11/19/25: Mo Egger with UC Head Coach Wes Miller

Wes Miller's UC team takes on Louisville on Friday. The Head Coach of the Bearcats joined us on ESPN1530.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
I feel like you've played four games, and I feel
like you've played four different types of games. Right. You've
had games where you've shot it well, maybe too many turnovers.
You've had games where you've taken care of the ball,
didn't shoot it as well. I think you've had games
where you've defended at a pretty high level, like Dayton,
some games where there's maybe been some slippage. Over these
four games, what have you learned about your team?

Speaker 2 (00:19):
We're learning a lot on the fly here, and you're
not wrong in a lot of ways. And again this
isn't a complaining things. It's when you we now have
a true professional model, except it's a free agency every year.
And so when we have all these and I'd say

(00:40):
eighty eighty percent of the teams are structured this way
now in college basketball, certainly in the power for and
when you have this, you're you know, you're going to
need games against other opponents to kind of, you know,
find your way and learn your team.

Speaker 3 (00:53):
And it's the coaches, certainly, it's also.

Speaker 2 (00:56):
The players finding their way and learning new systems and
learning each other. That's why I've been beating the drum
for the a preseason model let's play four or five
games and maybe it doesn't look like it looks not
just for us, for everybody to this extent.

Speaker 3 (01:12):
Early in November, all that said, MO, like, yeah, we're learning.

Speaker 2 (01:16):
I think there's been some stretches that I'm proud of,
right Like, you can see some sustained success and some
stretches and games in the aspects of the games that
we value, whether it's some things in our defense, whether
it's some things in our transition game, whether it's some
offensive execution. And then there's some stretches where, quite frankly,
that stuff's not there. We're working through that so we

(01:39):
can get more consistent. As we get more consistent, we're
going to become a better and better basketball team as
long as the work ethic and mindset within our locker
room stays the same.

Speaker 3 (01:47):
And it's to this point it's been good.

Speaker 1 (01:49):
I asked you about this on Sunday before the game.
Dan A. Thomas, a guy that you can lean on.
You've got all these new guys you're trying to figure
out who can do what. I think people forget. Number one,
how good data was, especially down the stretch last year.
How awesome is it to have a guy like that
that you can lean on. You look at a game
like Friday, this is a high end college basketball game.

(02:10):
You want this to be a game in the second half.
How nice is it to be able to lean on
a guy like him on both ends of the floor.

Speaker 2 (02:16):
Yeah, And I appreciate you recognizing how well he played
at the end of last year, because you know, people
tend to forget that he missed you know, five six
weeks to start the year last year, not just preseason.
He missed games, and he was coming off of a
foot injury. He had a setback, had to get shut
down completely. It took him a while, not just to

(02:37):
find his rhythm, but defined his confidence in his way
within our team. I thought he finished the year like
the data that we've always known, and then I thought
it went into the offseason where he had a terrific offseason.

Speaker 3 (02:48):
He's had a great preseason.

Speaker 2 (02:50):
He's confident, he's matured, he's really evolved Mowe into a
leader in a lot of ways in our program. And
he gets what putting that is all about, Like he
understands it, and then that matters for the rest of
our guys. So I'm excited about his start, not surprised,
and I think I don't think it's a fleeting thing.

(03:11):
I think it's something that he's going to be able
to sustain throughout the year.

Speaker 1 (03:15):
I've mentioned this team in the post game on Sunday,
Kishan Tillery gave you a spark. And it's one game.
It's November. He has a lot of growing to do.
But it felt to me like maybe you could see
the light bulb come on just a little bit. Would
that be a fair way of putting it.

Speaker 2 (03:30):
I think if I was in your shoes, it's a
fair way to put it, because you hadn't got to see.

Speaker 3 (03:34):
Him all through the summer and the fall.

Speaker 2 (03:37):
But if you take the games that he's played, I
understand that comment. I think from my perspective, I've seen
the light bulb come home all the time, and I
see it go off sometimes like any freshman point guard, right,
And I think all of those things, whether they're really
good moments, and he had some really good moments when
we had an exhibition he gains a Michigan. I thought

(03:58):
he had some great moments the other night, or some
of these negative moments that could be frustrating for a fan,
a teammate or the head coach, right, those are actually
really good for his growth. We need we need him
to be ready to play in Big twelve games. He's
capable of being an impact player as a freshman in.

Speaker 3 (04:16):
The Big twelve. I believe he will be.

Speaker 2 (04:19):
So these ups and downs, even though they may be
frustrating in times, for all of us and him included,
they're very important.

Speaker 3 (04:25):
All that said, he's a really good player.

Speaker 2 (04:28):
He fits here, he fits Cincinnati, and he's gonna have
an important role this year.

Speaker 1 (04:34):
Louisville's a little bit different than the last time you
played him, you know. And I watched him against Kentucky.
They scored ninety six. That's their lowest point total this season.
Michale Brown's a load. We saw Ryan Conwell up close
last year. Where do you even start with that team?

Speaker 3 (04:49):
Yeah, somebody said that to me, he said.

Speaker 2 (04:51):
You know, Louisville scored one hundred and three out of
the last four games they played.

Speaker 3 (04:55):
I said, yeah, and the one time they didn't, they
scored ninety six.

Speaker 1 (04:57):
You know.

Speaker 3 (04:59):
No, it's.

Speaker 2 (05:01):
There's a reason why people are picking them to win
the National Championship. And people were saying that before they
even played a game. And so you know, when you're
playing a team that has that type of expectation, there's
reasons for it. They're they're terrifically dynamic offensively. Uh, you know,
whether it's in their transition game, whether it's in their

(05:23):
half court execution.

Speaker 3 (05:25):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (05:25):
It seems like they have four guys that would be
the primary and some of them already have been the
number one offensive weapon on any team they play on
in college. But there's four of them that are all
guards on their team. And you know, I say that
with with with to compliment the job they've done putting
that group together. So yeah, that's that's what happens. When

(05:48):
you play against teams that you know, or the six
ranked team in the country. They present challenges. But what
a great opportunity for us. I like our guys too.
I like some of the things we can do too,
and I'm excited for the opportun tunity for the ball
to go up against you know, one of the best
teams in college basketball right now.

Speaker 1 (06:04):
All right, As a longtime UC fan, this is the
game that I wish we had every single year. So
take me how a game like this comes together.

Speaker 2 (06:14):
You know, we're just looking for really quality games in
our non conference that number one prepares for the Big twelve.
Number two give us the right opportunity to build a
resume for the selection day. And then you know three
are exciting and draw interest. And you know, this game

(06:36):
came about because it was willingness on both sides, which
was the first step, and then there was a way
to make it happen. And so again, I love games
like this for all those reasons. I certainly love that
our fans get to see this rivalry again, and I'm
excited to experience it for the first time since I've
been at Cincinnati. But I am excited that Louisville and

(06:57):
Cincinnati are playing basketball again.

Speaker 1 (06:59):
A right one more, Pat Kelsey. You talked about him,
a guy that you've known for a very long time,
a guy you've coached against. He's obviously coming home. Walked
me through your relationship with Pat Kelsey and what you
like about watching his teams play.

Speaker 2 (07:11):
Yeah, Patt and I've known each other since I was
a high school high school player, and they were recruiting
me a little bit at Wake Forest when he was
a young assistant there for Skip Prosser. And you know,
I know this is like sacrilegious to say anything good
about Xavier when you're the Cincinnati coach. But Skip Prosser,
who is Pat's mentor, was always so unbelievably kind to me.

Speaker 3 (07:32):
And when I came to Cincinnati, and you know like that.

Speaker 2 (07:35):
That's the one thing I've always said is I don't
I don't care about I care a lot about the
Crosstown shootout, but you can't ever say a bad word
to me about Skip Prosser. So because of Skip, that's
how Pat and I got to know each other back
when I was a youngster. We've been in this profession
for a long time. We've had a friendship for a
very long time. Our families know each other. I mean,

(07:57):
you know, his family here in Cincinnati has been very
kind and warm to me. I think the world of them.
You know, he knows my family. So there's a ton
of history there. Now, when the ball goes up, I
don't think any of that crap is going to matter
on either end. But if people want to know you,
I think a lot of Pat Kell see his family,
and we've known each other for gosh, well over twenty years.