CINCINNATI - Armein Kirkland sat alongside the court, watching some Cincinnati teammates run through a fast-break drill during an informal practice earlier this week. They stopped when interim coach Andy Kennedy called a halt to show them how to do it better.
Bob Huggins? Nowhere to be found.
It felt surreal to the senior forward, who is still adjusting to the shocking change.
"It's almost like he's still here to me because of the simple fact that all of the other coaches are here and they kind of teach like he does," Kirkland said, watching the drill resume. "It's almost like he's still here and it's the same program."
Neither is entirely true, of course.
President Nancy Zimpher forced Huggins out as head coach last August, the culmination of a power struggle between two strong-willed people. Less than two months before the start of practice for the Bearcats' first season in the Big East, the program was a mess.
Numb players weren't sure what to do next. Recruiting had to be ignored. Huggins' supporters were in an uproar.
Kennedy agreed to take on one of the toughest coaching jobs in Division I: reassure the boosters, rally the players and figure out how to make the Bearcats prosper in a daunting new league.
"I've certainly been dealt some adverse circumstances in the past," the 37-year-old Kennedy said. "I don't think anything can prepare anyone for what we're dealing with now, simply because of the way that everything played out."
It wasn't supposed to be this way.
The university threw a party when it accepted an invitation to join the Big East, joining Louisville, DePaul, Marquette and South Florida in making the move from Conference USA. The league already features two of the last three national champions - Syracuse and Connecticut.
Huggins' ouster turned the excitement into angst and left the program in uncertainty for at least one season. The school hopes to hire a new athletic director in the next few months, replacing the retiring Bob Goin, and the next basketball coach after this season.
One recruit pulled out because of the uncertainty. The rest stayed, deciding to make it through what is shaping up as a tough transition season.
Relaxed NCAA rules allowed coaches more time with their players leading into the start of formal practices on Friday. The Bearcats will have an open practice on Saturday, showing the public what they've got and giving the players a chance to try to move beyond the last two months.
"Everybody has been through a lot," said forward Eric Hicks, one of four returning senior starters. "We're looking to rebound strong from it, come out and prove it to a lot of people who don't think we can win. We're keeping a lot of the same principles, so everything should be the same."
During Huggins' 16 seasons, everyone assumed he would find a way to win with whatever he had on the roster. And, he would do it with his tempestuous style.
Kennedy agreed to coach after talking to Huggins. The two are close friends and share basketball philosophies, but have much different personalities.
"Andy's more laid-back," Hicks said. "You mess up, you know you're accountable. Huggs did the same thing, but Huggs forced you, which made a lot of players stronger. So we're all dealing with change here and hope to make the best of the situation."
Kennedy was much more accomplished than Huggins as a player - he was the prep player of the year in Mississippi - and played one year under Jim Valvano at North Carolina State before transferring to Alabama-Birmingham.
He tore an anterior cruciate ligament and had the first of five knee operations that eventually ended his career, but finished as one of the top shooters and scorers in UAB's history. He also played for the Charlotte Hornets and pro teams in Greece, Holland, Spain and Puerto Rico before the injuries forced him to turn to coaching.
He never would have picked these circumstances for his first top job.
"With coach (Huggins) gone and me being a rookie head coach going up against Hall of Famer after Hall of Famer after Hall of Famer in front of national TV and 25,000 people a night, that's certainly something that we're trying to prepare for," Kennedy said, with a self-deprecating chuckle.
He's also prepared for the constant reminders of Huggins.
"That's not going to go away. I don't want that to go away," Kennedy said. "I know I'm going to constantly be asked the question. I'd hope the comparisons - that, well, Huggs would have done this - I hope people have an understanding that it's a different deal now."
Very different.