The Wes Miller Thread

[bearcatlifer]

We are all very critical of Wes and rightfully so... but he is who he is and he has probably reached his top potential. That doesn't make him a bad person. The next level up is where the blame possibly lies. With the AD. He has got be feeling the heat for his job.He hired 2 unproven coaches and gave them ridiculous contracts. And now refuses to discuss or offer any explanations. He is likely scrambling right now and hitting his contacts .Looking for his next job.Lets go up another level. How did the Board and Dr Pinto let this happen? Is there no oversight !? Maybe they were so damn fixated on getting into a major conference that minor details like hiring competent coaches and winning games became less important.

[leeraymond]

It was brought out how Kansas State were killing us in the paint, driving to the rim, etc. and Wes just stuck to his same defense. It never occurs to him to go to a zone and force the opposition to shoot outside shots which in KSU's case were not hitting them. His refusal to change things on offense and defense when things are not working leaves me dumbfounded. I've said many times that I'm not a bball expert so I don't know if its his stubbornness or of his being overwhelmed. I tend to think it's his stubbornness because I can't see all of those coaches and assistants, who have spent multiple years in bball not suggesting adjustments or just leaving things as they are. That in itself is troubling because if that is the situation then obtaining all new assistants will do absolutely nothing. And this makes no sense when it is considered that winning games and getting to the tournament is the very benchmark of success. Having a winning record does not cut it today. I guess I'm just rambling but we have seen enough body of Millers work and I say the 9mil buyout is the reason JC's keeping him. And with CWM's history of portal acquisitions I don't see anything changing

You know Rufus, I believe that Miller, in 14 years of being a head coach, still has not figured out how to win games. You cannot teach anything to a team that you do not have yourself.

Miller's biggest problem is he cannot win enough games in conference play. Miller's overall conference losing rate is 56.7% and his BIG XII losing rate is 63%. In other words, there is a 63% chance that UC will lose its next game with a current conference opponent.

I have another question. What is miller going to do differently than he has done for the last 4 years? Miller only has an off season to figure that out.

Miller is in a tough spot. Make the NCAAs or else. Miller is in a bad spot because he does not understand how to win conference games. Let's see if Miller can live up to the challenge.

[Rufus]

It was brought out how Kansas State were killing us in the paint, driving to the rim, etc. and Wes just stuck to his same defense. It never occurs to him to go to a zone and force the opposition to shoot outside shots which in KSU's case were not hitting them. His refusal to change things on offense and defense when things are not working leaves me dumbfounded. I've said many times that I'm not a bball expert so I don't know if its his stubbornness or of his being overwhelmed. I tend to think it's his stubbornness because I can't see all of those coaches and assistants, who have spent multiple years in bball not suggesting adjustments or just leaving things as they are. That in itself is troubling because if that is the situation then obtaining all new assistants will do absolutely nothing. And this makes no sense when it is considered that winning games and getting to the tournament is the very benchmark of success. Having a winning record does not cut it today. I guess I'm just rambling but we have seen enough body of Millers work and I say the 9mil buyout is the reason JC's keeping him. And with CWM's history of portal acquisitions I don't see anything changing

[JBB]

Wes is toast. He doesn’t have it to lead this program. Going to poke the bear, but Chris Mack might be a coach to consider, I’m just saying, he has delivered at a big time program and is now rebuilding his image, same as Hugs

[Gmann]

Is he really? The last true NBA level player to go through this program was recruited by Brannen.

The talent level Wes has brought in thus far has been adequate to compete in the mid-tiers of the B12. Overall a good but not great talent base.

Still the team should be good enough to beat K State and W Va at home.

Yes he is a good recruiter. Tillery and Abaev are highly rated recruits. His current squad is as well but he lacks the skills to motivate and develop them. I contend you could give Sean Miller or Pat Kelsey this same group and they'd be in the tourney.

[bearcated]

Wes is a great recruiter, but in the way of a team that always drafts the best available player.

Is he really? The last true NBA level player to go through this program was recruited by Brannen.

The talent level Wes has brought in thus far has been adequate to compete in the mid-tiers of the B12. Overall a good but not great talent base.

Still the team should be good enough to beat K State and W Va at home.

[leeraymond]

Cunningham tells Enquirer that Wes will be back next season

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/spo...m/81781813007/

A very critical but honest report of Miller as UC's head coach. I wonder if Miller knows any other approach to coaching. His current approach is not working and has not really worked since he has been the UC head coach. His best year so far has been his second year with Nolley and DeJulius. Those guys could really score.

What really bothers me about Miller is that he has averaged about 14 (fourteen) loses a year since he has been UC's head coach. Even during his best year, he had 13 loses. Miller has problems competing inside the conferences. That is where the competition is the greatest and that is where Miller is his weakest. If Miller is going to survive, he must quickly learn how to excel inside the BIG XII.

Let's see what the discussion is this time next year. It is going to be very interesting to see how this thing plays out.

[leeraymond]

Wes is a great recruiter, but in the way of a team that always drafts the best available player.

He doesn't seem to recruit to a philosophy or to build a team, but rather to get the best players he can and hope he can mold them into a cohesive whole. Lack of money relative to other teams could be partially at fault, but it doesn't excuse everything.

Mick followed a pretty clear model (that Kelvin Sampson expanded to new heights). He prioritized effort and athleticism in recruits and effort, rebounding and defense for earning playing time.

It's been brought up since year one, Wes doesn't seem to have a clear identity for players, the team as a whole or how they earn playing time. He needs to figure it out and in a way that gets us to the NCAA tournament, otherwise next year is his last.

If he wants effort, prioritize it in returning players, recruiting, practice and playing time.

Good assessment of Miller. You would think that as long as Miller has been a head coach, he would have something in his coaching bag-of-tricks that he can pull out when he needs to get a win. I think that is where the real problem is. Miller does not know how to win. After almost 20 years of being a head coach, Miller is still learning how not to lose.

[Bearcat93]

As Cunningham oversaw the hiring and contract for Wes, no shocker that he's not going to punt him at nearly 10m - he'd be under such incredible scrutiny. Great recruiters build great teams. Great sales people sign great players - these are two different things. I will add that the low basketball IQ shown by Wes's teams seem to be related to this. It doesn't take a lot to study Wes as a coach and see that in nearly 15 years as a HC, he hasn't sniffed even an opportunity at a title.

There's no team identity, let alone any offensive identity. He's a poor in-game coach, too. All the signs are there that regardless of the talent knocking on UC's door, Wes has not shown he can assemble it to build a strong B12 competitor along with very little ability to develop it. I somewhat question any high caliber player that commits here. Wes's history says he can't do it.

[GoBearcats31]

I think Cunningham's announcement that Wes is returning next year was specificallly to give Wes a chance to retain his recruit commitments. I can see Wes saying hey I need you to make a statement to give me a fighting chance of fixing this. I hope in there was a message to Wes that it's NCAA tourney next year as the only measure of a successful season.

If they have to reach the committed recruits via an article posted to Cincinnati.com at 1 a.m., that's a problem. They should regularly be in touch with recruits/their families and, if they need assurances, those conversations can happen directly.

Exactly one year ago today, Indiana lost its prized high school signee (he's now leading UConn in scoring as a freshman) and I believe one of the reasons for his decommitment was that the IU staff had backed off and not been staying in touch.

[Gmann]

I’m not worried about Abaev and Tillery. They seem to be all in with Wes. And they have signed whatever contract/memo/agreement to play for UC. Whether that’s enforceable is another matter but I would hope they are for next season. One thing for sure, if Wes leaves after this season, they will likely never wear a UC uniform. UC has done its part by assuring Wes will coach next year.

I think Cunningham's announcement that Wes is returning next year was specificallly to give Wes a chance to retain his recruit commitments. I can see Wes saying hey I need you to make a statement to give me a fighting chance of fixing this. I hope in there was a message to Wes that it's NCAA tourney next year as the only measure of a successful season.

At the same time I don't expect any improvement if it's status quo and I believe Cunningham and Miller both need to go for us to compete in the Big 12 long term. We as fans have lowered our expectations embarassingly low and I'm sick of it.

[zykarious]

I think he should bench the starting 5 & play the subs for the first 5 minutes of the next game. It couldn't be any worse than the last game!

That works for Houston because Sampson has built a team where effort is prioritized and the bench is filled with guys who you know will work hard.

Our bench on the other hand... Page is probably our laziest player, but Simas isn't far behind and you certainly can't rely on Skillings to bring it. Griffith is the one guy who consistently brings high effort and energy off the bench and he barely ever plays.

[bearcatjd]

I think he should bench the starting 5 & play the subs for the first 5 minutes of the next game. It couldn't be any worse than the last game!

[zykarious]

Wes is a great recruiter, but in the way of a team that always drafts the best available player.

He doesn't seem to recruit to a philosophy or to build a team, but rather to get the best players he can and hope he can mold them into a cohesive whole. Lack of money relative to other teams could be partially at fault, but it doesn't excuse everything.

Mick followed a pretty clear model (that Kelvin Sampson expanded to new heights). He prioritized effort and athleticism in recruits and effort, rebounding and defense for earning playing time.

It's been brought up since year one, Wes doesn't seem to have a clear identity for players, the team as a whole or how they earn playing time. He needs to figure it out and in a way that gets us to the NCAA tournament, otherwise next year is his last.

If he wants effort, prioritize it in returning players, recruiting, practice and playing time.

[steveedwards]

I really hope there's some re-tooling of the assistant coaching staff at a minimum. I think the "shot doctor" he hired last year ended up not being a "real doctor."