2025-26 Roster

[leo from jersey]

Evans wasn't referring strictly to the person with the ball. The other players did not assess opportunities quickly enough, allowing defenses to adjust, thereby limiting the ballhandlers' options. Evans is all into players who can process situations on the fly, without having to consume time (even split seconds) before acting. That hangs the ballhandler out to dry. Does that exempt the guards from criticism? No, but it wasn't their fault as much as the average fans think.

I think Evans is very good for the program so far. Do you really think CWM would have dismissed JJ without Evans major input (along with BB alums). He was added for a reason. He may also be the one with heart to heart talks with players. He sorta does control the purse strings and roster. The PG does control the team or is given the job description. I have not seen that in a few years.

[swilsonsp4]

Evans wasn't referring strictly to the person with the ball. The other players did not assess opportunities quickly enough, allowing defenses to adjust, thereby limiting the ballhandlers' options. Evans is all into players who can process situations on the fly, without having to consume time (even split seconds) before acting. That hangs the ballhandler out to dry. Does that exempt the guards from criticism? No, but it wasn't their fault as much as the average fans think.

[leeraymond372@gmail.com]

did you see much interaction between James and most of the team. Cold shoulders on the bench and walking off the court. More to a team game than on court play as off court often determines team play. Lee i also think it was CWM's inability to get a solid offense with players who don't mesh or even willing to try.. His talent level is higher at UC as before he coached players that needed a school and were often not the stars of their high school teams and before NIL (what little they would get).. As I believe that we both agree, when J. Newman left, there was nobody to get the team going in the locker room and thus the court. Maybe in this day of NIL all we will see is hero ball or wanna be hero ball. Lee do you see any hope? Are 18-19 year olds ready to be business men even with agents controlling the money? James had name recognition which set him apart from many of the players and he had expectations because of that recognition. It is a sad day for UC, but as we all know, winning changes everything. Even in these days of NIL very few teams have near complete rooster turnovers (a few yes) as UC. UC has a couple of guys who were able to play the point elsewhere so we will see. The word was that DeJulius didn't play to UM's expectations at the point and thus he was expendable. YES CWM inherited a mess, but what has he shown besides being "pissed". Regardless, I am looking forward to this year and will behind the Cats as usual. I just has a memory of glory days which I want to see again. And of course, I enjoy reading your posts.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Leo, you bring up some good points. You have been talking about the need for a floor general for a long time. I agree. In my mind, UC's teams were better when it not only had good point guard play, but also decent front lines. I truly think that Tillery could be that floor general that you have been talking about for years. Also, the big men this year should be able to hold their own.

I can tell Leo that you are extremely passionate about UC basketball and want the program to be successful. I have also noticed that you speak your mind. I like that. You call it as you see it. I respect that. I am like you; I hate seeing UC basketball get kicked around and stepped on by programs that UC should be hammering. UC lost both home and away games to West Virginia and Kansas State last season. Also, remember that UC had two 4 game losing streaks in 10 games. That is the kind of crap that should not be happening. Hopefully, this year, UC can put it all together and win some games. It is now time for UC to start administering some beat-downs of its own.

Gotta run. Leo, continue to tell it like it is. By the way, I enjoy your posts too.

[leo from jersey]

One more observation. It is extremely difficult to process situations quickly when your mind is on yourself. Many are far from seeing three feet beyond their personal situation. Thus we see the major changes with some leaving and the pgs that came once Cory Evans put together this team. Will that result in a tourney bid this year. Who knows, but the future does look a bit brighter with one who knows business and basketball as Evans does.

[leo from jersey]

This is a good observation concerning UC's offense. Think back to Miller's past UC teams. They had similar problems. Think back to DeJulius and Davenport hogging the ball and the shots. Devenport was trigger happy and DeJulius would dribble and dribble until he found a shot that he liked. Think about DeJulius and Nolley overdribbling and hunting shots. This type of play ended up in a lot of one-on-one isolation plays at the tail end of the shot clock.

These are the same offensive patterns that we saw last season with James and Thomas overdribbling and hunting shots. What I am saying is that, maybe these patterns are the result of some systematic disfunction with offensive flow, positioning, and ball movement such that the first available shot is the best shot. Davenport was a master at getting off that first available shot whether the shot was good or bad. If the first available shot is not there, the team then dribbles and dribbles trying to find a decent shot. However, by then, the defense clamps down forcing UC to take a bad shot as the shot clock is winding down. Maybe that is how James ended up with the ball many times in those situations.

James had some problems on the floor. However, some members on this thread are blaming James for all the offensive woes of the team last season. From my perspective, these offensive woes are an ongoing problem with Miller's offensive system or lack of a real system. James was just the latest victim trying to interpret and run Miller's system. James was the latest ball hog in an offense that has historically featured nothing but ball hogs (Davenport, DeJulius, and Nolley).

Once again, good observation.

did you see much interaction between James and most of the team. Cold shoulders on the bench and walking off the court. More to a team game than on court play as off court often determines team play. Lee i also think it was CWM's inability to get a solid offense with players who don't mesh or even willing to try.. His talent level is higher at UC as before he coached players that needed a school and were often not the stars of their high school teams and before NIL (what little they would get).. As I believe that we both agree, when J. Newman left, there was nobody to get the team going in the locker room and thus the court. Maybe in this day of NIL all we will see is hero ball or wanna be hero ball. Lee do you see any hope? Are 18-19 year olds ready to be business men even with agents controlling the money? James had name recognition which set him apart from many of the players and he had expectations because of that recognition. It is a sad day for UC, but as we all know, winning changes everything. Even in these days of NIL very few teams have near complete rooster turnovers (a few yes) as UC. UC has a couple of guys who were able to play the point elsewhere so we will see. The word was that DeJulius didn't play to UM's expectations at the point and thus he was expendable. YES CWM inherited a mess, but what has he shown besides being "pissed". Regardless, I am looking forward to this year and will behind the Cats as usual. I just has a memory of glory days which I want to see again. And of course, I enjoy reading your posts.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[leeraymond372@gmail.com]

When Corey Evans was interviewed after CWM hired him as GM, he said that the team, as a whole, lacked the ability to process situations quickly, which stalled movement. That led to dribble-dribble-dribble-jack it up. UC was trying to run the same stuff as Florida; just didn't have the same group ability.

This is a good observation concerning UC's offense. Think back to Miller's past UC teams. They had similar problems. Think back to DeJulius and Davenport hogging the ball and the shots. Devenport was trigger happy and DeJulius would dribble and dribble until he found a shot that he liked. Think about DeJulius and Nolley overdribbling and hunting shots. This type of play ended up in a lot of one-on-one isolation plays at the tail end of the shot clock.

These are the same offensive patterns that we saw last season with James and Thomas overdribbling and hunting shots. What I am saying is that, maybe these patterns are the result of some systematic disfunction with offensive flow, positioning, and ball movement such that the first available shot is the best shot. Davenport was a master at getting off that first available shot whether the shot was good or bad. If the first available shot is not there, the team then dribbles and dribbles trying to find a decent shot. However, by then, the defense clamps down forcing UC to take a bad shot as the shot clock is winding down. Maybe that is how James ended up with the ball many times in those situations.

James had some problems on the floor. However, some members on this thread are blaming James for all the offensive woes of the team last season. From my perspective, these offensive woes are an ongoing problem with Miller's offensive system or lack of a real system. James was just the latest victim trying to interpret and run Miller's system. James was the latest ball hog in an offense that has historically featured nothing but ball hogs (Davenport, DeJulius, and Nolley).

Once again, good observation.

[swilsonsp4]

As a non officionado, allow me to ask a question/
play devil’s advocate ?
What exactly is CWM’s offense ?
JJ (and others) did dribble around looking
to create shots but when others don’t move,
what are they supposed to do ?
Isn’t that up to the coach to make adjustments
so that “hero ball” as some call it doesn’t persist ?
From my perspective, JJ was one of
the few to be able to put the ball in the
hole. But believe me, he did frustrate me
at times as well.

When Corey Evans was interviewed after CWM hired him as GM, he said that the team, as a whole, lacked the ability to process situations quickly, which stalled movement. That led to dribble-dribble-dribble-jack it up. UC was trying to run the same stuff as Florida; just didn't have the same group ability.

[SKell82155]

As a non officionado, allow me to ask a question/
play devil’s advocate ?
What exactly is CWM’s offense ?
JJ (and others) did dribble around looking
to create shots but when others don’t move,
what are they supposed to do ?
Isn’t that up to the coach to make adjustments
so that “hero ball” as some call it doesn’t persist ?
From my perspective, JJ was one of
the few to be able to put the ball in the
hole. But believe me, he did frustrate me
at times as well.

[SKell82155]

The Skills Academy is invite-only-i.e. it is an honor to be invited and having players selected reflects well on their college team. Jizzle's situation was different in that it seems to have been his choice to go to Houston-but as others have alluded to, his recent posts where it seems like he is coming back to the team also mentioned starting step 1 of a 12 step program-so seems likely that his time in Houston has more to do with getting help for off-court trouble than any sort of statement of confidence (or lack thereof) in UC's coaching staff. If that's the case, then good luck to him-it's a brave step to pubicly acknowledge your struggles like that.

Thanks, Longtime !

[GoBearcats31]

Episode 1 of "Bearcats Reloaded" from UC just hit YouTube etc. It is 6 mins long. I have not watched yet but wanted to share:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWHIFEh0c2s

Episode 2 (5 minutes)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPA1He45sfY

[leo from jersey]

I see a lot of pondering about CWM and having jizzle being on the team or not. From where I sit, he didn't have a say in this matter. If a young man is dealing with and behaving in the ways that are rumored, what coach can keep the person on the team? Jizzle got himself kicked off this team plain and simple, now all around the program must adjust and move forward. FWIW his dismissal doesn't temper my expectations or excitement for the team.

many of us are optimistic. We want to see growth in CWM ability to bring together a team with the end results being wins and a ticket to the dance.

[kskenyon4]

I see a lot of pondering about CWM and having jizzle being on the team or not. From where I sit, he didn't have a say in this matter. If a young man is dealing with and behaving in the ways that are rumored, what coach can keep the person on the team? Jizzle got himself kicked off this team plain and simple, now all around the program must adjust and move forward. FWIW his dismissal doesn't temper my expectations or excitement for the team.

[bba_1979]

Leo - I don't always agree with you, but this time I believe you got it right. Go Cats!

[bearcatlifer]

Amen to that Leo!

[leo from jersey]

I hope that James can solve whatever problems that he is having. His health is more important than anything else. He is such a young guy. He has his whole life to live. I wish him good health.

With that said, UC may miss James' scoring. He scored in double figures in 23 games last season. He was one of the first players to come out of that horrible team scoring slump last January. He put up some big numbers against some very good teams consistently all season. For instance, James hit for 23 or more points in three consecutive games in the conference (BYU, Utah, Iowa State). James, likewise, hit for 18 against Houston (a very good defensive team) and hit for 19 against Villanova when UC had problems scoring.

I am not taking sides here. I figure Miller did what he thought was best for team chemistry and stability. It is very important that everyone in the program be on the same page. However, when the roster is evaluated, what player on the current roster can put up similar numbers? We will find out soon.

Look, James had problems on the floor: over-dribbling, bad ally-oop passes, poor tempo management, and selfishness (at times). On the other hand, James often singlehandedly kept UC in games with his scoring. Imagine what last year's would have been without James. Nevertheless, I am extremely optimistic about the upcoming season and this roster. I think that this roster is going to be very productive.

The only question mark that I have is Miller.

I don't believe that James kept the Cats in the game. If he would have brought the ball down the court in a timely way and ran the offense instead of his personal game, then perhaps the Cats would have won more instead of just being in the game. There were two hogs on the court and it caused the others to get frustrated and not to care. There was no Newman to apply tough love to get them going. We all know what it is to play when you are left out due to a couple of me firsters. SL gave up and the year before he was our clutch player. He saw the rubbish style of play and was bidding his time until his dad got him a good paying job on a European team. CWM was in over his head and lost more than games. He lost his team. Now he got backing to get some high priced players and to get rid of the hogs. Can he develop the team? I think we are all tired of Crown tournament games. This is UC and does anyone watching BB today realize what we once were. The most feared team in BB. CWM must do it or JC must do what is right.