Kenyon Martin demands retired jersey and trophies be removed from UC

[savafan]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2178873

University of Cincinnati athletic director Bob Goin says he is "saddened" by Kenyon Martin's request to take down his retired jersey from Fifth Third Arena, the Cincinnati Post reported.

"I have not received anything official [from Martin]," Goin told the Post on Friday. "I'm hoping he will reconsider."

Goin didn't attend last Thursday's roast and tribute to deposed coach Bob Huggins and said he has not talked to Martin about his wishes to have his jersey and trophies removed from the basketball offices. Goin said he has no plans on having Martin's number taken down until he hears from Martin personally.

Martin told the crowd at Huggins' roast that he didn't want his name associated with the university any longer.

"If he's not affiliated with the university, I don't want to be affiliated with the university," Martin told the crowd. "That's how I feel, I'm telling you how I feel in my heart. It may sound selfish to you fans who supported me over the years, but it's a choice I had to make as a man."

Martin's No. 4 is one of three numbers retired by Cincinnati, along with the No. 12 of Oscar Robertson and the No. 27 of Jack Twyman. Martin is the only one of the three to play for Huggins.

"Without Coach Huggins, my name never would have been affiliated with them," Martin said last week. "I don't want it because of the way it ended. It wasn't right."

Martin was one of 32 of Huggins' former players to attend the roast at U.S. Bank Arena. Current interim head coach Andy Kennedy and assistants Keith LeGree and Frank Martin were also in attendance, as were current Bearcats Eric Hicks and Armein Kirkland.

[Reds4Life]

I doubt Martin will make a formal request and follow through on it, but I wish he would. So many in this city are ready to blast Nancy Zimpher and they just need a spark, this might be it.

Queen Nancy axed Midnight Madness this year as well, now it's 2:30 in the afternoon madness.

[cincinnati chili]

If you went to UC, IMO, you should be thanking "Queen Nancy" for working to increase the value of your degree.

By the way, I didn't know this when the Huggins firing broke, but I heard through my father's connections (he's a UC faculty member) that the trustee's gave Nancy UNANIMOUS approval to axe Huggins. Translation: there's more to this story than we know publicly. Trustees wouldn't normally unanimously agree on something this controversial.

As for Kenyon Martin, I respect him for showing loyalty to his former coach, I guess. But this is the danger for a university who gets in bed with a guy like Huggins and then builds him up to cult status.

[Reds4Life]

If you went to UC, IMO, you should be thanking "Queen Nancy" for working to increase the value of your degree.

By the way, I didn't know this when the Huggins firing broke, but I heard through my father's connections (he's a UC faculty member) that the trustee's gave Nancy UNANIMOUS approval to axe Huggins. Translation: there's more to this story than we know publicly. Trustees wouldn't normally unanimously agree on something this controversial.

As for Kenyon Martin, I respect him for showing loyalty to his former coach, I guess. But this is the danger for a university who gets in bed with a guy like Huggins and then builds him up to cult status.

The trustees have no backbone, and their chairman has been arrested for DUI and is currently being investigated for fraud.

I have 2 degrees from UC; Nancy has done nothing to increase their value. Forcing out a basketball coach because she's got a chip on her shoulder doesn't make my degrees worth more.

I wish the Big East would have withdrawn the invitation to UC, because without Bob Huggins UC would still be a nothing program who's lucky to win 8 games a year.

[cincinnati chili]

The trustees have no backbone, and their chairman has been arrested for DUI and is currently being investigated for fraud.

I can't attest to the morality or intelligence of the UC trustees. You may be right that there's some bad apples there. But the trustees had to know that Huggins was extremely popular, and thus I'd be very surprised if there's not more to this story assuming the vote was indeed unanimous.

[paintmered]

Queen Nancy axed Midnight Madness this year as well, now it's 2:30 in the afternoon madness.

And another tradition bites the dust.......

[smith288]

I dont follow Bearcat basketball but from an outsider's viewpoint in, they are thug-u and I cant imagine that is the image they want if they want to be a respected collegiate (yes, its a college) school.

I figure they are gambling with the Huggins firing and will try to ultimately place in a clean cut guy who wont get DUI's and wont do the 2nd chance projects they have been doing with some of these kids they get. Some end up great, others just continue to paint the Thug-U picture.

Im pretty positive they wouldnt go canning profitable head coaches because of some grudge. There is far more to this and UC just wanted to end the relationship to move on.

Martin really should reconsider. The school gave him the scholarship upon Huggins recommendation. He owes quite a bit to that school since he did get a shot to play there.

Who knows, maybe a fresh face on Bearcat basketball will put them over the top? I particularly dont care but one thing is certain, my perception of Huggins was this: "Slimey".

Pretty sure UC doesnt want that impression affiliated with their institution.

[RedFanAlways1966]

Wouldn't it be interesting.... if we could see the classes/grades that Kenyon Martin took/got while a "student" at UC and a "player" under Coach Huggins?

Personally I say take everything associated with Kenyon away. Grant his request. Give his number to the next walk-on player that makes the squad. One day when Kenyon is a bit older (and maybe wiser?), I think he will be sorry for it.

BTW... I was talking with a representative of my company a couple of weeks ago. His son is in his senior year of High School. Heck of a running back, his son... so good that he signed a letter of intent with UC before his senior year at RB began. At first I was all over the "get rid of Nancy thing" when Huggins was first let go. Then I heard the opinion of the father whose kid who will be a freshman at UC next year on a full ride for football. The father was glad to hear that Huggins was let go. His opinion, as a father of an athlete who will attend UC, is that he does not want a person of Huggins' character working on that campus. He does not want a man like Huggins to bring in law-breaking "students" to the campus that his son will attend. Kind of shed a new light on the situation that I had never considered. Made me realize that there is more to college life than just winning basketball games. And if your kid was attending that university, it might be even more important to you.

[savafan]

I was under the impression that the previous UC president gave Huggins a mandate to find kids who were "2nd chance projects"