Mauk Keeps Quality in Control

By B. Clifton Burke

Even after the NCAA denied Ben Mauk another year of playing eligibility, he still found a way to return to the University of Cincinnati football program this season as the team’s quality control manager.

Head coach Brian Kelly created the position to help Mauk learn how to be coach.

“Right now, he’s just cutting his teeth in the coaching profession,” Kelly said. “I don’t know if he’s coming up with anything to help us win, but I think it does more for him to be around and then learn the profession.”

Though the position is unpaid, the work of a quality control manager during the season is a full-time job. Mauk arrives on campus each day at 6 a.m. to lift weights. He then spends his afternoons working to identify any of the team’s offensive tendencies he finds within the information he receives from scouts. He informs the coaching staff of his findings so they can eliminate those tendencies before opposing defenses can identify them. He also attends the weekly meetings and practices, and is along the sidelines during games. Mauk says he typically leaves his office for the day around 10 p.m..

After setting a school-record of 31 passing touchdowns in 2007, Mauk also works closely with this year’s quarterbacks.

“I’m here to mentor them and any questions they might have, they can always ask me,” Mauk said.

He admitted that it’s been tough to watch such an historic season unfold from the sidelines, particularly because he now feels healthy after playing through pain during last season.

“I knew this team was special and I felt like we could go through the season and not lose a game. Obviously I wanted to be part of that,” said Mauk.

Working as the quality control manager became the next best option for Mauk, after the NCAA ruled in September that he had exhausted all of his playing eligibility.

Mauk is satisfied with his role on the team for this season, but he’s still keeping himself in playing shape in hopes of being selected in this year’s upcoming NFL Draft.

“With not playing this year, it’s going to take some scouts to recognize me and request my attendance at the combine,” Mauk said. “A lot of scouts have said that they want to see me out there, so I’m just working out and getting myself ready. If something were to happen I want to be ready to go.”

If he isn’t drafted, Mauk has other career options in mind. With his Bachelor’s Degree in Secondary Social Studies Education from Wake Forest, and a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice that he earned at UC, Mauk is interested in becoming a high-school teacher and football coach.

“I’d love to get into a high school and have my own classroom,” Mauk said. “Growing up you always look up to teachers and coaches. So if I could be one of those people and have an impact in people’s lives in that regard, then that’s a position I’d like to be in.”

But like the rest of the team, Mauk is currently focused on the season.

“We have a shot to win a Big East Championship and we’re in the driver’s seat to go to a BCS bowl, and it’s a position that everybody in that locker room felt we’d be in at this point,” said Mauk.

With all the excitement around UC’s success this season, Mauk added perspective by pointing to last year’s 6-0 start and their national ranking of 15th, before losing to both Louisville and Pittsburgh.

“We messed up against Louisville and let that game beat us twice,” Mauk said. “So I think last year with the success we had and going through those diverse times, makes us even more prepared to meet the challenge and overcome those kinds of situations.”

Coach Kelly thinks Mauk has benefited from the transition of being a player to joining the staff within the same program, and is confident Mauk will someday become a coach of his own.

“(Mauk) is learning the profession and I think in years to come, he’ll have more of an impact,” said Kelly.

Although the title of quality control manager comes with little financial compensation, Mauk’s contribution has not gone unnoticed.

“We’re doing this on a very, very small budget, almost a voluntary position, but it’s good to have Ben around,” Kelly said of his former quarterback and current staff member.

Team Leader Returns From Injury

University of Cincinnati junior guard Shelly Bellman is entering her fourth year on campus, but to second-year head coach J. Kelly Hall, she’s something of a newcomer.

“I’ve never coached her. We had her maybe three practices last year. Her injury was really, really quick,” said Hall.

Bellman suffered an anterior cruciate ligament tear in her left knee during a pre-season practice last year. She sat out the entire season after undergoing surgery, and was declared a medical redshirt, preserving a year of her playing eligibility.

“It was a huge blow,” said Bellman. “I’ve never had an injury as big as that. I tried to keep a positive attitude as much as I could, and just had to rehab everyday.”

After posting double-digit scoring figures and leading the team in rebounding in her first two seasons, Bellman was expected to have a major role going into last season. Without her, the team posted only a 1.9 rebounding margin over Big East opponents, compared to an 8.9 margin with her in 2006-07.

Coach Hall said that he‘s looking for more of an inside presence from this season’s team, and that from Bellman, he expects averages of six to seven rebounds and double-digit scoring per game. So far, he’s been encouraged of what he sees.

“I love the way the kid rebounds the basketball,” Hall said. “She will go get it. Averaging six rebounds is outstanding for a guard.”

Even with the limited practice time he's had with Bellman, Hall called her one of the hardest workers he’s ever coached on any level, and said the other players feed off of her tenacious work ethic.

“She plays hard on every single play,” Hall said. “It’s good for young kids to see that and realize that’s what it takes to be successful on this level.”

Hall intends to make Bellman a team captain and thinks she can be a player who can run the offense without playing the point guard position. Her understanding of the offense, and her rebounding persistence make Bellman one of the key components to this year’s squad.

Bellman said watching her teammates from the sideline last year, will help her become an even better team leader, and overall player.

“I got a different perspective of the game. Sitting out has made me into a more mature player. Before, I’d play a little hectic. Now I’m more calm and collected out there.” Bellman said.

As an upper-classman, Bellman knows she has to be a role-model on and off the court to the freshman players.

“As a leader, I try bringing the freshman in here to talk to them and keep their courage up, and being a vocal leader on the court as well,” Bellman said. “When I’m out there, I give it a 110 percent all the time, and focus on what our coach stresses the most, which is defense and rebounding.”

Since the injury, Shelly is required to wear a brace on her repaired knee. She says she only thinks about the brace when she occasionally needs to pull it up.

“It’s up to my trainers when the brace comes off, but hopefully it’s not too far into the season,” Bellman said of the brace.

Hall said he considers Bellman’s health to be around 90 percent heading into the season. He said while structurally her knee is fine, he thinks she’s still gaining her lateral quickness.

With the addition of Bellman, the Bearcats will dress 13 players for games this season: a sizeable difference to the nine they dressed last year. They’ll need to be at full strength in a talented Big East conference where the Bearcats were picked by coaches to finish fifteenth in the league.

“The past two years haven’t been the greatest seasons, but we want it to take it a step higher,” Bellman said. “It’s no fun to lose and it’s no fun to not have a good season, but we want to get there. This team works hard and pushes through and were looking to take care of business.”

Sounds like Coach Hall will enjoy having his new leader on the court this year.