Sports

Where is Buchie Ibeh?

• The Wildcats are still trying to find a connection with highly touted WR Buchie Ibeh, who hasn’t been the force many expected him to be in the team’s first two games.

Derek Barichello

ALBANY — Stay tuned —the acquisition of receiver Buchie Ibeh has not taken full effect yet.

The highly touted playmaker caught six passes for 49 yards, the longest for 18, with no touchdowns in his second scoreless game as a Wildcat on Saturday during a

50-43 loss to the Louisville Fire. The dismal outing comes after Ibeh led the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers to the title game last year with 916 yards and 20 touchdowns.

But after the game, Ibeh had one message to Wildcats fans: Give it time. “Obviously there are some small nuances that we have to get together,” Ibeh said of the still-developing chemistry between he and Wildcats quarterback Cecil Lester. “It’s a fairly new team, we only had two weeks in camp, but we’re jelling. We’re jelling on the run unfortunately, but it’ll all come together.”

In last week’s Wildcats win, Ibeh also was ineffective for the most part, recording only seven catches for 47 yards — and again, no touchdowns.

So what gives?

In addition to the chemistry issues, Wildcats coach Derek Stingley says it also has to do with how the defenses have played him thus far.

“We’ve been moving him around and trying some different formations,” Stingley said. “The defense is rolling up the coverage to him. They understand what type of athlete he is. That’s why he opens up other areas for the other guys.”

While Ibeh did not find success Saturday, the attention the Fire’s defense paid him did create opportunities for other receivers. P.J. Berry caught eight passes for 140 yards and three touchdowns, while former Westover star Antwone Savage had seven catches for 94 yards with three touchdowns.

But the fact still remains, Ibeh is still out to get his.

“He’s going to be more involved (in the coming weeks),” Stingley said. “We’ll do things to make sure he gets going early on. We understand what we have in Buchie.”

The lack of numbers has had little effect on Ibeh.

“My whole thing is to let the game come to me,” Ibeh said. “I had a stellar (year) last season, so the coordinators know who I am.

“The jersey changed but I didn’t. If I open up other guys, I’m all for that. It’s my job.”

His quarterback agrees.

Lester, who didn’t know Ibeh’s last name when he was asked and only knew the receiver by Buchie, believes the chemistry will come as he figures out how to get Ibeh the ball against any — and all — defensive formations.

“We are a family,” Lester said. “We do this together.”

And that, says Ibeh, starts with the next practice.

“I’m more frustrated with just the loss. I’m at the point where I’ve been to the Arena One level and I’ve been back down,” he said. “I’ve been to the mountain top. I just want to win because when we win we’ll all get a shot to go to the top.”

And as he walked out of the locker room Saturday, Ibeh offered one final, reassuring thought: “Stay tuned.”

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