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I just saw this posted by Terry Nelson on Facebook:

To all of the fans that private message me and all those still waiting to here from someone in the program... I’ll share this. This is what my thoughts are as to why so many are transferring this year.

Regarding players leaving this year, It's a combination of a lot of things. Covid has really isolated the players and not allowed them to enjoy themselves. There were no team functions where you can have teambuilding and really get to know each other and know the staff. This alone has put a lot of mental pressure on the student athletes. This is supposed to be the best time of their lives and it’s not. But we aren’t the only school dealing with this.. check the transfer portal and you’ll see multiple players from the same school leaving in several programs.

All coaches are demanding and many are thought to be crazy ... so it's all work and no play for the players or coaches. Both sides are making sacrifices. The last game of the season they lose by 37 and they're making emotional decisions to leave without ever experiencing what Cincinnati has to offer. Many will regret their decision to leave.

Coach will reload in the transfer portal and we will be better than we have in a while because he will have a full off season to develop his players and teach his system. They will use team building activities to grow a bond with both players and coaches ... this is important.

There will be close to 2,000 hoopers in the transfer portal by seasons end. Many are transferring across the country because of similar situations. We will reload and blow teams out of the water next year... watch. We won’t even bring up who left this time next year. Yes we lost some good ones, but the same way we lost them, will be the same way we get some good ones in return.

What you are experiencing right before your eyes is the new era of college free agency. Players can leave for any reason with a penalty free transfer. Any transfer after that they will have to sit out a year.

This was a close knit team so when one decides to transfer others follow suit. I saw the teams that are offering some of the players and let me say this... many will regret their decision to leave. I didn’t like Huggs after the first couple months of practice. But the more I hung around him off the court, I realized that those were just tactics to poke us and make us respond to competitive environments and never be comfortable.

This generation was given an escape door to leave and not truly learn how to handle adversity. If they had to sit out a year many would stay and work it out. But even I transferred colleges until I found my fit at UC. It happens! So before you attack JB... consider what you’re doing...

In 6 years as a head coach .. won regular season titles in 2018, 2019 & 2020. Won tournament titles in 2017 & 2019. Took this years team to the conference tournament championship with a limited roster and few upper classmen. Now the guys he brought in want to leave... and you want to get rid of the coach? How about we bring in more players that want to be here and build with them.

John loves his family... no scandals... doesn’t curse the guys out or degrade them in any way. Are his tactics different ? Of course they are. Are they effective? Damn right they are! So let’s pump the breaks until we see how he replenishes the roster and how they do this time next year.

Go Bearcats 2021-22!

Terry gets paid via the radio contract with UC.

Damage control is on.

>Terry gets paid via the radio contract with UC.

Point taken, though Terry gets paid no matter who the coach is.

^^^^
Translation: Coach Brannen has already been informed he will be the coach now and through the end of Year 3. We be stuck together like lint on a dryer vent for 12 more months minimum.

I'm still waiting to hear something from the AD. Wonder when [if] that will occur?

(03-17-2021 10:40 PM)UCGrad1992 Wrote:  I'm still waiting to hear something from the AD. Wonder when [if] that will occur?

About 5 minutes after the tourney tips off and no one is paying attention.

While I do believe that Brannen has some coaching ability, the on-court product of the last two seasons has been uninspiring. It takes more than being good with a clipboard to succeed at this level. Where is the evidence for the narrative that Brannen can just reload from the portal? How does he have credibility in the eyes of recruits and their families, would-be agents, and sundry entourages and assorted hangers-on? Methinks the best outcome for all parties is that Brannen negotiates a buyout and seeks a midmajor job where he can refine his approach, and UC hires a high-major retread with active recruiting connections. Brannen is young enough to get another shot at the big time after doing some penance.

(03-17-2021 10:40 PM)UCGrad1992 Wrote:  I'm still waiting to hear something from the AD. Wonder when [if] that will occur?

i kinda wonder if we just did, via nelson

(03-18-2021 04:51 AM)dave108 Wrote:  

(03-17-2021 10:40 PM)UCGrad1992 Wrote:  I'm still waiting to hear something from the AD. Wonder when [if] that will occur?

i kinda wonder if we just did, via nelson

My guess is they are waiting to make sure it's done. Not sure that the 3 other guys will weigh in or not, but that is probably the first priority given it's still March.

Terry is posting as an alum and as an insider. He sees Brannen from that perspective. Is he biased. Probably. Does he make points that shouldn't be ignored because of his role. Probably.
Why can't both sides be right? Why do we have a bad guy vs a good guy? Brannen isn't inept and the players aren't always right.
We have all dealt with a lot of weirdness (at best) over the lpast year. Then throw in the transfer portal being wide open and NCAA basketball get weirder this year. That's not to say Brannen and his staff aren't culpable for any of this...just that it is all magnified under current conditions. Many calling for his job didn't like his hiring in the first place. It will be interesting if he can piece together another team, pull this thing back together and show his coaching chops, which I think he's done just fine at over the past 2 years. I'm rooting for the Bearcats. Brannen is the coach. I'm rooting for Brannen and whoever is on the Shoemaker floor next year. Here's hoping everyone involved has learned something new over the past year and applies it to their lives and how they treat each other, wherever they happen to suit up.

Thanks for posting, Namrag.

I will say it is telling that the guys transferring (minus Harvey) are guys that only experienced the weird COVID year. MAW and Davenport seem still on board. UC fans have to hope this insanity is just a product of kids reacting to weird circumstances and coaches just not handling it well plus the unprecedented transfer portal opportunity. Ultimately Brannen has to kill it in the late signing period if he has any hope of being successful here. He's shown he can identify talent and even develop it. Saunders made huge strides throughout his first year. Eason got better as the season went on. Davenport made an insane leap in year 2. About halfway through last season Tre Scott reached levels I never imagined him reaching as a college basketball player (and I always liked Tre Scott).

(03-17-2021 10:23 PM)Bruce Monnin Wrote:  >Terry gets paid via the radio contract with UC.

Point taken, though Terry gets paid no matter who the coach is.

^If Terry came out hard against the current UC program he might risk his job with 700wlw. A former player, now broadcaster, ripping UC might cause UC to push 700 to fire Terry. Might not but Terry had to be careful about what he says.

(03-17-2021 10:23 PM)Bruce Monnin Wrote:  >Terry gets paid via the radio contract with UC.

Point taken, though Terry gets paid no matter who the coach is.

Terry gets paid at the continued pleasure of UC’s department of athletics decision makers. Not saying it’s why he posted this, but I expected communication like this. Would fit the game plan for damage control among fans.

(03-17-2021 09:39 PM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  Terry gets paid via the radio contract with UC.

Damage control is on.

I think I’d give Terry a lot more credit...to insinuate he spoke out because He broadcast UC basketball I don’t believe you are being fair to Terry
Unless you have inside info your comments are totally out of line.

I’m just giving my opinion on how the world of public relations spin works.

UC really needs fans to be excited and to write checks. What’s gone on this season and this week in particular has to be worst case scenario from a good will perspective.

Do you have a link? I couldn’t find it on his page

I'm leaning Brannen too guys. This year largely sucked to watch, i can imagine how much it sucked to experience isolated on campus away from home for the first time in your life and without fans to lift you up.

That said, you have to see the bigger picture. This transfer portal thing is so trendy this year was kind of a perfect storm. It would have been nice to have a real vocal senior leader who was in Brannen's camp.

I wonder if there is ANY chance any of the guys in the portal decide to come back?

I think there is more of a chance we get another year of Chris Vogt than any of them come back.

I’m not entirely confident the last shoe dropped yet.

He never said it on directly on radio, but from some small gatherings I attended it was pretty clear Terry had a lot of disagreements with the way MC did things on and off the court. He would make very subtle jabs during broadcasts that you might not pick up on if you did not know he took issue. By the same token, I think he supports Brannen for now. If he started having an issue with him I could see Terry throwing subtle jabs on radio like he did with the last staff.

(03-18-2021 07:37 AM)DownOnRohs Wrote:  I'm leaning Brannen too guys. This year largely sucked to watch, i can imagine how much it sucked to experience isolated on campus away from home for the first time in your life and without fans to lift you up.

That said, you have to see the bigger picture. This transfer portal thing is so trendy this year was kind of a perfect storm. It would have been nice to have a real vocal senior leader who was in Brannen's camp.

I wonder if there is ANY chance any of the guys in the portal decide to come back?

I wondered this too...
f a player puts their name in can they pull it back out?
If you were their coach and they decided to bail on you do you want them back?