Huggins is back at work at Cincinnati and calling recruits

CINCINNATI (AP) – A contrite Bob Huggins returned to work as Cincinnati’s basketball coach Friday after university officials suspended him following his drunken driving conviction in June and told him to rehabilitate himself.

Huggins said he spent his days fishing and reconnecting with his family – a daughter gave him his first crew cut since high school – and reflecting on how he had let down those close to him.

“I made a terrible mistake, and what bothers me most is I hurt other people,” Huggins said. “All I can do is work like crazy to be a better person, a better coach, be better at everything I do and make those people proud of me.”

Huggins has coached Cincinnati since 1989 and taken the Bearcats to 13 straight appearances in the NCAA tournament. Eager to get back with his players and assistant coaches, Huggins telephoned recruits just after midnight and returned to Cincinnati’s basketball arena the next day.

The 50-year-old Huggins, who had a heart attack in September 2002 and continued coaching, said he adopted a new routine in the unfamiliar atmosphere of a summer off.

“I was walking five to seven miles a day. I thought about jogging – but that passed,” he said.

“I got up at 5:30 in the morning, would go out on the lake and sometimes not come back to the house until 9:30 at night. It’s a nice thing to sit out there and fish and have some peace and not have the phone ringing,” he added.

After Huggins was placed on paid suspension in June, university officials put top assistant coach Dan Peters in charge. When Ohio State hired Peters as an assistant, former Cincinnati and NBA great Oscar Robertson was asked to run the program until Huggins returned.

“I’ve gone eight, nine, 10 years and not had a vacation,” Huggins said. “I didn’t think I could leave. You try to outwork everybody else. But if you surround yourself with good people, it’s all right. I had every confidence my guys would do the right thing.”

Huggins is grateful for the support he received from his family, the community and his bosses at the university. He said he was touched by the letters he received.

He declined to discuss what the school required him to do before he returned.

Following his arrest June 8 in suburban Cincinnati, Huggins pleaded no contest to driving under the influence. He was ordered to attend a three-day, state-certified intervention program required after a DUI conviction.

AP-ES-08-27-04 1754EDT