TicketsSOUTH CAROLINA STATE (2-12) at CINCINNATI (10-2)
SERIES INFO: Second meeting; Cincinnati leads 1-0 in Cincinnati
LAST MEETING: Cincinnati won 108-84 on Dec. 31, 1988
at the Cincinnati Gardens
STREAK: Cincinnati - Won 1
COACHES: Mick Cronin is in his 13th season at Cincinnati (278-142);
16th season overall (347-166)
Murray Garvin is in his sixth season at South Carolina State (64-118);
sixth season overall (64-118)
AP/USA TODAY RANKINGS (DEC. 17): Cincinnati (RV/RV); South Carolina State (--/--)
RADIO: 700 WLW; Dan Hoard provides play-by-play with color analyst Kevin Johnson
TV: FOX Sports Ohio-Plus; Tom Gelehrter provides play-by-play with color analyst Terry Nelson
FIND THE GAME ON TV HERE: FOX Sports Ohio-Plus, FOX Sports App,
Dish: 448, Dish HD: 9518; Dish Hopper: 412-36; DirecTV (HD): 660-2; ATT Uverse: 692, 1692
JOIN THE CONVERSATION (TWITTER, FACEBOOK & INSTAGRAM): @GoBearcatsMBB or GoBearcatsMBB
By Bill Koch
GoBearcats.com
CINCINNATI – Justin Jenifer admits that he misses making the occasional behind-the-back pass and delivering the ball to a teammate while looking the other way. And yes, he misses the way the crowd responded to those nifty passes.
There's no doubt that Jenifer enjoyed playing the role of the flashy point guard in high school and on the AAU circuit.
But in three-plus years at the University of Cincinnati he's learned the hard way that UC coach Mick Cronin favors fundamentals over flash, results over raves from fans.
"I do (miss that)," Jenifer said. "I always do. But hey, an assist is an assist and as long as it counts, that's all that matters."
The 5-foot-10 Jenifer, a senior from Baltimore, had to work hard to shed some of the habits he showed up with as a freshman. He's come so far that he ranks first in the country with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 8-to-1 entering this weekend.
Jenifer will put his ball-handling and decision-making skills on display Saturday at 2 p.m. at Fifth Third Arena when the Bearcats (10-2) face South Carolina State (2-12) in UC's final non-league game of the season. The Bulldogs, who lost to Ohio State, 89-61, back on Nov. 18, played at Miami (Ohio) on Thursday night and absorbed a 79-55 defeat.
The Bearcats are coming off Wednesday's impressive 93-64 win over UCLA. Jenifer was outstanding in that game, scoring 11 points on four-of-seven shooting. He made three of his five three-point shots and recorded five assists with no turnovers in 22 minutes.
It was the kind of performance that Cronin has come to expect from Jenifer and the kind that many Bearcats fans never could have envisioned when Jenifer had trouble getting on the floor as a freshman because of his penchant for turnovers. When that season ended, he had a talk with his dad, who told him that if he wanted to transfer, he wouldn't stand in his way. But Jenifer wouldn't even seriously entertain transferring as a possibility.
"Where I come from, we don't quit," Jenifer said. "I wanted to stick it out. I didn't want to go nowhere else. I was here to be a Bearcat. That's what I signed up for and that's what I'm going to do. I told him it would make me a better man and a better person. I'm very glad that I stayed."
That kind of determination and loyalty should be celebrated, Cronin said, especially in an age of when many players transfer as soon as things don't go their way.
"Loyalty to your program, defense, assists, taking care of the ball, those are things that are reasons that programs win," Cronin said. "They don't get you on College Game Night, but they win your coach a lot of games and your program a lot of games. His assist to turnover is unbelievable, his defense is just as good, and he's been a loyal soldier. He could have given up after a couple years playing behind Troy (Caupain) and transferred.
"He could have got frustrated probably like 70 percent of the country, transfer, quit and go home. But Justin stayed here, was loyal to us and we're winning a lot of games because of him. There's a lot more to basketball than scoring.
He's been awesome."
Jenifer has also improved as a scoring threat. After shooting 35.8 percent from three-point range during his first three years, he's improved to 46.6 percent (14 for 39) this season, which ties him with Jarron Cumberland for the team lead. He averages 6.9 points and 4.4 assists, and has committed only six turnovers the entire season.
"Being a senior and the floor general of the team, I have to make sure I take care of the ball at all times," Jenifer said. "I'm always the one who has the ball in his hands. I have to make sure I make the right decision. I had to come back and make sure I think before I do, instead of making the flashy play for the crowd or for myself. Everything is about the team."
To reach this point, Jenifer spent some late nights in the gym working on his game. He also relied on the support he received from his family, his teammates and the coaching staff.
Mostly, though, he leaned on his own steely resolve. There were those who questioned whether he could play on this level and he admits that he, too, sometimes had those questions. But he would not be deterred.
"I think toughness has a lot to do with it," Cronin said. "Justin isn't the biggest guy, but he's got a lot of heart so he's got a lot of toughness. A lot of it is a guy that plays to win. Here we try to make sure that we're always playing to win. But you've got to have kids that understand that. That's why I give him all the credit."
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.
SERIES INFO: Second meeting; Cincinnati leads 1-0 in Cincinnati
LAST MEETING: Cincinnati won 108-84 on Dec. 31, 1988
at the Cincinnati Gardens
STREAK: Cincinnati - Won 1
COACHES: Mick Cronin is in his 13th season at Cincinnati (278-142);
16th season overall (347-166)
Murray Garvin is in his sixth season at South Carolina State (64-118);
sixth season overall (64-118)
AP/USA TODAY RANKINGS (DEC. 17): Cincinnati (RV/RV); South Carolina State (--/--)
RADIO: 700 WLW; Dan Hoard provides play-by-play with color analyst Kevin Johnson
TV: FOX Sports Ohio-Plus; Tom Gelehrter provides play-by-play with color analyst Terry Nelson
FIND THE GAME ON TV HERE: FOX Sports Ohio-Plus, FOX Sports App,
Dish: 448, Dish HD: 9518; Dish Hopper: 412-36; DirecTV (HD): 660-2; ATT Uverse: 692, 1692
JOIN THE CONVERSATION (TWITTER, FACEBOOK & INSTAGRAM): @GoBearcatsMBB or GoBearcatsMBB
By Bill Koch
GoBearcats.com
CINCINNATI – Justin Jenifer admits that he misses making the occasional behind-the-back pass and delivering the ball to a teammate while looking the other way. And yes, he misses the way the crowd responded to those nifty passes.
There's no doubt that Jenifer enjoyed playing the role of the flashy point guard in high school and on the AAU circuit.
But in three-plus years at the University of Cincinnati he's learned the hard way that UC coach Mick Cronin favors fundamentals over flash, results over raves from fans.
"I do (miss that)," Jenifer said. "I always do. But hey, an assist is an assist and as long as it counts, that's all that matters."
The 5-foot-10 Jenifer, a senior from Baltimore, had to work hard to shed some of the habits he showed up with as a freshman. He's come so far that he ranks first in the country with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 8-to-1 entering this weekend.
Jenifer will put his ball-handling and decision-making skills on display Saturday at 2 p.m. at Fifth Third Arena when the Bearcats (10-2) face South Carolina State (2-12) in UC's final non-league game of the season. The Bulldogs, who lost to Ohio State, 89-61, back on Nov. 18, played at Miami (Ohio) on Thursday night and absorbed a 79-55 defeat.
The Bearcats are coming off Wednesday's impressive 93-64 win over UCLA. Jenifer was outstanding in that game, scoring 11 points on four-of-seven shooting. He made three of his five three-point shots and recorded five assists with no turnovers in 22 minutes.
It was the kind of performance that Cronin has come to expect from Jenifer and the kind that many Bearcats fans never could have envisioned when Jenifer had trouble getting on the floor as a freshman because of his penchant for turnovers. When that season ended, he had a talk with his dad, who told him that if he wanted to transfer, he wouldn't stand in his way. But Jenifer wouldn't even seriously entertain transferring as a possibility.
"Where I come from, we don't quit," Jenifer said. "I wanted to stick it out. I didn't want to go nowhere else. I was here to be a Bearcat. That's what I signed up for and that's what I'm going to do. I told him it would make me a better man and a better person. I'm very glad that I stayed."
That kind of determination and loyalty should be celebrated, Cronin said, especially in an age of when many players transfer as soon as things don't go their way.
"Loyalty to your program, defense, assists, taking care of the ball, those are things that are reasons that programs win," Cronin said. "They don't get you on College Game Night, but they win your coach a lot of games and your program a lot of games. His assist to turnover is unbelievable, his defense is just as good, and he's been a loyal soldier. He could have given up after a couple years playing behind Troy (Caupain) and transferred.
"He could have got frustrated probably like 70 percent of the country, transfer, quit and go home. But Justin stayed here, was loyal to us and we're winning a lot of games because of him. There's a lot more to basketball than scoring.
He's been awesome."
Jenifer has also improved as a scoring threat. After shooting 35.8 percent from three-point range during his first three years, he's improved to 46.6 percent (14 for 39) this season, which ties him with Jarron Cumberland for the team lead. He averages 6.9 points and 4.4 assists, and has committed only six turnovers the entire season.
"Being a senior and the floor general of the team, I have to make sure I take care of the ball at all times," Jenifer said. "I'm always the one who has the ball in his hands. I have to make sure I make the right decision. I had to come back and make sure I think before I do, instead of making the flashy play for the crowd or for myself. Everything is about the team."
To reach this point, Jenifer spent some late nights in the gym working on his game. He also relied on the support he received from his family, his teammates and the coaching staff.
Mostly, though, he leaned on his own steely resolve. There were those who questioned whether he could play on this level and he admits that he, too, sometimes had those questions. But he would not be deterred.
"I think toughness has a lot to do with it," Cronin said. "Justin isn't the biggest guy, but he's got a lot of heart so he's got a lot of toughness. A lot of it is a guy that plays to win. Here we try to make sure that we're always playing to win. But you've got to have kids that understand that. That's why I give him all the credit."
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.