on his roster, but he knows scoring at such a high rate in the American Athletic Conference will be much more difficult for Broome than it was in the Northeast Conference, where he was the Player of the Year as a sophomore in 2015-16.
The American was the seventh-ranked conference in the country last year, according to RealTime RPI. The Northeast Conference was 30th.
"It's a different world," Cronin said. "Let's take every guard on our roster and put them at Sacred Heart and let's see how many points they score. I just think he's playing on a much better team against much tougher defense. At the high level, everything at the rim is contested. A lot of points you can get at certain levels, you can't get in our practice. You can't get those baskets around the rim. Cane will be the first guy to tell you he's much more than that. He's got floor vision. He's a great passer."
Broome, who also averaged 4.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.7 steals during his final year at Sacred Heart, said he plans to "take my game to other places" at UC.
"I know I can score," he said. "We don't really need that on this team. We just need somebody to get in the paint and get everybody else open shots. If that's what we need me to do, then I'm gonna do that."
Surrounded by a much deeper roster, it's unlikely that Broome will average 37.5 minutes as he did at Sacred Heart, especially with junior point guard Justin Jenifer maturing into a player who will challenge him for playing time. That, too, will be a factor in how much Broome scores.
Cronin describes Broome, from East Hartford, Conncticut, as a shifty, elusive player and a streaky shooter. His strength, Cronin said, is his ability to beat his man defensively to get to the rim himself or pass to a teammate for an open shot, and to push the ball in transition. He also wants Broome to pressure the ball on defense the way Kevin Johnson did so well for the past few years.
"He's still trying to find his way playing with these guys," Cronin said. "We rotate. We don't play with a starting five in practice. We make things competitive. With this team, I've already told the guys, we will not start the same five every game. It'll be game to game. It could be a matchup versus our opponent. It could be who earned it in practice."
Last year, the Bearcats started the same lineup in all but two games.
"I told them, some of those guys, they need to lose their ego," Cronin said, "because Tre Scott's way better. Nysier Brooks is way better. Justin Jenifer is a way better player than he was a year ago and our freshmen are all very talented. Cane's gonna play. How much he plays will depend on how well he plays. If you're a point guard, you've got to show leadership and get guys in the right position. As far as how much you score, it doesn't really matter to me. I'm interested in the team scoring."
Broome's speed with the ball is one attribute that his predecessor, Troy Caupain, lacked. Caupain was a great player who scored 1,317 points to tie for 22nd on UC's career scoring list with Cashmere Wright, the man he replaced as UC's point guard. Caupain eventually developed the ability to drive the lane and get fouled when the game was on the line, and is UC's career leader in assists.
Now UC's point guard mantle passes to Broome. Or possibly to Jenifer.
"I just try to imprint myself on the game by getting a few steals, getting in the passing lane, just try to change the game a little bit," Broome said. "I'm not a lights-out shooter, so I try to impact the game somehow."
Bill Koch covered UC athletics for 27 years – 15 at The Cincinnati Post and 12 at The Cincinnati Enquirer – before joining the staff of GoBearcats.com in January 2015.
By Bill Koch
GoBearcats.com
CINCINNATI – Because Cane Broome averaged 23.1 points two years ago playing for Sacred Heart it's logical for University of Cincinnati fans to assume that he'll put up similar numbers this year in his first season playing for the Bearcats.
But UC coach Mick Cronin made it clear before practice Wednesday that he doesn't expect the 6-foot junior point guard to make that kind of scoring impact on a team already loaded with offensive threats in Jacob Evans, Kyle Washington, Gary Clark and Jarron Cumberland.
"I'd be shocked," Cronin said.
Cronin said he would happily accept 20-plus points per game from Broome or any other player on his roster, but he knows scoring at such a high rate in the American Athletic Conference will be much more difficult for Broome than it was in the Northeast Conference, where he was the Player of the Year as a sophomore in 2015-16.
The American was the seventh-ranked conference in the country last year, according to RealTime RPI. The Northeast Conference was 30th.
"It's a different world," Cronin said. "Let's take every guard on our roster and put them at Sacred Heart and let's see how many points they score. I just think he's playing on a much better team against much tougher defense. At the high level, everything at the rim is contested. A lot of points you can get at certain levels, you can't get in our practice. You can't get those baskets around the rim. Cane will be the first guy to tell you he's much more than that. He's got floor vision. He's a great passer."
Broome, who also averaged 4.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.7 steals during his final year at Sacred Heart, said he plans to "take my game to other places" at UC.
"I know I can score," he said. "We don't really need that on this team. We just need somebody to get in the paint and get everybody else open shots. If that's what we need me to do, then I'm gonna do that."
Surrounded by a much deeper roster, it's unlikely that Broome will average 37.5 minutes as he did at Sacred Heart, especially with junior point guard Justin Jenifer maturing into a player who will challenge him for playing time. That, too, will be a factor in how much Broome scores.
Cronin describes Broome, from East Hartford, Conncticut, as a shifty, elusive player and a streaky shooter. His strength, Cronin said, is his ability to beat his man defensively to get to the rim himself or pass to a teammate for an open shot, and to push the ball in transition. He also wants Broome to pressure the ball on defense the way Kevin Johnson did so well for the past few years.
"He's still trying to find his way playing with these guys," Cronin said. "We rotate. We don't play with a starting five in practice. We make things competitive. With this team, I've already told the guys, we will not start the same five every game. It'll be game to game. It could be a matchup versus our opponent. It could be who earned it in practice."
Last year, the Bearcats started the same lineup in all but two games.
"I told them, some of those guys, they need to lose their ego," Cronin said, "because Tre Scott's way better. Nysier Brooks is way better. Justin Jenifer is a way better player than he was a year ago and our freshmen are all very talented. Cane's gonna play. How much he plays will depend on how well he plays. If you're a point guard, you've got to show leadership and get guys in the right position. As far as how much you score, it doesn't really matter to me. I'm interested in the team scoring."
Broome's speed with the ball is one attribute that his predecessor, Troy Caupain, lacked. Caupain was a great player who scored 1,317 points to tie for 22nd on UC's career scoring list with Cashmere Wright, the man he replaced as UC's point guard. Caupain eventually developed the ability to drive the lane and get fouled when the game was on the line, and is UC's career leader in assists.
Now UC's point guard mantle passes to Broome. Or possibly to Jenifer.
"I just try to imprint myself on the game by getting a few steals, getting in the passing lane, just try to change the game a little bit," Broome said. "I'm not a lights-out shooter, so I try to impact the game somehow."
Bill Koch covered UC athletics for 27 years – 15 at The Cincinnati Post and 12 at The Cincinnati Enquirer – before joining the staff of GoBearcats.com in January 2015.