Bearcat Fans Losing Patience

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) â€” The crowd at Freedom Hall cheered as Louisville coach Denny Crum was honored for 30 years of coaching before last Saturday's game against Cincinnati. <br><br>Less than two

Friday, January 19th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) â€” The crowd at Freedom Hall cheered as Louisville coach Denny Crum was honored for 30 years of coaching before last Saturday's game against Cincinnati.

Less than two hours later, many of the same fans were booing and shaking their heads following another listless performance.

The 72-52 loss to the Bearcats was Louisville's 10th in 13 games, its fifth of the season by 20 points or more and its unprecedented fourth straight at Freedom Hall.

A 79-67 win over lowly Houston on Wednesday boosted the Cardinals' record to 6-11 â€” still the worst start in Crum's 30 seasons.

It's a stunning turnaround for a team that reached the national quarterfinals in 1997. The Cardinals are 56-54 overall and 0-2 in the NCAA tournament since then, and the mounting blame has fallen to the 63-year-old Crum, whose 669 victories are 13th in college basketball history.

Area newspaper columnists have called for him to resign. Surfers on a Web site for Louisville loyalists have suggested the school should lure Rick Pitino to replace him â€” something that would've been considered sacrilegious four years ago when Pitino was coaching Kentucky. But fans at the Cincinnati game echoed those sentiments.

``I wouldn't mind seeing Rick come in here. He knows how to motivate,'' said Larry Roeder, 34. ``I've taken up for Denny for years, but this is the first year I haven't. It doesn't look to me like he can get the most out of his kids anymore.''

Even ex-players are frustrated by the program's slide.

``It's terrible,'' said Darrell Griffith, the star of Louisville's 1980 national championship team. ``As an alum of the program, I love when we're doing well. I love walking into a room and I can brag a little about it. But these last few years have been pretty hard to swallow.''

Brian Kiser, a Cardinal from 1992-96, said Louisville hasn't kept pace with other programs.

``We haven't gone to the Final Four since I have no idea when (1986),'' said Kiser, a member of the local Fellowship of Christian Athletes. ``College basketball's gotten better and better and more spread out. More teams are playing at a higher level.

``We're definitely one of those teams that's not up with the higher echelon anymore.''

Crum hears the criticism, but says he doesn't listen to it.

``I don't worry about what people say,'' he said. ``There's always going to be somebody who thinks they know more than I do, or more than my staff does. They don't. They can have their opinions, but it doesn't mean they're right.

``We've had a difficult stretch, but I'm not giving up. I've been in this business 40 years. There are going to be ups and downs.''

Griffith, a Louisville businessman, said Crum can still coach, but said recruiting is where he's started to slip.

``The talent level is just not here like it has been in the past,'' Griffith said. ``Recruiting is totally different now than it was when he recruited me. Kids' mindsets have totally changed. You have to change with that and I think Coach has struggled with that more than anything.

``The system, the structure, still works. But the thing is, you can have all the X's and O's and plays you want â€” if you don't have the talent, it's not going to work.''

Louisville has been outrebounded 12 times this season and was on pace to set school records for worst field-goal percentage, worst rebounding margin and fewest assists.

Crum traces this year's problems not only to a lack of talent, but to a lack of experience. The current roster has just two seniors and 10 freshmen â€” by far, his youngest team ever.

Crum insists the downward spiral could reverse as early as next season when he brings in what he says is a strong recruiting class.

``It's obvious we need to add some better players to the guys we've got coming back for next year, and I think we'll do that,'' he said. ``If our recruiting goes like I anticipate it will go, we'll be right back where we were in terms of talent.''