(11-08-2013 11:04 PM)BeerCat Wrote:  

(11-08-2013 10:45 PM)SuperFlyBCat Wrote:  Screw Lance.

My only issue with UC basketball is what's the plan? Is it to make the tourney every year and that is it? Mick was quoted in the Enq this week as as saying,
even if we beat Uconn in the tourney we would have faced xyz and lost. fans began to question Huggs because he did not make it to the sweet 16 every year. Does Mick get a pass?

The recruiting has to take the next step.

Yeah, no need to beat this to death. Bottom line is that Mick doesn't recruit as well as his predecessor, and he doesn't recruit well enough to keep the program in the national conversation. After eight years, no reason to think he can step it up a notch.

I would say that this predecessor (Andy Kennedy) didn't recruit at all.

Mick is a good recruiter. Go visit the WVU website if you want Huggs updates.

(11-09-2013 08:10 PM)Bearcat Otto Wrote:  I would say that this predecessor (Andy Kennedy) didn't recruit at all.

Mick is a good recruiter. Go visit the WVU website if you want Huggs updates.

One bit of pedantry deserves another: AK was never HC, just acting HC, so he wasn't really Mick's predecessor.

I really don't see how anyone can say that Mick is a good recruiter by high-major standards: one NBA player in eight years, none in the last five. And this really understates the weakness of Mick's recruiting. Imagine that you assemble a hypothetical squad of Mick's five best players of his eight-year tenure and pit them against other high-majors' "teams of the almost-decade." I'd expect Mick's squad to make a respectable showing. However, if you exclude each team's five best from these hypothetical teams, i.e., playing our 6-10 against the others', I don't think we'd fare too well. In other words, the cream of Mick's recruiting has been pretty good, but there's a precipitous drop off in talent after that.

Huggins recruited here much better than Mick. WVU is a different situation, more challenging to recruit to.

Not my spitting contest, but Lance Stephenson was within the last 5.

(11-09-2013 08:55 PM)Former Lurker Wrote:  

(11-09-2013 08:10 PM)Bearcat Otto Wrote:  I would say that this predecessor (Andy Kennedy) didn't recruit at all.

Mick is a good recruiter. Go visit the WVU website if you want Huggs updates.

One bit of pedantry deserves another: AK was never HC, just acting HC, so he wasn't really Mick's predecessor.

I really don't see how anyone can say that Mick is a good recruiter by high-major standards: one NBA player in eight years, none in the last five. And this really understates the weakness of Mick's recruiting. Imagine that you assemble a hypothetical squad of Mick's five best players of his eight-year tenure and pit them against other high-majors' "teams of the almost-decade." I'd expect Mick's squad to make a respectable showing. However, if you exclude each team's five best from these hypothetical teams, i.e., playing our 6-10 against the others', I don't think we'd fare too well. In other words, the cream of Mick's recruiting has been pretty good, but there's a precipitous drop off in talent after that.

Huggins recruited here much better than Mick. WVU is a different situation, more challenging to recruit to.

I think Mick has done a good job recruiting all things considered. He inherited a program that was gutted. He has had to rebuild in the toughest conference in the nation (at the time). The Cats were way down the pecking order in the Big East…so teams like Cuse, UCONN, UofL, ND, Gtown got the cool pre season tourney invites, the lion share of tv games, etc. Huggins was presiding over UC who was Big Fish in a Little Pond so to speak…UC in CUSA (not a bad conference) was the 'cool team' so Huggins benefited from more tv games, preseason tourney appearance etc. These all helped in recruiting. Also…Huggins was a good recruiter too.

Why have we not fired mick yet?

(11-09-2013 11:59 AM)Former Lurker Wrote:  

(11-08-2013 11:04 PM)BeerCat Wrote:  

(11-08-2013 10:45 PM)SuperFlyBCat Wrote:  Screw Lance.

My only issue with UC basketball is what's the plan? Is it to make the tourney every year and that is it? Mick was quoted in the Enq this week as as saying,
even if we beat Uconn in the tourney we would have faced xyz and lost. fans began to question Huggs because he did not make it to the sweet 16 every year. Does Mick get a pass?

The recruiting has to take the next step.

Yeah, no need to beat this to death. Bottom line is that Mick doesn't recruit as well as his predecessor, and he doesn't recruit well enough to keep the program in the national conversation. After eight years, no reason to think he can step it up a notch.

I think Mick is a very good recruiter and a very good coach. He has been winning games with lesser quality players for awhile. I expect that winning consistently will bring in better recruits soon. I am very excited about this year's class as well as next year's class. Personally I think his upperclassmen are a lot less talented than the freshman class. I look for the team 2 years from now to be damn good.

Mick needs at least one more deep tourney run to solidify his name in recruiting circles.

I have to say after attending the game last night I like what I see from this team early on. On several occasions Justin Jackson was first down the floor after a made basket and Rubles only took one bad shot I could see. I appreciate the hustle and the effort this team gave yesterday. Reminded me of a Huggs team with the toughness. I think the weight training for Jackson and Rubles has helped their confidence and overall approach to the game.

I'm impressed how Mick has handled two of the lazier players last year and how they have responded. The freshman to my untrained eye look like they are going to be a good class moving forward in the coming years. I almost shed a tear when I saw Johnson make a back door cut, he didnt finish the play but the idea is there. Then he made another cut on the next possession. Dont remember seeing that the last couple of years from any player let alone a freshman.

(11-13-2013 03:09 PM)@ES Trader Wrote:  I have to say after attending the game last night I like what I see from this team early on. On several occasions Justin Jackson was first down the floor after a made basket and Rubles only took one bad shot I could see. I appreciate the hustle and the effort this team gave yesterday. Reminded me of a Huggs team with the toughness. I think the weight training for Jackson and Rubles has helped their confidence and overall approach to the game.

I'm impressed how Mick has handled two of the lazier players last year and how they have responded. The freshman to my untrained eye look like they are going to be a good class moving forward in the coming years. I almost shed a tear when I saw Johnson make a back door cut, he didnt finish the play but the idea is there. Then he made another cut on the next possession. Dont remember seeing that the last couple of years from any player let alone a freshman.

There were a lot of backdoor cuts and a lot more movement and passing than last year. The offense looked great last night. Hopefully they stick with it this year.

(11-13-2013 03:32 PM)BeerCat Wrote:  

(11-13-2013 03:09 PM)@ES Trader Wrote:  I have to say after attending the game last night I like what I see from this team early on. On several occasions Justin Jackson was first down the floor after a made basket and Rubles only took one bad shot I could see. I appreciate the hustle and the effort this team gave yesterday. Reminded me of a Huggs team with the toughness. I think the weight training for Jackson and Rubles has helped their confidence and overall approach to the game.

I'm impressed how Mick has handled two of the lazier players last year and how they have responded. The freshman to my untrained eye look like they are going to be a good class moving forward in the coming years. I almost shed a tear when I saw Johnson make a back door cut, he didnt finish the play but the idea is there. Then he made another cut on the next possession. Dont remember seeing that the last couple of years from any player let alone a freshman.

There were a lot of backdoor cuts and a lot more movement and passing than last year. The offense looked great last night. Hopefully they stick with it this year.

Eastside pointed out in the game thread (tip of the cap) that the Bearcats are taking advantage of the new hand check rules.