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Ge'Lawn Guyn and Jermaine Sanders represent Bearcat basketball on so many levels it is astounding. Cincinnati has obviously always had the Midwest influence (Guyn from Kentucky) with a consistent dash of East Coast (Sanders from New York). Guyn is the epitome of hard nosed defense and will guard his guy tight no matter where he is on the court. Sanders likes to camp at the three point line and wait for his chance to punish the opposition. Both of which (defense and threes) have become Cincinnati staples.
Both are also perfect for their roles as veteran seniors. Last year, when Caupain would freak out and panic under the lights, Guyn would come in like he was playing with a couple of buddies back home in Lexington. Same with Sanders. Watching Jermaine play you would think the guy never felt an ounce of pressure. However, it seems that Guyn handles the camera with less nerves than Sanders (Don't let the pink power tie fool you, Sanders is nervous):
This year's team will need the dose of relaxation that these seniors offer. The freshmen will likely panic a bit on the big stage and the seniors will need to calm them down. Gary Clark already had nerve issues in the exhibition game against Bellarmine. After the game Cronin said that Clark could barely breathe. It is great to have guys who care that much about how they play, but that level of conscientiousness needs to be controlled.
Last year in a big game, Justin Jackson was getting a little too emotional (and it was obvious). Sean Kilpatrick grabbed JJ and with a stern voice simply said, "calm down". That is the type of behavior I expect from Guyn and Sanders this year. That is the type of behavior I expect from seniors.
The other side of all of this comes from the young guys. It is easy to play hard for the seniors on Senior Day - who doesn't? However, this is likely the last season of these guys' careers. I hope the young guys get that and try to give Guyn and Sanders the going away party that they deserve.
Season starts in six days.
-Daniele "Da" Bologna