An Ode To The Seniors

by Matt Opper on Mar 4, 2026 2:12 PM EST in Cincinnati Bearcats Basketball

I know that things have been rough

The relationship between you and us has been tough

You tired your best and you worked your asses off but it was never enough

Bearcat Nation got far too used to the good life

The Conference Championships, the NCAA trips

The sweet sixteens and the national rankings

All of the trappings of success were viewed as birth rights

Inaliengable things that couldn't, and shouldn't be taken away from us

We forgot how hard it is to build something

even as we relished in the joys and experiences of building something new

So what if it was Football, we as a fanbase should have known better

We should have enjoyed the progression instead of bitching that it wasn't fast enough

Thats our bad, 100 per cent on us

What you have done for the program in the last four years is deeply impressive

You commited to a program that was only a few years removed from greatness

But the reality was that the program was light years removed from its zenith

The kind of confidence and self assurance required of a player to enter that situation is impressive

It was always going to be a hard slog, you had to have known that

Taking a program that had been neglected for two years while its patron was burned at the stake

And returning it from whence it came was never going to be easy

Doing that with a convoluted interim process and a controversial hire

Well that just added to the degree of difficulty

Doing that all the while we fans turned on you

While some of the wealthiest among us pulled their money out of the program

While the Bob Huggins Zealots actively rooted for your demise

While the entire University of Cincinnati community wallowed in the decisions of years past

We didn't think it would be this hard, we didn't think the program was in that shape

Or more accurately we didn't want to think the program was in that shape

While we as a fan base lost our collective heads

You as a team kept your shape, you kept your cool and went to work

And work you did, you as a group worked your asses off

And that labor has finally born fruit

Under your steady watch the fortunes of the Bearcat Program have pointed inexorably upward

There have been some downward blips, some horizontal stretches

But the trend line of your collective tenures is overwhelmingly positive

So while this might all seem like it is too little, too late

We as a fan base need to show you what your contributions have meant

While there have been classes before you

And there will be classes after you that eclipse your records and performance

You guys need to know that your class will never really be far from our minds

We as a society are obsessed with the heights buildings can reach

We don't look at the foundations, and that is a shame

You guys are the foundations for all that comes after you

This class is genesis for what will hopefully be the Second Great Bearcat Revival

So if I can speak on behalf of Bearcats everywhere let me just say

Thank you; Larry, Ibrahima, Darnell, Biggie, Eddie and Rashad

Tweet Comment 4 comments | 2 recs |

Do you like this story?

Read More: Larry Davis (G - Cincinnati), Darnell Wilks (F - Cincinnati), Rashad Bishop (F - Cincinnati), Anthony McClain (C - Cincinnati), Ibrahima Thomas (F - Cincinnati), Eddie Tyree (G - Cincinnati), Cincinnati Bearcats

Comments

You write this yourself?

Either way awesome job, this is a really good piece.

by TheCinWin on Mar 4, 2026 4:05 PM EST reply actions

Yeah, this was me. I tried to do my best

by Matt Opper on Mar 4, 2026 6:27 PM EST up reply actions

This was a good read Matt,

Even though I have been Micks harshest critic, I take nothing away from the players that have poured their heart and soul into it. These players deserve all the respect and I commend them for their tenacity.
Mick, on the other hand still has more to prove to me. He has been coaching better the last 3 weeks. Just maybe, he may show me that he deserves more. He’s working on it.
Thanks to the Seniors, we really appreciate your loyalty and perseverance to lay the new foundation that this program deserves.
Go Bearcats!!

by WHYUS!! on Mar 6, 2026 12:08 PM EST up reply actions

This is good stuff

So true too. I have been a example of the cronin hate a couple years back.

This players really deserve to be in the tourney and so does mick after the strong rebuilding he has done and the great recruiting class he has coming this fall.

Just wish vaughn was here. he was one of the few bright spots on those bad teams.

by BigStein on Mar 4, 2026 11:28 PM EST reply actions

Comments For This Post Are Closed

Latest NCAAF Headlines From SB Nation

Football Preview Weekish: Buffalo Bulls

about 1 hour ago - 0 comments

Montana State @ Utah

about 4 hours ago - 5 comments

Wilson, Toon ready to light up scoreboard

about 3 hours ago - 0 comments

2011 Countdown To Kickoff: 5 Days

about 4 hours ago - 0 comments

The Bull Run Inquisition: Cardiac Hill

about 4 hours ago - 0 comments

Fourth Down.

28 days ago - 6 comments

2011 ATVS - Geaux Show Pick'em Challenge

about 5 hours ago - 0 comments

More Latest NCAAF Headlines From SB Nation »

Bearcats Football Schedule

Austin Peay	Sat 09/03	7:00 PM EDT
@ Tennessee Rocky Top Talk	Sat 09/10	3:30 PM EDT
Akron	Sat 09/17	3:30 PM EDT
N.C. State Backing The Pack	Thu 09/22	8:00 PM EDT
@ Miami (Ohio)	Sat 10/01	1:00 PM EDT
Louisville Card Chronicle	Sat 10/15	TBA
@ South Florida Voodoo Five	Sat 10/22	12:00 PM EDT
@ Pittsburgh Cardiac Hill	Sat 11/05	TBA
West Virginia The Smoking Musket	Sat 11/12	TBA
@ Rutgers On the Banks	Sat 11/19	TBA
@ Syracuse Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician	Sat 11/26	TBA
Connecticut The UConn Blog	Sat 12/03	TBA

Network Bar

Down The Drive -

A Cincinnati Bearcats blog for the moderately intelligent