The unofficial online home for fans of the University of Cincinnati Bearcats. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

(01-04-2021 11:39 AM)skylinecat Wrote:  

(01-04-2021 11:16 AM)BearcatMan Wrote:  

(01-04-2021 11:03 AM)skylinecat Wrote:  Cunningham inherited Brannen, which usually means that loyalty isn't there and I also don't think he wants to go down with the ship because of Brannen. I wouldn't be surprised at all if he's gone this season. Has Nick Van Exel gotten his degree yet? He still tweets about us regularly.

Nick Van Exel...good lord...a guy who is a currently unemployed NBA scout and "coached" a G-League team (if you ever watched G-League games you'll understand why that's in quotes). What makes anyone believe he would be a good hire? Making him an assistant coach? Sure...but HC would be an asinine hire in my opinion.

If anyone is looked at, I'd imagine it would be someone like Casey Alexander, Wes Miller, or a guy currently unemployed who has a career coaching in college.

Fair enough. Good thing I'm not in charge of hiring, but I've seen nothing about Brannen that makes me think he's the right guy for the job. This team just feels flat and like they have zero energy. I don't understand how he possibly went into this season thinking that Vogt and Rap on the floor together was going to be sustainable. He essentially ran Dou out of the program with no one to replace him and got lucky that he came back. His big from Russia is redshirting when we could probably run him out there for 18 minutes a game if he has a pulse and is 6'10 and Rap quit already.

I tend to be reserved in my judgment of new coaches, but after seeing the Vogt/Rap experiment fail, it's hard to imagine what Brannen was thinking even trying it in the first place. I get that he needed a grad transfer big who was ready to play, but most of the people on this board called it that playing Rap at the 4 alongside Vogt wasn't going to work. Rap might have been a nice compliment to Dou as a backup tandem, but Rap didn't come here to be a backup. Just a mess of a situation.

(01-04-2021 11:16 AM)BearcatMan Wrote:  

(01-04-2021 11:03 AM)skylinecat Wrote:  Cunningham inherited Brannen, which usually means that loyalty isn't there and I also don't think he wants to go down with the ship because of Brannen. I wouldn't be surprised at all if he's gone this season. Has Nick Van Exel gotten his degree yet? He still tweets about us regularly.

Nick Van Exel...good lord...a guy who is a currently unemployed NBA scout and "coached" a G-League team (if you ever watched G-League games you'll understand why that's in quotes). What makes anyone believe he would be a good hire? Making him an assistant coach? Sure...but HC would be an asinine hire in my opinion.

If anyone is looked at, I'd imagine it would be someone like Casey Alexander, Wes Miller, or a guy currently unemployed who has a career coaching in college.

Nick was an emotionally fueled fan pipe dream. Would have been a disaster to make Tommy Tubberville look like a home run hire. Wait...we had fans who still thought that was a good hire even 3 years afterwards.

(01-04-2021 11:49 AM)UCBearcatlawjd2 Wrote:  I would be looking at Pitino Jr as a possible replacement due to Minnesota connection, probably an upgrade.

Currently anyone on Mick’s current UCLA staff deserves a look as well as Mack’s staff at Louisville. I would avoid mid-major coaches and focus on high major associate head coaches, high major head coaches and those that are killer recruiters. I am not worried about systems or styles just talent.

I almost to the point where Brannen just needs to go before he destroys the program and the brand.

I don’t see a single recruit or player on the current roster that I feel is worth building around to save the coach.

Richard Pitino's job at Minnesota is probably safe with the season they're having, and I highly doubt he leaves the Big Ten to come to Cincinnati. As much as I think of our basketball program, it's at best a lateral move when you consider the resources he has now. It's easier to win here though, so who knows.

I think Saunders, Harvey, Davenport, and Eason are a great young core to build around. I'm as unimpressed with Brannen's coaching performance as anyone thus far, but he's getting at least one more season. We can't afford to fire a coach after two years, especially with the hit we are taking from the pandemic.

He’s getting at least one more season...I worry how much of that good young core will be here for it.

(01-04-2021 11:50 AM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  

(01-04-2021 11:16 AM)BearcatMan Wrote:  

(01-04-2021 11:03 AM)skylinecat Wrote:  Cunningham inherited Brannen, which usually means that loyalty isn't there and I also don't think he wants to go down with the ship because of Brannen. I wouldn't be surprised at all if he's gone this season. Has Nick Van Exel gotten his degree yet? He still tweets about us regularly.

Nick Van Exel...good lord...a guy who is a currently unemployed NBA scout and "coached" a G-League team (if you ever watched G-League games you'll understand why that's in quotes). What makes anyone believe he would be a good hire? Making him an assistant coach? Sure...but HC would be an asinine hire in my opinion.

If anyone is looked at, I'd imagine it would be someone like Casey Alexander, Wes Miller, or a guy currently unemployed who has a career coaching in college.

Nick was an emotionally fueled fan pipe dream. Would have been a disaster to make Tommy Tubberville look like a home run hire. Wait...we had fans who still thought that was a good hire even 3 years afterwards.

He's like the Kerry Coombs basketball equivalent. NVE needs to be an assistant on a high-major staff before I would ever consider him as a head coach candidate. Love the dude, but his resume is too thin.

Eason looks like he will be good, but I also think he is gone after his sophomore season no matter what either for a different program or the NBA.

Lahkin is redshirting in a season where we're playing Davenport tons of minutes at the 4 because there is literally no one else and his only competition at center is cement shoes Vogt or a Mamadou that we had to apparently beg to come back.

Gabe Madsen couldn't get off the bench which most likely led to him leaving the team with the hope that he comes back to continue not getting any minutes.

Saunders looks like a good complimentary piece and should get run as a starting PG his last two seasons.

Mason Madsen also can't get off the bench and is only on the team because we wanted his brother who quit the team.

Rap quit.

DeJulius looks okay but is shooting 38% from the field and 17.6% from 3 after shooting 36% last season on 83 attempts. Averaging less than two turn overs a game which is very good. He'd have been a great get on any Mick teams but he's likely going to get forgotten in what I expect to be a lost season plus a lost 21/22 season. He didn't come here to lose 15 games in the American.

Have you seen something that Lahkin is redshirting? I thought he was about back from his knee issue. With the Covid year in play i'd be surprised if he didn't try to come back assuming he's on the mend. Not sure it's a difference maker but i wanted to see him out there to get some idea where he stands competition and skill wise.

There are effectively no redshirts since it’s a free year of eligibility for everyone.

If Lahkin doesn’t play it’s because he is hurt, there is a log jam at his position, or he is not good enough yet to earn minutes in the rotation.

(01-04-2021 12:56 PM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  There are effectively no redshirts since it’s a free year of eligibility for everyone.

If Lahkin doesn’t play it’s because he is hurt, there is a log jam at his position, or he is not good enough yet to earn minutes in the rotation.

Yea, i think even if he only got to see action in a third or a quarter of their games it's worthwhile to see where he stands and if he can be counted on next year for minutes.

(01-04-2021 11:53 AM)robertfoshizzle Wrote:  

(01-04-2021 11:49 AM)UCBearcatlawjd2 Wrote:  I would be looking at Pitino Jr as a possible replacement due to Minnesota connection, probably an upgrade.

Currently anyone on Mick’s current UCLA staff deserves a look as well as Mack’s staff at Louisville. I would avoid mid-major coaches and focus on high major associate head coaches, high major head coaches and those that are killer recruiters. I am not worried about systems or styles just talent.

I almost to the point where Brannen just needs to go before he destroys the program and the brand.

I don’t see a single recruit or player on the current roster that I feel is worth building around to save the coach.

Richard Pitino's job at Minnesota is probably safe with the season they're having, and I highly doubt he leaves the Big Ten to come to Cincinnati. As much as I think of our basketball program, it's at best a lateral move when you consider the resources he has now. It's easier to win here though, so who knows.

I think Saunders, Harvey, Davenport, and Eason are a great young core to build around. I'm as unimpressed with Brannen's coaching performance as anyone thus far, but he's getting at least one more season. We can't afford to fire a coach after two years, especially with the hit we are taking from the pandemic.

You'd be surprised...I think his job almost hinges on Holmgren as weird as that is to say.

I was completely opposed to Rick Pitino 2 years ago but you could talk me into it now. Universities need money more than they need morality, and hiring someone that is certain to win satisfies that requirement. If Arizona and LSU aren't going to fire their two respective grease balls, I no longer have any qualms about playing in the dirt.

Rick Pitino was never going to be allowed to come here. Not with what President Pinto knew about what went on at UL. Plus with the institutional memories of the ugly breakup of 2005, UC is not going to hire anyone with NCAA or personal demon baggage. Pitino has both.

Neville is extremely risk averse to begin with.