Coaching Carousel ‘26

[GoBearcats31]

Jeff Goodman reports Steve Forbes should be back next year at Wake Forest

[GoBearcats31]

Jeff Goodman reports Steve Forbes should be back next year at Wake Forest

Also Jeff Goodman says Providence could target Richard Pitino "who sources say would highly consider leaving Xavier after one season."

That would be something, wouldn't it? That said, what if hypothetically UC finishes the year strong and kept Wes but then Josh Schertz (who could consider the likes of Providence, UC) ended up at X...

[SKell82155]

Also Jeff Goodman says Providence could target Richard Pitino "who sources say would highly consider leaving Xavier after one season."

That would be something, wouldn't it? That said, what if hypothetically UC finishes the year strong and kept Wes but then Josh Schertz (who could consider the likes of Providence, UC) ended up at X...

Oh man, you just upset my stomach lol.

[GoBearcats31]

Oregon State is parting ways with Wayne Tinkle, the AD announced https://osubeavers.com/news/2026/2/2...etball-program Tinkle made the NCAA Tournament twice since his hire in 2014, including a wild Pac-12 tournament championship and run to the Elite Eight in 2021.

Air Force also made a move earlier this week. https://www.espn.com/mens-college-ba...eeks-new-voice

[GoBearcats31]

And here is an extensive look at the coaching carousel from ESPN
https://www.espn.com/mens-college-ba...ide-candidates

Under "Jobs that could open":


Wes Miller might be coaching himself off of the hot seat with the Bearcats' recent play. They entered the week on a four-game winning streak, including Saturday's 16-point win over Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse. Another couple of wins, and Cincinnati could even find itself in the midst of the bubble conversation. The Bearcats haven't gone to the NCAA tournament since Miller was hired in 2021, and they've spent real money on talented rosters the past few seasons. The former UNC Greensboro coach is owed nearly $10 million if he's fired before April 1, but that guarantee drops to less than $5 million on April 1.

[GoBearcats31]

Famed pseudonymous Twitter/X college basketball scooper Trilly Donovan posted an updated March 1 hot seat tier graphic last night and Wes Miller is in the newly added "Hot Seat - Trending Safe" category. I believe Wes was previously shown in the "Hot Seat - 50/50" tier.

[D.A.H.]

Famed pseudonymous Twitter/X college basketball scooper Trilly Donovan posted an updated March 1 hot seat tier graphic last night and Wes Miller is in the newly added "Hot Seat - Trending Safe" category. I believe Wes was previously shown in the "Hot Seat - 50/50" tier.

when i see this topic, i hold my breath, and hope that i see a buyout announcement for uc and wes miller. i really hope that he doesn't come back. if he does, it'll be like the israelites wandering in the desert. seems like a decent guy - just over his head.

[GoBearcats31]

With there being a seemingly reasonable/realistic chance of Wes Miller returning next year, what positives can you take away from this?

Obviously, the season isn't over, so this chapter has not been fully written. But let's say UC finishes well but still misses the NCAA Tournament, surely 2026-2027 would be the year Wes would have to make the NCAA Tournament, right? ... Right?

It would seem plausible (if not likely) with Wes back, that Jizzle James would return. Obviously, you'd want to see Keyshuan Tillery and Moustapha Thiam return, and I am sure most would like a chance to see Jalen Haynes suit up next year as a Bearcat. He can't stay healthy, but you want Tyler McKinley as a Bearcat too. I wouldn't place a ton of confidence in Shon Abaev returning, though many would be fine with this I'd bet -- but let's see what he does now that he is back. Sencire Harris has another year but it is clear he is best suited in limited minutes. Jordi Rodriguez (freshman) and Halvine Dzellat (sophomore) obviously have eligibility. With any team that is consistently missing the tourney and returning a coach, you cannot just "run it back" with all the guys eligible to return, but there are pieces to build around. Obviously in this era, a coaching change could lead all of the above to move on, plus 4-star recruit Kayden Allen would probably not stay committed either based on how this usually goes. With the Brendan Sorsby litigation though, who knows what you might have with say, Thiam (I could be wrong, but I thought he was maybe on a 2-year deal).

People can cancel their season tickets, pull donations, stop watching, stop visiting Bearcat News or BCJ, etc. -- that's all good and well. And I wouldn't blame anyone for checking out, financially or otherwise (I can do without the rage though).

But are you willing to accept that maybe UC hoops is just not what it once was and maybe they will be a middle of the pack Big 12 team most years? I don't want that to be a reality and I'm not personally suggesting fans should accept mediocrity. But maybe in part that is the reality of joining the Big 12 and UC just does not have the means to compete consistently at the top. Or maybe it does come down to coaching, and maybe a program changer is out there (but there is no guarantee that a Josh Schertz, for example, would be attainable).

I guess I'm just curious to see how people would accept a Wes Miller return with sensible, rational thoughts.

[D.A.H.]

With there being a seemingly reasonable/realistic chance of Wes Miller returning next year, what positives can you take away from this?

Obviously, the season isn't over, so this chapter has not been fully written. But let's say UC finishes well but still misses the NCAA Tournament, surely 2026-2027 would be the year Wes would have to make the NCAA Tournament, right? ... Right?

It would seem plausible (if not likely) with Wes back, that Jizzle James would return. Obviously, you'd want to see Keyshuan Tillery and Moustapha Thiam return, and I am sure most would like a chance to see Jalen Haynes suit up next year as a Bearcat. He can't stay healthy, but you want Tyler McKinley as a Bearcat too. I wouldn't place a ton of confidence in Shon Abaev returning, though many would be fine with this I'd bet -- but let's see what he does now that he is back. Sencire Harris has another year but it is clear he is best suited in limited minutes. Jordi Rodriguez (freshman) and Halvine Dzellat (sophomore) obviously have eligibility. With any team that is consistently missing the tourney and returning a coach, you cannot just "run it back" with all the guys eligible to return, but there are pieces to build around. Obviously in this era, a coaching change could lead all of the above to move on, plus 4-star recruit Kayden Allen would probably not stay committed either based on how this usually goes. With the Brendan Sorsby litigation though, who knows what you might have with say, Thiam (I could be wrong, but I thought he was maybe on a 2-year deal).

People can cancel their season tickets, pull donations, stop watching, stop visiting Bearcat News or BCJ, etc. -- that's all good and well. And I wouldn't blame anyone for checking out, financially or otherwise (I can do without the rage though).

But are you willing to accept that maybe UC hoops is just not what it once was and maybe they will be a middle of the pack Big 12 team most years? I don't want that to be a reality and I'm not personally suggesting fans should accept mediocrity. But maybe in part that is the reality of joining the Big 12 and UC just does not have the means to compete consistently at the top. Or maybe it does come down to coaching, and maybe a program changer is out there (but there is no guarantee that a Josh Schertz, for example, would be attainable).

I guess I'm just curious to see how people would accept a Wes Miller return with sensible, rational thoughts.

i want to see a team, where there's no questions as to effort, desire, basketball iq - the intangibles. i know everyone, me included, wants to win, but i want to see a team that appears to know what (it wants) to do, and makes the effort, game in and game out, to do it. a work ethic. and, i think that if you see that, more times than not, the W's and L's take care of themselves.

[GoBearcats31]

https://www.cbssports.com/college-ba...r-conferences/

There are some mixed signals at the moment over how firm the ground is under Wes Miller's feet in Cincinnati. The Bearcats haven't been NCAA Tournament-good in any of Miller's five seasons, a surprising development considering how robust and reliable Miller's UNC Greensboro teams were in the final five seasons of his time there before getting the UC job in 2021. UC is 16-13 and still has a shot to make a run and win its way into the field, but it will take a home win over BYU on Tuesday for that to even become a possibility. It seems Miller's chances at holding on seem a lot better now than they did a month ago, and the price (well north of $9 million if fired this month) might be a factor.

[bearcatbret]

I do not accept that UC will be a mediocre team for the long-term. Back when UC joined the Big East, when the Big East was a power 6 conference, UC struggled both in football and basketball. However, after a couple of years, UC was competing for conference championships. The Big East was a powerful basketball league before the mass exoduses.

[GoBearcats31]

Rutgers is reportedly keeping Steve Pikiell