Zach Harvey

[coach]

My guess is Harvey is part homesick and covid fatigued, and part wanting to be a starter somewhere and isn't sure he can do it here in short order. He's never looked real comfortable since he's been here, and that's not totally unusual for a young guy. He wasn't recruited hard by Uc from what i understand as his legal circumstances made him available at the last minute so there was no big courtship unless someone knows different. He is likely going to have to play the 2 at most bigger programs as he's undersized at the 3, and doesn't have the ball and distribution skills to play the point. From what I've watched of all these guys which is limited, both MAW and Madsen look to be better perimeter shooters even if their short term stats do not support it currently. They're clearly our best ft shooters which is some indication. What is said about practice also confirms that. Harvey is much more of a slasher from his history than a perimeter guy. Who will be the best long term is anybody's guess.. Harvey's minutes while he's been healthy have not been that bad. Why anyone would leave and not finish a season when they need the practice is anybody's guess, but he was not a guy not playing at all or in mop up roles. I wish him well. He never did look real comfortable out there while he was here IMO. He wasn't going to get 30 minutes a game here with KW and DJD in the lineup. They're to critical and experienced compared to what he's done. You have to play small to have him at the 3 for extended periods.

Eason is another matter. His minutes have been well into the 20's most games once we got several games into the season. One of the big issues they have with him right now is that he cannot handle a 5 or strong 4 on the defensive end. He's got some adjusting to do with physicality and avoiding fouls. The game before last he fouled out against Temple in yes a grand total of 7 minutes which is close to Bobby Brannen's frosh record. Not easy to do. Everyone was upset with his minutes Sunday in a win. He fouled out against Ucf a number of weeks back in 10 minutes. Point is, Eason and Vogt are not interchangeable parts. He has to play Vogt against certain teams as we will get handled on the defensive end, and in all likelihood Eason will be in foul trouble or gone. Sometimes a coach is protecting a player who he knows is going to be in a bad spot. No one is more behind Eason than Brannen. However, he's trying to use him in a way to protect him because he's not likely to be able to stay on the court to get those extra minutes based on what we've seen. At one point, it was rare for frosh to play many minutes here at all. I think fan's have forgotten why. Red Dog had a great point. It's about winning games, and in large part that is coming up with a balanced rotation. Good players know that. .

Fwiw, the interesting thing is if we could upset Houston which is a tall order, we're only a game behind in the loss column of the top spot in the conference which is pretty remarkable. The season has kind of taken a backseat to the drama.

[leo from jersey]

Well as Marvin Lewis would say. It doesn't matter how you got here, just make the most of it. Did ZH have any problems that we know of at UC. Was there someting besides covid that caused a lack of PT. We might never know, when the Cats took ZH then we needed to go forward and not look behind.

[GoBearcats31]

Zach pleaded guilty to some misdemeanor crimes that were bigger charges at first. He did not meet the requirements to attend UC for those charges and CJB and AD Bohn had to get permission from BoT to offer him a scholarship.

I believe he pleaded no contest (though I don't state that with 100% certainty ha)

[red_n_black_attack]

what were the extenuating circumstances?

Zach pleaded guilty to some misdemeanor crimes that were bigger charges at first. He did not meet the requirements to attend UC for those charges and CJB and AD Bohn had to get permission from BoT to offer him a scholarship.

[London 'Cat]

I hate to see ZH leave the program but I can see why he's interested in leaving.
IMO it's too early to beat up on CJB. The 1st year on the job is always tough due to the roster dump a new coach brings and this year the Covid restrictions/environment are just making it all around tough on everyone. As to why ZH isn't playing and other players are playing over him, I'm sure the coach is seeing something that we aren't. No coach is going to sit they're strongest, hardest working players for no reason.
Like everyone else I'm looking forward to a turn around to the program.

It may be too early to beat up on CJB, but this latest development seems to indicate a trend that is at least disturbing. His coaching decisions in terms of PT are puzzling. Harvey’s last game in which he played significant minutes was a career high in points and really looked like he was coming into his own. None of us know how much COVID affected Harvey’s PT. but we can all infer from Harvey opting out that it was a factor based on how little PT he has garnered following the team’s suspension of play. We can certainly question CJB’s coaching at this point. IMO, his leash just shortened and his seat grew slightly warm.

[Bearcat9796]

Opt out is just another way of saying quiting. For all the hype you guys keep heaping on Harvey, he has never done anything as a Bearcat. There is clearly some flaw we are not aware of. Does quiting give us any clue? We recruited him late and there was some extenuating circumstances involved as I recall. I hate to see it but I want hard working, blue collar for you Huggins guys, people of character on our team, not talented guys who think they are entitled. I hate to lose Zach and wish he could have worked through whatever is going on, but a coach is got to stick to his principles if he wants to be respected. This one might be a tough one for Brannen to overcome however. Good luck to Zach.

what were the extenuating circumstances?

[John P]

I hate to see ZH leave the program but I can see why he's interested in leaving.
IMO it's too early to beat up on CJB. The 1st year on the job is always tough due to the roster dump a new coach brings and this year the Covid restrictions/environment are just making it all around tough on everyone. As to why ZH isn't playing and other players are playing over him, I'm sure the coach is seeing something that we aren't. No coach is going to sit they're strongest, hardest working players for no reason.
Like everyone else I'm looking forward to a turn around to the program.

[leo from jersey]

Why I like ZH so much. At times, I saw the UC fire in his eyes. Too bad I usually saw him sulking on the bench. He was yanked out after a minute last game. He put on his top and stopped focusing on the game. I wonder if Eason had the same mindset. Time to do some major damage control and I don't mean about covid.

[leo from jersey]

In this year, which has been incredibly tough on everyone, I do not blame Zach for opting out. This whole season is frustrating for everyone at all levels.

I am however annoyed that he might transfer considering all the extra work Brannen and Bohn went through to get him admitted to UC in the first place. If he does in fact eventually transfer, it makes me wonder who will take him based on his past issues from HS.

If you can play, there will always be a spot. I remember Art Long. He bounced around from 3 JCs. There will be Coaches perhaps secretly making contact as we speak.

[red_n_black_attack]

In this year, which has been incredibly tough on everyone, I do not blame Zach for opting out. This whole season is frustrating for everyone at all levels.

I am however annoyed that he might transfer considering all the extra work Brannen and Bohn went through to get him admitted to UC in the first place. If he does in fact eventually transfer, it makes me wonder who will take him based on his past issues from HS.

He has stayed clean and made the most of his second chance, so I think programs will have interest. As to Zach leaving after the coach and AD went to bat for him; well, that AD left too. What have you done for me lately? Answer, low playing time. Solution: seek playing time elsewhere.

Regarding no 2021 freshman signed: This is a particularly odd year, and hard on recruiting. Let's wait and see who ends up signing or transferring in before starting the Fire Brannen chants. Finishing above .500 this year is not what we would've considered a success, but all things considered, that may be a success. Brannen should get 3 years minimum. If he has a ragtag class again with no one signed for 2022, I might join in the rumblings, but it's too early for that right now.

[Rufus]

Losing recruits via the portal is not unique to uc. All programs go through this process. And a lot it has to do with the type of recruits you inevitably obtain. The so called blue blood programs i.e. Duke, UNC, Ky, have to do very little recruiting in and of itself as most blue chippers are lined up to go to these elite programs and are game ready practically from day one. Others have to drvelope in order to beat out the more experienced players. I dont know why Cjb has pigeonholed Zack as strickly a wing when he was recruited as a combo guard if i recall.There were rumblings from ZH's family last year about why He was not getting in ball games. Unfortunately injury impeded his developement last year and so again at the beginning of this year and then covid hit the team. I dont understand why MAW amd Saunders and now MM have been his go to subs in recent games but all Zh sees id three freshman getting more playing time than he. Zack is not been a happy camper for awhile now and all this says that this bodes the chances of us landing 4 and 5 star ranked players in the future even less likely as it was in the past

[Lobot]

In this year, which has been incredibly tough on everyone, I do not blame Zach for opting out. This whole season is frustrating for everyone at all levels.

I am however annoyed that he might transfer considering all the extra work Brannen and Bohn went through to get him admitted to UC in the first place. If he does in fact eventually transfer, it makes me wonder who will take him based on his past issues from HS.

[RedDog]

Opt out is just another way of saying quiting. For all the hype you guys keep heaping on Harvey, he has never done anything as a Bearcat. There is clearly some flaw we are not aware of. Does quiting give us any clue? We recruited him late and there was some extenuating circumstances involved as I recall. I hate to see it but I want hard working, blue collar for you Huggins guys, people of character on our team, not talented guys who think they are entitled. I hate to lose Zach and wish he could have worked through whatever is going on, but a coach is got to stick to his principles if he wants to be respected. This one might be a tough one for Brannen to overcome however. Good luck to Zach.

[Corporateballa]

Prize pupil, well said. Blaming the player is always easy. Bad attitude, blah blah. Last year it was Jaron Cumberland’s fault.

well - anyone could see there was problems. I don't blame it on the kids not having their promises lived up to. They are kids. The coaches need to adapt in this new environment and until UC gets a coach that can adapt, we will continue to see this ragtag rostering. I saw how Madsen came out of nowhere to be the prized pupil. Yes CJB is recruiting his brother as he needs bodies, but you need to handle the whole team. I don't understand the inner workings as all I know is what I see on TV, but what I see is not good and you can't keep blaming covid and the transfer rules. Sometimes the adults need to beat the system before they can beat other teams. I look a few miles up to central Ohio and there is a coach up there who is beating the system so far. He also has a steady athletic department with funding. I think that would help the program too. If the ADs and coaches move on, why don't we think 20 year olds won't. They have 4 years and so it is about playing time. They are just not stuck on the farm since the rule changes.
Give CJB the coming year to see if he can play by the new rules. If not it is time to cut him loose. With Basketball, a fresh, astute coach can turn things around in a hurry.
Am I a fickle fan? No I am a UC fan and I am used to seeing the team compete and win. It is not whining, but winning.

[leo from jersey]

well - anyone could see there was problems. I don't blame it on the kids not having their promises lived up to. They are kids. The coaches need to adapt in this new environment and until UC gets a coach that can adapt, we will continue to see this ragtag rostering. I saw how Madsen came out of nowhere to be the prized pupil. Yes CJB is recruiting his brother as he needs bodies, but you need to handle the whole team. I don't understand the inner workings as all I know is what I see on TV, but what I see is not good and you can't keep blaming covid and the transfer rules. Sometimes the adults need to beat the system before they can beat other teams. I look a few miles up to central Ohio and there is a coach up there who is beating the system so far. He also has a steady athletic department with funding. I think that would help the program too. If the ADs and coaches move on, why don't we think 20 year olds won't. They have 4 years and so it is about playing time. They are just not stuck on the farm since the rule changes.
Give CJB the coming year to see if he can play by the new rules. If not it is time to cut him loose. With Basketball, a fresh, astute coach can turn things around in a hurry.
Am I a fickle fan? No I am a UC fan and I am used to seeing the team compete and win. It is not whining, but winning.