If you follow the University of Cincinnati basketball program and you hear an opposing player compared with Danny Fortson, you sit up and take notice.
Fortson was a first-team All-American who played at UC from 1994-95 through 1996-97. He left after three seasons for the NBA and ranks as the Bearcats' third-leading career scorer with 1,881 points, trailing only No. 2 Steve Logan and No. 1 Oscar Robertson.
So when UC interim head coach Andy Kennedy says he sees a little bit of Fortson in Ohio post player Leon Williams, he's bestowing high praise.
UC, 4-2 and looking to avoid its third straight loss at home, faces Ohio (4-0) at 8 p.m. today at Fifth Third Arena.
The Bobcats, who are favored to win the Mid-American Conference championship, present a lot of problems. They shoot 46.6 percent from the floor, and their 3-point shooting percentage of 41.5 ranks sixth nationally, led by guard Mychal Green, who has made 50 percent of his 3-point attempts.
But most of what they do offensively flows through Williams, a 6-foot-8, 255-pound sophomore.
"He is the best post player that we've played to this point," Kennedy said. "He's kind of a poor man's Danny Fortson."
Williams was the MAC freshman of the year last season and was named the Most Valuable Player of the MAC Tournament. This season he's averaging 13.0 points and 8.0 rebounds. He shoots 58.3 percent from the floor and 76.9 percent from the free-throw line.
OU coach Tim O'Shea isn't so sure about the "poor man's" reference, but he knows he has a solid player in Williams.
"He's got to be one of the best sophomores in the country at his position," O'Shea said.
"He really allows us to compete with teams like Cincinnati and maybe Kentucky down the road. We're pretty good at the guard spots and wing spots. We needed a quality big man and we've certainly got one."
UC will counter with 6-6, 245-pound senior Eric Hicks.
"He works hard," Hicks said of Williams. "He's blue-collar. He gets good position and he seals (his defender). It ain't nothing I haven't seen before."
OU made a name for itself last season when it won the MAC Tournament and then pushed Florida to the limit in the first round of the NCAA Tournament before succumbing 67-62.
With four starters returning from that team, the Bobcats are off to a 4-0 start, with wins over St. Francis and American at home and Marist and Rhode Island on the road.
But O'Shea says tonight's game is his team's biggest test today.
"I think that's a team that's really flying under the radar," O'Shea said of UC.
"You don't go to Vanderbilt and pull out a 10-point win (actually nine) and not be legit. We scrimmaged Boston College earlier this year, and from a talent standpoint, Cincinnati is every bit as talented, if not more so, and they've got a lot more experience with their (five) seniors."
O'Shea is anticipating a difficult game tonight in a tough venue, but he says he can sense that things aren't the way they once were at Fifth Third Arena.
"Some fans seem to want to see them fail a little bit, so they can beat the drum for (Bob) Huggins," O'Shea said. "There's bad karma in the building.
"When you have a coaching change, sometimes people break away from the program. Eventually, they all come back. When Jim O'Brien left Boston College under pressure, a lot of people were disenchanted, but as soon as we started to win, the bandwagon filled up again. The same thing will happen at Cincinnati."
For the Bearcats, tonight's game is a chance to build on their victory over Vanderbilt as they play the first of three games in six days before heading to Las Vegas next week to face Dayton and Louisiana State.
"Sometimes you just need a lift," Hicks said. "When you play somebody decent and you beat them, it's just a good feeling."
Fortson was a first-team All-American who played at UC from 1994-95 through 1996-97. He left after three seasons for the NBA and ranks as the Bearcats' third-leading career scorer with 1,881 points, trailing only No. 2 Steve Logan and No. 1 Oscar Robertson.
So when UC interim head coach Andy Kennedy says he sees a little bit of Fortson in Ohio post player Leon Williams, he's bestowing high praise.
UC, 4-2 and looking to avoid its third straight loss at home, faces Ohio (4-0) at 8 p.m. today at Fifth Third Arena.
The Bobcats, who are favored to win the Mid-American Conference championship, present a lot of problems. They shoot 46.6 percent from the floor, and their 3-point shooting percentage of 41.5 ranks sixth nationally, led by guard Mychal Green, who has made 50 percent of his 3-point attempts.
But most of what they do offensively flows through Williams, a 6-foot-8, 255-pound sophomore.
"He is the best post player that we've played to this point," Kennedy said. "He's kind of a poor man's Danny Fortson."
Williams was the MAC freshman of the year last season and was named the Most Valuable Player of the MAC Tournament. This season he's averaging 13.0 points and 8.0 rebounds. He shoots 58.3 percent from the floor and 76.9 percent from the free-throw line.
OU coach Tim O'Shea isn't so sure about the "poor man's" reference, but he knows he has a solid player in Williams.
"He's got to be one of the best sophomores in the country at his position," O'Shea said.
"He really allows us to compete with teams like Cincinnati and maybe Kentucky down the road. We're pretty good at the guard spots and wing spots. We needed a quality big man and we've certainly got one."
UC will counter with 6-6, 245-pound senior Eric Hicks.
"He works hard," Hicks said of Williams. "He's blue-collar. He gets good position and he seals (his defender). It ain't nothing I haven't seen before."
OU made a name for itself last season when it won the MAC Tournament and then pushed Florida to the limit in the first round of the NCAA Tournament before succumbing 67-62.
With four starters returning from that team, the Bobcats are off to a 4-0 start, with wins over St. Francis and American at home and Marist and Rhode Island on the road.
But O'Shea says tonight's game is his team's biggest test today.
"I think that's a team that's really flying under the radar," O'Shea said of UC.
"You don't go to Vanderbilt and pull out a 10-point win (actually nine) and not be legit. We scrimmaged Boston College earlier this year, and from a talent standpoint, Cincinnati is every bit as talented, if not more so, and they've got a lot more experience with their (five) seniors."
O'Shea is anticipating a difficult game tonight in a tough venue, but he says he can sense that things aren't the way they once were at Fifth Third Arena.
"Some fans seem to want to see them fail a little bit, so they can beat the drum for (Bob) Huggins," O'Shea said. "There's bad karma in the building.
"When you have a coaching change, sometimes people break away from the program. Eventually, they all come back. When Jim O'Brien left Boston College under pressure, a lot of people were disenchanted, but as soon as we started to win, the bandwagon filled up again. The same thing will happen at Cincinnati."
For the Bearcats, tonight's game is a chance to build on their victory over Vanderbilt as they play the first of three games in six days before heading to Las Vegas next week to face Dayton and Louisiana State.
"Sometimes you just need a lift," Hicks said. "When you play somebody decent and you beat them, it's just a good feeling."
