The All-Time Favorite Cincinnati Bearcat Basketball Player Tournament: Bob Huggins Region Round One

It’s time for day two of the All-Time Favorite Cincinnati Bearcat Basketball Player Tournament and we kick off day two with the Bob Huggins region. Huggins is easily the most successful head coach in program history, but isn't about which coach do you like the most. Its about which player and I have a feeling there will be some tight votes in this one. But there also won’t be, especially whenever Kenyon Martin is part of the matchup. Here’s a look at the region in full.

Now to the breakdowns.

No. 1 Kenyon Martin vs. No. 16 Steve Collier

If Oscar Robertson is the greatest player in UC history then K-Mart is No. 2. An astounding 2000 season, when he was named National College Player of the Year, was the exclamation point on a brilliant career. Collier was an honorable mention All-American by Street & Smith in 1976. Somehow that resume doesn’t really compare all that well.

No. 8 Justin Jackson vs. No. 9 Erik Martin

Jackson would be on here for his mean-mugging alone. But let’s also remember that he played excellent defensive basketball, fitting right into the Mick Cronin system. He was a second-team All-American Conference pick in 2014, the same year he was named Defensive Player of the Year for the league. His 99 blocked shots that season rank third behind Eric Hick’s 113 in 2005-06 and K-Mart’s 107 in 1999-00. That’s good company to keep. Martin was a member of the 1992 Final Four team and the leading rebounder for the Bearcats the following season (6.7 PPG).

No. 4 Kenny Satterfield vs. No. 13 Gary Yoder

Satterfield shone brightly for two years and then went off to the NBA. He is one of only five players to record a triple-double in program history, as he had 12 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists on Jan. 29, 2001 against Tulane. He also led the Bearcats in steals that season (1.7 PG). Yoder was a first-team All-Metro player in 1977, joining teammate Robert Miller. He was also named the conference’s Player of the Year. Known for his work at the foul line, Yoder had the best free-throw percentage on the squad in back-to-back seasons.

No. 5 Jack Twyman vs. No. 12 Louis Banks

There are only three players who have had their number retired by the Bearcats. Robertson, Martin and Jack Twyman. His name appears 46 separate times in the 2016-17 media guide, as he was a team leader in multiple statistical categories constantly. He has the second-most rebounds of any Bearcat ever and is 10th in scoring. Banks may not have had his number retired, but he was a first-team All-Conference player in 1990 and 1991. He also happens to be one spot ahead of Twyman in all-time scoring at UC.

No. 2 DeMarr Johnson vs. No. 15 Bobby Austin

Johnson was a star freshman for the 1999-00 squad and then he left. But why he was here he did plenty of great things. On his way to Freshman All-American honors, he scored 12.6 points per game and shot 37.1 percent from three-point range, while ranking third on the team in win shares (4.8). Austin never got a ton of recognition, but he did manage to receive honorable mention status on the All-Metro team in four-straight seasons (1979-1982).

No. 7 Ron Bonham vs. No. 10 Leonard Stokes

Who is Ron Bonham? Only a national champion and the eighth-best scorer in UC history. He averaged a career-best 24.4 points per game during the 1963-64 season and was a first-team All-American in 1963. Stokes was named the team’s MVP for the 2002-03 season when he led the way in points and steals.

No. 3 Darnell Burton vs. No. 14 Don Ogletree

1996’s Conference USA Sixth Man of the Year, Burton shot from deep and averaged in double figures in his last three seasons, while playing with Danny Fortson. Ogletree is another member of the 1,000 point club, doing his work from 1967-1970.

No. 6 Yancy Gates vs. No. 11 Lance Stephenson

Stephenson has gone on to be the bigger name nationally, especially thanks to his success in the NBA and this meme.

But he only played one year for the Bearcats, although it was a great one year. Gates, however, was a four-year performer for the Bearcats and a consistently good one at that. His best came during the 2011-12 season when he averaged 12.2 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, while helping UC to the Sweet 16.

That’s it for the Bob Huggins region. Voting starts now (and below).