Late Season Observation

[BearKatz]

Count me among those who think ADs deserve some blame for this mess. Cunningham can't keep Fickell, and he approves the hiring of Satterfield and Miller. Bohn, at about the time he was getting ready to leave UC, lets Cronin get away and apparently is involved in the hiring of Brannen. Part of the problem, I suspect, is that administrators at all levels in the college environment seem to always wait for a crisis to happen before they even think about doing anything. OMG, Cronin is leaving, Fickell is leaving, Brannen , Satterfield, CWM are not working out, now what, they say to themselves, whereas they should have a plan in place for urgent matters like these that invariably occur. Which brings me to Miller. He has had his chance, and it's going from bad to worse. If it is not practical to dump him now or at the end of the season start looking for a new coach now, and hire him as soon as it is practical to do so.

Couldn't agree more! Desperation Hires is what I labeled them at the time. Miller not so much of a desperation hire like Brannen, but it's not working out.

UC needs a hard nosed coach who can instill toughness! Bring back a STRENGTH Coach who knows how to maximize an athlete's potential!

I believe it's time to give a former Bearcat a chance to shine! " Van Exel, Martin" to name a few! It can't get any worse than what we are witnessing now.

[Bearcat93]

I'm sure there's a number of ways to determine the cost of allowing an unqualified coach to continue coaching, but at some point, the 10m release fee is compared to the cost of brand erosion, apathy, no-shows at games (reducing the intake of insanely overpriced food/bev), canceled season ticket subscriptions, changes to annual donor contributions and probably many more revenue inputs I'm overlooking. Let's be real - Abaev is unlikely to come here if this continues - he'll essentially be joining a roster rebuild with a coach that on record cannot gain Q1 victories, compete at home and after nearly 15 years, has zero NCAA tournament wins (whether that's a measuring stick that everyone can get behind or not, you can't win a championship with a tournament win). Why on earth would a highly regarded prospect entertain that?!?

[longtimefan]

OK, get rid of the coach, say goodbye to most of the roster, Tillery, Abaev, and start over, again. I’m not ready to give up on CWM, what I see is a team that is limited. I see lots of one dimensional players, one can shoot threes maybe, and be deficient in other areas, guys who can defend but can’t score. We need a couple of complete players, and we need a quality big who is a threat underneath. One John Newman or Trevon Scott would make a huge difference for this team.

[BearKatz]

OK, get rid of the coach, say goodbye to most of the roster, Tillery, Abaev, and start over, again. I’m not ready to give up on CWM, what I see is a team that is limited. I see lots of one dimensional players, one can shoot threes maybe, and be deficient in other areas, guys who can defend but can’t score. We need a couple of complete players, and we need a quality big who is a threat underneath. One John Newman or Trevon Scott would make a huge difference for this team.

I agree with most of wat you're saying. But Bearcat93 made a great point above. If this continues on a downward spiral Abaev & Tillery could both re-open recruitment and land elsewhere. If that happens, then we have nothing for next year, and the team is probably in worse shape than it is now.

[JBB]

Agree, Miller has lost this team.. He wants to be their friend instead of a demanding coach. We all saw this his first couple years. No defense, no rebounds, no toughness in the paint. All you have to do is watch Houston get after it
Their coach is demanding!!! I have no confidence that Miller can turn it around. If Cunningham were smart, he would reach out to a proven winner…..Bob Huggins is available and can turn this around immediately. Sign him to a 5 year contract with conditions. Deep down, you all know he can do it. Just look at Pitino and what he is accomplishing as a 70 year old coach.
i hate seeing wasted talent, if something isn’t done, Portal Exits in the NIL world is a monster threat.

[London 'Cat]

Agree, Miller has lost this team.. He wants to be their friend instead of a demanding coach. We all saw this his first couple years. No defense, no rebounds, no toughness in the paint. All you have to do is watch Houston get after it
Their coach is demanding!!! I have no confidence that Miller can turn it around. If Cunningham were smart, he would reach out to a proven winner…..Bob Huggins is available and can turn this around immediately. Sign him to a 5 year contract with conditions. Deep down, you all know he can do it. Just look at Pitino and what he is accomplishing as a 70 year old coach.
i hate seeing wasted talent, if something isn’t done, Portal Exits in the NIL world is a monster threat.

After the way the team has performed, who would offer them NIL money to transfer? No UC players offer anything to another program.

[leo from jersey]

After the way the team has performed, who would offer them NIL money to transfer? No UC players offer anything to another program.

Oh I think JJ would have offers along with Tyler B and Ray. Even a team would take a chance on DS. It depends on which teams have the money and how much. Right now there seems to be both hits and misses with NIL players. I remember Mike Saunders getting offers and both Madsens.

[BearKatz]

JBB Has said it best above! The TEAM deserves a PROVEN Winner for a Coach! Is the program not worthy of such a coach?

Ever since Mick left, we hae settled for 2nd Best! The Brannen hire was a complete joke! Miller was better, but not good enough! and all you have to do is watch to see the product on the floor.

As I said, we had a chance at Pearl, look at Auburn. Pitino at St.Johns, in second place with an 18-3 record! Yes, these coaches come with baggage! Oh well, who doesn't these days! I would take Mick back in a heartbeat!

The real question, where do we go from here?

[Gmann]

If this season continues on the trajectory it's on and finishes down as it is now, most of us believe Miller will still be retained because of his contract, roster and recruits assuming they stay. I still believe most of these guys are much better than we have seen and many are worth keeping. They do need big man help though no doubt.

In order to have a shot at retaining his job I think Miller needs to clean house with assistants and I believe he would do well to hire an experienced former head coach who has had tourney success previously. He is a good recruiter and in my view that's about it. He needs help with assistants that will cover him in development, discipline/toughness, and strategy all areas of weakness in my opinion. I would be very curious to know what he and Roy Williams discuss because clearly he's a guy who has had success at the highest level.

All that being said I doubt Miller will do anything that would require tough decisions with staff. He just seems to be too nice a guy and wouldn't want to hurt anyone's feelings. Barring some miracle, that will cost him his job and we will have to suffer through another rebuild which in this environment might not be that bad with the right hire given NIL and portal. I don't trust Cunningham to navigate any of that though.

[red_n_black_attack]

The real question, where do we go from here?

The real question is when do we cut ties with Wes, and my answer is yesterday. Let the search for the next basketball coach begin today!

If this season continues on the trajectory it's on and finishes down as it is now, most of us believe Miller will still be retained because of his contract, roster and recruits assuming they stay. I still believe most of these guys are much better than we have seen and many are worth keeping. They do need big man help though no doubt.

In order to have a shot at retaining his job I think Miller needs to clean house with assistants and I believe he would do well to hire an experienced former head coach who has had tourney success previously. He is a good recruiter and in my view that's about it. He needs help with assistants that will cover him in development, discipline/toughness, and strategy all areas of weakness in my opinion. I would be very curious to know what he and Roy Williams discuss because clearly he's a guy who has had success at the highest level.

All that being said I doubt Miller will do anything that would require tough decisions with staff. He just seems to be too nice a guy and wouldn't want to hurt anyone's feelings. Barring some miracle, that will cost him his job and we will have to suffer through another rebuild which in this environment might not be that bad with the right hire given NIL and portal. I don't trust Cunningham to navigate any of that though.

I agree Cunningham probably won't accept his mistake and Fire Wes yesterday, and I agree Wes is too nice to fire his assistants. Thus, Cunningham needs to force Wes' hand and be the bad guy in clearing house. There are several great X's and O's coaches at smaller schools who can't recruit well. Pay them to do what they're great at.

[leeraymond]

I think good coaches have one of two approaches they use to shape a team. Some coaches are very good at evaluating the talent of their players and then build workable systems around the players' capabilities. Other coaches have proven systems in place that they have perfected over time. They go out and get players that fit into their system. Clearly, Miller fits in with the second type of coach. But there is a problem. Either Miller is not getting the right recruits for his system, or his system is faulty. It is hard to say which is which. Nevertheless, there is a major problem here.

It is the coach's responsibility to figure out what the problem is and then take corrective action. Correcting the problem is where Miller is weak. It appears that he does not even try to correct the problem. Has anyone ever heard Miller offer corrective action to the team's current problems? With the interviews that I have seen, I have never heard Miller talk about solutions.

Coaches are field managers whether they understand it or like it. They are responsible for understanding what the problems are on the floor and coming up with solutions. Miller has a millionaire's coaching contract. He is getting paid more money than most people on the planet will ever make. He should be able to come up with solutions to basketball floor problems. Maybe Miller should have taken an assistant coaching spot at a Power Conference school for 3 or 4 years before seeking a Power Conference head coaching spot. An assistant coaching spot at a high-major may have truly helped his coaching.

As it now stands, every time Miller hits the game floor, his coaching deficiencies are on full display. Here is the worst part, Miller does not appear to want to try NEW things. There just may be a solution in trying something new.

In closing, winning is a mind-set. A coach has to instill a winning mind-set into his players daily. On the other hand, a coach CANNOT give anything to his team that HE/SHE does not have.