The Cincinnati Bearcats’ new basketball squad under coach Jerrod Calhoun is in its third week of summer workouts and just over a month away from a trip to the Bahamas.
There may be sun and sand involved, but there will be a pair of international exhibitions in the Baha Mar Hoops Summer League Aug. 2 and Aug. 4.
It’s been a whirlwind since Calhoun and staff arrived from Utah State on March 24. A public press conference took place the next day with Naismith Hall of Fame coach Bob Huggins in attendance, and former UC players have strongly backed the new coach. Calhoun went from being a Huggins assistant to taking Utah State to the NCAA Tournament twice and also had four NCAA Division II tournament appearances at Fairmont State.
Friday, June 25, new Associate Head Coach Mantoris Robinson spoke before UC’s practice. Robinson has been part of Calhoun’s staffs at Fairmont State, Youngstown State and Utah State before joining him here for the last three months.
Cincinnati Bearcats associate head coach Mantoris Robinson on putting team together with Calhoun
The new staff has tried to gather players that fit what they do and buy into the concept plastered on the Fifth Third Arena scoreboard, “We over Me”.
“It’s been non-stop,” Robinson said of the past three months. “You’ve got to recruit a team, then recruit the ’27 class and they announce the ’28 class. Then you meet former players and do things in the community. It’s been full-go and it’s been fun.”
Robinson acknowledged they may be doing more recruiting in-house soon with the NCAA’s announcement allowing players five years of eligibility, effective with the incoming class of 2023. Should things work out, you could see more of some of the Bearcats who thought they were playing a final year.
“It’s an extra year for our seniors,” Robinson said. “That’s Trevian Carson, Tylen Riley, Riley Allenspach, Myles Colvin and Tyler Tejada.”
A court case is ongoing where former Utah State players MJ Collins and Kolby King are listed in a lawsuit as desiring to play for the University of Cincinnati. UC’s stance is to only comment on the current roster, but Collins averaged 17.5 points per game for the Aggies last season and King played in all 36 games.
Early impressions of Mantoris Robinson on new Cincinnati Bearcats
Most coaches don’t care to specify, but like Calhoun last week, Robinson did provide some insight.
Jayden Hastings, 6-foot-10 Boston College transfer – “My favorite because of his voice. He’s always going to let you know he’s here, he’s in the building. He gravitates other guys.”
Myles Colvin, 6-foot-5, Wake Forest transfer –”Myles Colvin’s been an everyday guy.”
Tylen Riley, 6-foot-4, Tulsa transfer – “Has the spunk, has the flair. Guys gravitate to him.”
Tyler Tejada, 6-foot-9, Towson transfer – “Tejada’s the silent assassin. He’s a gym rat.”
Adlan Elamin, 6-foot-9, Utah State transfer – “Addy understands what’s in front of him. He’s really embraced the weight room (now 195). Addy’s born for this. He loves competition. He’s embracing the Big 12.”
Why did Robinson follow Jerrod Calhoun to Cincinnati?
“In 2012 (at Fairmont State) he gave me an opportunity to see what building a program is like,” Robinson said. “You roll your sleeves up and get to work. I’ve seen his family grow, I’ve seen him be more of a family man, I’ve seen him evolve. He just kind of gave me the blueprint of how to be successful at any level.”
Mantoris Robinson played in Fifth Third Arena
“I remember Lance Stephenson being really good and me guarding him,” Robinson said. “If I’m not mistaken, I had 12 or 13 (points). Either I had 15, and he had 13. Fact check that. It was a battle. I knew he was really good and was going to be a pro.”
(Fact checking: Mick Cronin’s UC Bearcats won 74-57, but Robinson won the statistical battle with 10 points, seven rebounds and two steals. Future NBA player Stephenson had eight points, four rebounds and five assists.)
Robinson is now anxious to see the arena packed as a coach. He says they have used videotape of sold-out games to send to recruits.
Sophomore Elijah Perryman, now veteran of Calhoun system
The 6-foot-2 guard now has four more years of eligibility in addition to his time last season with Utah State’s NCAA team that won 29 games. He says he’s an extension of Calhoun on the floor, helping to build chemistry so the team can win quickly by playing for each other.
Joining former Aggies teammates Elamin and David Iweze, along with a familiar coaching staff, made perfect sense.
“It was kind of like a no-brainer,” Perryman said. “Coach and the coaching staff mean a whole lot to me. They’ve been with me through ups and downs and battles throughout last season as a person on the court, but even more important, off the court.”
He says practices are competitive and the team bond gets stronger every day.
Riley Allenspach brings unique skill-set to Cincinnati Bearcats
At 6-foot-11 and 250 pounds, Allenspach averaged 13.6 points per game and 6.1 rebounds for George Mason last season. He shot 31.3% overall from the 3-point line, but 39.4% in Atlantic-10 games. The season before playing at Samford in high-speed “Bucky Ball” named after now-Texas A&M coach Bucky McMillan, Allenspach shot 48% from the perimeter.
Combined with his work in Mike Rehfeldt’s (Senior Associate AD/Sports Performance) “Monster Factory,” he brings more than a post presence to the Calhoun roster.
“It’s a lot of fun, especially as a big (player),” Allenspach said. “We get to have a lot of autonomy to make decisions and pass the ball just like a guard. It’s a fun process to learn.”
Allenspach’s talents allow Calhoun to play him with 6-foot-10, 245-pound banger Jayden Hastings.
“My ability to go inside and out makes it hard to scout against and guard,” he said. “I’m just able to knock down threes and finish down low.”
Allenspach is pronounced “Allen-spack”. Media personnel may need to know that if the new Bearcats succeed, which the new forward thinks is highly possible.
“We have a lot of dudes with something to prove,” Allenspach said. “Just from talking to the guys, we’re hungry to win and we’re very deep. There’s not a lot of drop-off between us. I feel we’ll definitely surprise people.”
More workouts will come before the Bahamas adventure and there should be more scheduling information on the way before then.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Bearcats basketball preparing for August exhibitions
Reporting by Scott Springer, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Scott Springer, Cincinnati Enquirer | USA TODAY Network
