December 11, 2025 • 45 mins
Wes reacts to UC's loss to Xavier and previews what's next.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
It is show time.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
That's good dud.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Thank you, sir. A very pleasant, good evening, everybody. Greetings
from the original Montgomery In home of the world's greatest ribs.
Welcome to the West Miller Radio Show. I'm Dan Horde
with former Bearcats stand out Terry Nelson, my new favorite
podcaster and the star of the show, the head coach
of your UC Bearcats. That's here at four Wes Miller.
(00:30):
We are off to Atlanta tomorrow for a big game
coming up on Saturday against the Georgia Bulldogs. They are
eight and one. They're only lost this year in overtime
against an excellent Clemson team. You have taken on some
challenges in the non Big Twelve portion of the schedule,
and this is one of the toughest ones on the slate.
Speaker 3 (00:48):
Yeah, this will be a great opportunity, great game. They
I don't know what. I haven't checked the polls, and
nor do I care a whole lot about them this
time of year.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
But when you look.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
At the the at the Ken Pomp stuff, I mean,
they're one of the best teams in the country to
start the year, and they're doing some some really interesting things.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
In the open court.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
They're they're pressing, and they're playing extremely fast and speeding
you up defensively. That they've had a really nice start.
It's it's a it's a big time game, big time opportunity.
Speaker 4 (01:19):
Average of ninety nine points a game, which is incredible.
What is it about Georgia. I mean, it's been the
last three or four years that we played Georgia or
in Georgia. Obviously there's some players there, but what about
the what's the connection.
Speaker 3 (01:31):
I don't think that there's really it just kind of
by chance, right, we had the Georgia Tech Series, now Georgia,
and then I think Georgia will be back up this
way to play US neutral somewhere next year.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
But I don't. I actually that's Clemson. I think that
it comes back here next year. I don't. I don't.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
I think the Georgia win's a one off. But no,
I think it's more by chance. It wasn't There's there's
no nothing behind the scenes here. Intentionally just trying to
find quality games, and Georgia was look and we were
looking and it made sense to do it neutral.
Speaker 4 (02:02):
Lauren said, you planned that game because she came over here,
so she said.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
She was going to go back if because she moved
up from at Lea exactly.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
Yeah, Yeah, she is hiding behind a post now trying
to apployd eye contact with you team, Allen. I can't
blame her. Yeah, there's a balancing act when you put
together your schedule. You know you're going to have so
many killer games in the Big Twelve, you want some
in the non conference you don't want too many. Did
you feel like you had a pretty good balance this year.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
Yeah, I think there's you know, we've said this publicly
quite a bit, guys. I think the first thing you're
trying to do is build a tournament resume with your
non conference schedule. Are there opportunities to do that? The
second thing you're trying to prepare for your league because
that's ultimately what's going to define your year in the
regular season. And then third, you want to make sure
(02:52):
there's some level of balance to keep you know, working
and building your team and learning your team, especially in
today's age. And I thought when we put together a
knock schedule, I thought we did that.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Is it fair for basketball?
Speaker 4 (03:02):
Because Notre Dame had an early loss to Miami and
they're penalized for that ten in a row. But in
basketball it seems like it goes up and down based
on per game, Like you have a your game versus
Dayton and Xavier and Georgia and Clemson, and they can
really boost your net ranking or push them down and
(03:23):
bury you.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (03:25):
I think, And I haven't followed been a little preoccupied
and hadn't quite followed the football stuff. But I think
basketball and football are different because there's so many more opportunities,
you know, like and you get into the league, like
we played in the Big Twelve every night. It's the
neatest part about the league is every night's an opportunity
(03:45):
to get a big time win. Correct, And so that
is different than football, where maybe one loss can keep
you out of the playoff. It's not like that in
college basketball.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
Fortunately.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
All right, let's go back and do a bit of
an autopsy on the Xavier game. You haven't played a
ton of zone defense since you've been at Cincinnati. A
zone defense helped you get back into that game and
helped you take a lead with two and a half
minutes to go. Did you find something do you think
defensively in that game?
Speaker 3 (04:11):
Well, you know, we were It was interesting I thought
going into the game defending the three point line was
a huge key. They were making eleven a game, top
five in the country, and made threes a game. You know,
they had inserted those you know, inserted a kid into
the starting lineup in the front court. So they were
putting five guys in their starting lineup that are all
very capable from three and defending two shooters in the
(04:35):
front courts. Unique it'll happen again this year. But you know,
you guys that are coming off of games they've made
five threes that, you know, the starting five man, the
starting four man in recent games that each made five
threes each. That presented some different types of challenges, and
I thought, you know, our game plan was to really
make sure that we were able to defend the three
point line, make them score over us around the basket.
(04:57):
I was frustrated with our defense in the game because
we did defend the three point line, but we weren't
disciplined to make them score over us. We fouled, gave
up and one opportunities. We gave up a basket where
we didn't sprint back in transition after a made basket,
which is unacceptable. And then uh, they made a bunch
of two's over the top, and that that's that's something
(05:19):
that we've always been really good at is making it
tough to score too. So anyway, we get into the
second half and it just made sense at that point
to try something different in the zone workforce.
Speaker 4 (05:30):
You said that you didn't think that Carol could score
over Baba and Mustafa one on one.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
What did you see consistently assistently? Because it certainly it
were at a level of basketball where everybody can make
a one on one tough shot. That's sometimes you just
clap your hands and you run back the other way
and play the next possession, right, I mean, that's going
to happen at this level, But you know to to
(05:57):
to to get scored on over the top as much
as we did. That surprised me. But you allow somebody
to get in a rhythm by giving them easy ones.
Now they get to two feet with an angle, get
fouled and one, And we made a lot of errors,
very simple errors to allow those, and then people get
in a rhythm and it's easier for them to make
the tougher ones.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
And I thought he did a little bit of both, right.
Speaker 3 (06:20):
He got easy ones, he got to the foul line,
and then he was able to make some really tough
ones over the top to close the game.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
Hindsight, it's always twenty twenty. What, if anything, would you
do differently against him?
Speaker 3 (06:31):
Well, I think we would have spent more time on,
you know, how to defend that action where they just
kind of like set a pick and roll for him
on the side and he drives it and flips his hips.
You know, late in the game when we somebody asked me, like,
why didn't you double more? Well, we were in the zone,
you know, like one of the things we did. We
went to the zone. We were trying to get to
the double. We talked about it, and we got to
(06:53):
it on one possession late in the game. There were
two possessions he scored over the top. One of them
was after they broke the zone kind of switched into man,
and then the other one he had drove from the
perimeter and just kind of made a quick move. So
we were trying to double him more, but we probably
to spend a little more time defending that because it
was what they were kind of going to over and
over again.
Speaker 4 (07:14):
I noticed in practice there seems to be what I
used to call with Bob Huggins the Jack be Nimble experience,
where you light a fire into somebody and you make
them try to try to get them to play with
a little bit more urgency in practice. I've been seeing
a little bit more of that lately. Is that because
you're trying to turn up for the conference? Are you
just trying to get them prepared one game at a
(07:34):
time for that?
Speaker 2 (07:35):
I just think I was really excited to have a
week of practice. You know it's been a while.
Speaker 3 (07:40):
Yeah that I'm not guys, I ain't making excuses or complaining.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
I just as a coach, I live for practice.
Speaker 3 (07:45):
I live live for the opportunity to go in there
and work and get better and you know, teach and
like you said, you know, try to make the team
a better team. And we had a week to do that.
And so I think there was an opportunity to coach
in a lot of different ways, and maybe one of
them is what you're talking about. That was very intentional
to try to create some urgency in some certain areas
(08:06):
that we got to improve.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
Mustapha Chim has not been able to take advantage of
his size and athletic ability lately as much as he
did earlier. This year. What are you working on with him?
Speaker 3 (08:16):
Well, we need him to be a force. We need
to be a presence. We need him to be a
great rebounder on both ends. We need him to be
a shot blocker and a rim protector defensively. You know,
I thought in the Xavier game we did a nice
job of getting the ball within four or five feet,
like I thought, we were able to establish the post
box with him. We didn't convert enough there. We're gonna
(08:37):
keep trying to get him the ball. We need him
to convert down there and kind of find his rhythm offensively.
But there's no doubt about it. He's a big time player.
We need him to play like a big time player,
and I believe he will. We're hard at work at it.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
Break all right, yep, we'll take a time out. You
are listening to the West Miller Radio Show or Live
at the Original Montgomery In Home of the World's Greatest Rips.
On seven hundred, we are back at the Original Montgomery
In Home of the World's Greatest Rips and the West
Miller Radio Show. We appreciate the Bearcat fans are with
us here tonight. We will have some stuff to give
(09:10):
away at the end of the show some Bearcat gear
and some tickets to the bearcats next home game. Their
next game, though, of course, is on the road this
Saturday at Georgia. That's at two o'clock start. It's in Georgia,
I should say, it's not a true road game. It's
in Atlanta, obviously closer to the University of Georgia. Starts
at two o'clock in the afternoon. Paba Miller missed a
(09:32):
couple of games. He's been back for a couple of
games now, probably playing at less than one hundred percent,
and even at less than one hundred percent. He had
seventeen rebounds in the Xavier game, a new career high
for him. You spoke with reporters earlier today and it
sounds like he's getting healthier and healthier at practice.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
He has been able to put days together this week,
which is to me what led to a really great
start for him of the season. He was one of
our him and Dada Thomas and in terms of practice
have been our most consistent guys day in, day out,
and no mistake that those guys have had the start
they've had, but him missing practice affected him. It was
(10:10):
very obvious to our eyes as coaches again getting back
in the rhythm of practice this week, I suspect that
don't really help him.
Speaker 4 (10:18):
I've noticed that during this time you were early on,
when you start getting the injuries to your team, you
start giving them more breaks in between, and you start
taking a little bit softer approch, not a softer approach,
but not trying to push him as hard in certain
areas because you want to just get to the game.
But now that they're getting back healthy, I see you
(10:39):
doing more with pressing and defenses and just trying out
different things. Is that intentional?
Speaker 2 (10:45):
I just hate the dynamic you talked about. You can
call it soft, it's what it is.
Speaker 3 (10:50):
I mean, you know, you got guys hurt, you can't practice,
and it's not they're not being soft.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
But hell, that's what I'm not going to the place
I just told you. I live for practice.
Speaker 3 (10:58):
Yeah, but if guys are hurt and can't practice, what
are you supposed to do? And you know, we were
in a segment there where we were doing walkthroughs, not
practices because we didn't have enough to be able.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
To practice there for a little bit. And no, that's
no fun. That's no fun. I don't love that.
Speaker 3 (11:15):
You can call it any bad word you want, I
won't disagree with it. But the no I think you
have to this is basketball is like anything. There's no secrets.
Like there's no secrets. It takes what it takes. The
work is the work. The preparation is the preparation. And
you know, again, I'm Fit's felt good this week to
be able to get back in the gym and do that.
Speaker 1 (11:35):
You have an approach of trying to build your players up.
You want them to feel confident when they take the court,
and part of that is giving them freedom to take
shots that you think they can make and they think
they can make. But I wonder sometimes if there's a
fine line when a guy who maybe doesn't have a
great percentage and a key situation in the game takes
one and you have to say, Okay, there are times
(11:56):
to take that shot and other times not too.
Speaker 3 (11:58):
It's coaching, right, You get the film, you you get
on the practice court, and you start really defining roles. Right.
We've been doing that for the last two or three weeks.
It doesn't mean that you still won't have a moment
in a game where somebody will be eighteen to twenty
two years old and do something they're not supposed to do.
But I do think shot selection is going to be
(12:20):
really important to our ability to improve our offense as
a team.
Speaker 4 (12:24):
I spoke about this on the Legends Unpluged podcast. You guys,
make sure you go ahead and do that.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
It's excellent. Yes, so big thumbs up from your broadcast
partner Dan Horde.
Speaker 2 (12:34):
Appreciate it.
Speaker 4 (12:34):
Reve we were seven to zero in the nineteen ninety
two season. Ninety one ninety two, we go to Michigan State,
we had a nineteen point league. We end up losing
at the Buzzer. And back then was now it was
during the time. Right now, there's no twenty hour rule,
so you can practice as long as you want. So
the Hugs would make us do two a days. And
then so after running us for a while, he put
(12:55):
us all on the baseline and said this is your role,
and he went down one. I won and went to
everybody and he came to me and he said, Terry,
you work the hardest that we have. I need you
to rebound, I need you to block out, need you
to play post defense. But if you don't go hard.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
You can't pass, you can't shoot, you can't.
Speaker 4 (13:13):
He just went through all this stuff that I can't do,
and I didn't hear any of that. All I heard
was if I want to play, play, post defense, play,
you know, box out, do whatever. But it gave me
the ability to say, this is what he sees in me,
and if I do this, I can make a difference
for the team. Do you have those conversations or they
just kind of know based on the roles that you
(13:35):
are planning out with offensive defensive strategy.
Speaker 2 (13:38):
Yeah, you have those conversations, maybe in a different way
than you could do in the nineties.
Speaker 3 (13:43):
I mean you also got to have those conversations with
the agent.
Speaker 1 (13:48):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (13:49):
And then there's a transfer port, you know, so it's
not you know, yes, if you were pissed about it,
you could you walk out of the door and transfer
it back in ninety one ninety that's right, Corey.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
No, you do, Listen, you do.
Speaker 3 (14:05):
And there's certain fundamentals of coaching that are the exact
same as they were fifty years ago, and that's what's fun.
And then there's there's certain dynamics that are much different.
I think I think, yes, you're trying to define what
guy's strengths are getting them to play to their strengths,
getting them to sacrifice maybe something they want to do
(14:25):
for something that would be better for our team for
them to do. We're having those conversations for sure. I
think we have good kids that are trying to buy
in and want to win.
Speaker 1 (14:34):
You express some optimism after the Xavier game, and I
feel like some people took it the wrong way, like
you weren't upset with the loss, which obviously nothing could
be further from the truth. Probably put your fist through
a back blackboard or something like that. But what did
you see in that game that was caused for optimism
and positivity?
Speaker 2 (14:57):
Yeah, you know, there's no way I didn't know that.
I'm deleted social media a while back. I only have
the apps on my phone, so to how smart. It's
a much better way to live. I'll tell you what
it makes. It makes life, not just for anything with basketball,
just in general.
Speaker 3 (15:15):
I mean now, when I open my phone, I read
my news apps, so I know what's going on in
the world. But the.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
No I listen nobody.
Speaker 3 (15:23):
I don't know if I could even describe the pain
that you feel after a loss.
Speaker 2 (15:29):
You know, it's a it's a deep pain. Uh.
Speaker 3 (15:32):
You know, you put your whole life and you nest
into something and when you lose, I don't I don't
even have the words to describe the.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
Pain that you feel.
Speaker 3 (15:41):
But that said, you know, the job of a coach
of a player is to learn to get back to
work and to figure out how to grow and to
become a great team. And so you know to me
that that's what you do with the loss. You learn,
you learn, you're gonna feel that pain. Like it doesn't.
(16:02):
I'm still upset about the game somewhere down here, like
I don't like to talk about it, but that's my
job is coming here and talk with you guys and
answer questions. But the truth is you got to learn
from it. You gotta channel it, and when you're winning
games in the Big Twelve later in the year, the
things that you went through at some point that that
didn't feel good have to be a catalyst for you
(16:24):
to be a good team. And those of us that
have been in it a long time, you know, you
know that's how it always works, and so that that's
the goal.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
That's the job.
Speaker 3 (16:32):
And there were some moments in that game, you know
that were positive. What I would say is had we
hit a shot to go up one under two minutes,
had we we have won that last two minutes, you
guys be asking me all these fun questions tonight about.
Speaker 2 (16:47):
How good is it? You know that, well, you know,
you got to put things in perspective sometimes too.
Speaker 3 (16:52):
So we did some good things to come back from
a thirteen point deficit, to take a lead on the
road and a rivalry game. You know, that's something we
can build on. And there's a lot that we've already
talked about that we can learn from.
Speaker 4 (17:03):
The great pat Riley said there's winning and there's misery. Sure,
and that's exactly what you feel when you put your
whole life into the preparation in doing all that and
then you lose. Tell you it's tough for you guys
that don't if you played sports on any level.
Speaker 3 (17:19):
Yeah, but you know, I say this, Terry, and I
think you'll appreciate this, and anybody's listening, I think I'll
appreciate this.
Speaker 2 (17:24):
Is you feel like as low as you could ever feel.
Speaker 3 (17:28):
But sometimes you take a step back and you think
about I'm coaching basketball, we're playing basketball, and think about
how great our lives are, how fortunate we.
Speaker 2 (17:36):
Are, who the hell wants to hear me complain? No
serious that people.
Speaker 3 (17:40):
Out there working nine to five and struggling to put pop.
Who wants to hear me complain? My job, into complain
is to figure ou how to get our damn team better.
And so when I stand in front of the media,
I sit here in a radio interview, Hell, what do
I have to complain about? My job is to go
get us better and that's where my focus is.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
So you guys get right to it.
Speaker 4 (17:58):
Like when the game's over, you guys don't know, he
doesn't go home and have a big stake and hang
out like his assistant coaches are breaking down to film
and you guys are going over what just took place,
So you don't really get a mental break. So you're
still in game mode. You try to, you know, Dan
and myself or Dan and Steve, try to take some
steam off in the radio interview before you get to
(18:18):
the media room and you know, project to the world.
Speaker 2 (18:22):
But then you have to go right back and look
at what you just saw. What is that like?
Speaker 4 (18:27):
For those that don't know.
Speaker 3 (18:29):
It's the only thing that I can do after a game,
because if not, your brain is so eat win winter lost.
Your brain's wired and all you can think about is
the game and everything that happens. So the only thing
that you're not going to be able to go to sleep.
The only thing that makes any sense is to get
to work. And for me, in any of the difficult
things I've ever experienced in basketball, the only thing that
(18:49):
it helps is working harder. And so you know, when
lose your draw, we get in the room and grade
the film and start figuring out how we can get better.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
Did you start that or did you get that from
one of your previous as coaches.
Speaker 3 (19:00):
That's what my college coach did, And you know, when
I was playing, you know, a couple of times I
would go ask to watch them grade the tape because
they call out the grades and I wanted to see
how that went. And then when I was getting into coaching,
I would sit and help them grade and do that
as a young person that wanted to coach. And then
even you know, I was so fortunate that my mentor
(19:22):
and coach was coaching an hour from me. You know,
when I was a young head coach, and I probably
a couple of games a year, I wouldn't go to
the game, but I drive down there when the game
was over, just to sit in and watch them grade,
you know, just to see if I could pick something
up or learn something. And sometimes I felt like we
were doing it like them, and I'd go watch them
and go, hell, we ain't doing it like as good
as they're doing it. You know, you might learn something,
(19:43):
but no, I we greade and it's not the exact
same system in process that I learned from from my
college coach. We've tweaked it, we've altered it to fit
what we're doing. But that's where the whole thing started.
I'm not that original, to be honest.
Speaker 1 (19:58):
When you've added new members to your coaching staff and
you explain that this is part of the process, did
they go away?
Speaker 4 (20:03):
What?
Speaker 1 (20:04):
Yeah, we're not going out to dinner right.
Speaker 2 (20:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (20:08):
It's in the in the circles of all the guys
that I've worked with that and most of us are
all still very close guys that we've worked with over
the last fifteen years. That's like the one joke they
all have, like I don't miss the grading, or you know,
a new guy gets hired and they see somebody that
used to work with us on the road, how you
get ready for the grading.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
You know, like they assistants don't like it.
Speaker 3 (20:29):
But I will say I've had a number of assistant
coaches that have appreciated it because you.
Speaker 2 (20:35):
Get the team, you get the staff on the same page.
Speaker 3 (20:38):
You learn, you really teach young coaches how to watch film.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
It's something I really.
Speaker 4 (20:43):
Do value you, mikeel on the staff, you would challenge
you on the sideline, and it was a crazy dynamic.
You guys are going back and forth on the sideline.
Is there anybody that challenged you, not in a physical way,
but saying, look, I think we need to do this
when you have a strong opinion.
Speaker 3 (20:57):
Otherwise I'm main man, Mike, I mis amen, Mike. He's
doing great. He's this assistant at New Mexico. They're off
to a great start. So shout out to Mike Roberts.
But oh yeah, we would get into some altercations.
Speaker 2 (21:09):
Dan and I would be bumpling to like this. It's funny, man.
Speaker 3 (21:12):
I walked into Starbucks one morning and we were coaching
down at the mid major school in North Carolina together,
and we used to go to the same Starbucks every
morning on the way to work.
Speaker 2 (21:21):
And I walked in.
Speaker 3 (21:22):
And one of the fans that comes to the game
stop me, and he goes, are you okay with your
assistant coach?
Speaker 2 (21:27):
What are you talking about?
Speaker 3 (21:28):
And I said, grasp you guys from about twenty last night,
you okay with your assistants?
Speaker 2 (21:31):
I said, what are you talking about?
Speaker 3 (21:32):
He said, you guys got into it on the side,
and I was like, that's just how we communicate.
Speaker 2 (21:36):
Man like.
Speaker 3 (21:37):
But uh no, that was great and we worked together
for ten years and we had a really good dynamic
for sure.
Speaker 1 (21:43):
All right, Well, take a time out of questions from
the audience when we continue. This is the West Miller
Radio Show or Live at the Original Montgomery In Home
of the World's Greatest Ribs on seven hundred w allw
Welcome back to the West Miller Radio Show, Live from
the original Montgomery In Home of the world's Greatest Ribs.
I think we're on next Tuesday next week. If I'm
(22:05):
not mistaken because of the schedule next week, it'll be
well double check before the end of the show tonight.
In any case, let's take some questions from the audience.
Phillis as batting lead off tonight coach.
Speaker 5 (22:17):
This kind of dovetails with Dan's comment just a little
bit this may seem it's from observation and might be
somewhat tough for you. We like hearing that there's good
practice and that it sounds really, you know, really encouraging,
but it hasn't appeared to translate many times in performance
(22:38):
on the floor, and that seems to be a bit
of a disconnect. The fan base, for better or for worse,
would like to see the intensity of the coaching to
turn up and get a little tougher. And we know
that good people can be very demanding, but is there.
Speaker 2 (22:53):
A downside to that to be demanding, to be.
Speaker 5 (22:57):
Demanding and expecting more of the players than what they're
doing delivering at that point. Because we know we have
good players, that's not even a question, but it seems
that there needs to be more demanded of them and
to be a little tougher on them because and I
know it's a mishmash, we only had three returners, so
it makes it really complicated. But I think sometimes with
(23:20):
coaching and leading, that the expectation has to be up
here and then moved down from from the top of
really being hard to being okay, this is where we
are kind of coaching and leading.
Speaker 3 (23:37):
Yeah, I think the standard has to be high. I
think that's what's being demanded of them. So yeah, that's
from my perspective. Yes, that you're right in what you're saying,
and the application of that is happening.
Speaker 1 (23:52):
Thank you, sure, Thanks Phyllis. Before we get to Brian,
the show is on Tuesday on December thirtieth, so not
next week, but the week after Christmas. We'll have a
Tuesday show, not a Thursday show.
Speaker 2 (24:06):
Bryan, you're up, coach. I don't know a thing about Georgia.
What do they do?
Speaker 3 (24:13):
Press press, speed the game up. They lead the nation
and shot blocking. So as they speed the game up,
they steal the ball, they turn the they turn you
over to high rate their top ten in the country there.
When you shoot shots quickly around the rim, they turn
those into turnovers by blocking shots and altering shots.
Speaker 2 (24:32):
And then they're.
Speaker 3 (24:34):
Playing about as fast as you can play, converting defense
to offense with a ton of guards that are downhill oriented,
shoot a lot of threes, touch the paint a lot.
Speaker 2 (24:46):
They have an athletic front court.
Speaker 3 (24:48):
So again, playing eleven guys, they're playing eleven deep, playing
extremely fast on offense and defense.
Speaker 1 (24:55):
And it's really playing eleven deep too. They're all averaging
double digit minutes. It's not like the eleventh guy gets
in there for four correct, Yeah, all right, next question.
Speaker 2 (25:04):
Uh two parter here?
Speaker 6 (25:06):
Uh do we have an update on Gisel James for
one and two? Does a player like that fit with
this lineup? With the men of ball dominant cards that
we have.
Speaker 2 (25:17):
From a basketball perspective. I don't have any updates.
Speaker 3 (25:19):
But he's doing great, really proud of I'm really happy
for him. But I don't have any basketball updates and
uh so then you know, I guess it's not appropriate
to answer the second part of the question.
Speaker 1 (25:33):
All right, thank you very much.
Speaker 7 (25:36):
Yeah, coach, My question is more on the offensive side.
Speaker 2 (25:40):
I think you do.
Speaker 7 (25:41):
You've done over the years pretty good job on the
defensive side. Offensive side. With this year's team, you have
a better inside presence than you've had in a while.
What are your thoughts on the balance between you know,
the inside game, When do you really emphasize that during
(26:03):
the game versus the analytics of that you're seeing out
there of you know, everybody wants to shoot the threes
and so forth. What's that balance? Because you have to
have the inside game, you have to have guys that
drive the ball to basket, finish or get the free
throw line, as well as guys that.
Speaker 2 (26:19):
Can shoot the three.
Speaker 7 (26:21):
Three shooting has been a struggle for this team. How
do you take advantage of what you have now as
an inside game and how early do you deploy that.
Speaker 3 (26:32):
It's a great question. The you know, the first thing
with the three point shooting is we have a roster
full of guys that haven't not just projected that they
could go shoot threes. Well, they've already shot threes well
in their careers, right, So at some point, and I
believe it will happen, we're going to shoot the ball
well from three. We made eleven in our last game,
(26:53):
so that's that's a step in the right direction. But
if you're just shooting threes, right, that's knocking. To be enough,
we have to establish ourselves in the postbox, right.
Speaker 2 (27:04):
We're trying to do that.
Speaker 3 (27:05):
We're trying to do that through Mustapha Chim, We're trying
to do that through Baba Miller. We're trying to do
it to start games and start halfs. If you look
at the start of most games, we start a possession
by throwing it into the box you know, the first
possession against a the night we throw it in, they
double Baba, Boba the ball, kick it out, hit a
three day, it hits it three to start the I
mean we're trying to do it. I thought we actually
got the ball into the box. To Mustafa, Well, we've
(27:28):
had knights we didn't I mean we got it that,
we didn't get in enough against Louisville and he had
it going against Louisville. Right, we've had nights that we
got it in there and we didn't convert. We got
it in there pretty good to him. I thought he
had a couple of really nice looks to start the
second half, running the rim, getting early post catches. He's
gonna convert those. Baba's been our most consistent guy. It's
(27:48):
scoring around the basket, putting pressure on the basket, whether
it's the drive or the back to the basket game.
We need that from other guys. Since your Harris has
been pretty consistent at driving the ball and getting to
the rim. We are getting fouled more than we've ever
gotten fouled since I've been at Cincinnati. So we're getting
to the free throw line. We're not converting, right, I
mean we're shooting fifty percent. And you know, you look
(28:08):
at the last game right from a shot disparity standpoint,
because this is what we go in there after the
game and we evaluate every aspect of it. You know,
shot the ball well from three for the first time
in a while.
Speaker 2 (28:18):
That was great.
Speaker 3 (28:20):
We actually got to the basket with angled shots. We
didn't take a bunch of contested midi twos that are
the lowest percented shots in our game. We get to
the basket, we miss miss four layups. I'm not talking
about layups that the coach is going, heah. You could
may say it's a layup, but it was contested. We
missed four point blank layups. Those are one hundred percent
shots in college basketball. They didn't go in. We got
(28:42):
the ball into mu a couple times twice, and we
missed two and a half footers.
Speaker 2 (28:46):
Those should be about ninety percent converted.
Speaker 3 (28:49):
So and then we miss a eleven free throw So offensively,
in the last game, the shot disparity, the rim pressure,
that getting to the free throw line, the getting the ball.
Speaker 2 (28:57):
To the post box, we executed that, but.
Speaker 3 (29:00):
We leave eleven on the free throw line, right, we
missed six layups or opportunities that it the worst case,
you're five for six, Well, that's going to be a
big disparity in the game. Now, we haven't executed offense
to that degree in every game to start the year.
We need to execute offense that consistently, and then we
need to convert more consistently. But establishing the box, you're
(29:22):
absolutely right. Whether it's through the post, whether it's through
the drive, whether it's through a cut, whether it's through
a transition layup, whether it's defense to offense, that's got
to happen.
Speaker 8 (29:32):
All right, next question, Okay, following up on the last question, So,
Baba Miller, it's specifically so he was over four and
then shootout from three, but it looked like he had
the advantage inside. He's either gonna get double teamed or
he's gonna score inside. So when when do you coach
up and say yet, it's not your night, don't don't
(29:56):
keep shooting the three. And there's a kind of a
two part question. I think he can shoot the three,
but he hasn't shown it yet this year. So that's
the second part of the clesson is that is that
part of his game that you want, that you encourage
or is like, no, no, get down low, do your thing,
because you have a lot of talent and you can
score it will down there pretty much.
Speaker 2 (30:14):
Yeah, Bob's over four from three in the Savior game.
It's what you're referring to.
Speaker 3 (30:19):
He's been such a force in all aspects of the
game for us to start the year. You know, certainly
I trust Baba. Boba's been our most consistent player to
start the year before the injurygue in the Louisville game,
Baba already showed that he could shoot the three a
year ago at Florida Atlantic, So you're not talking about
somebody that hasn't made threes. Number two, We stat every
(30:41):
three in practice. In practice, in drills, we find that
if you can shoot seventy percent or better, that's going
to translate to better than thirty three percent in live play.
Baba shoots seventy five percent in our shooting drills. From
the summer till now. We have confidence that Baba can
shoot it.
Speaker 2 (31:00):
His ability to.
Speaker 3 (31:00):
Stretch the floor will be very important for this team
over the course of the year. Now, do we want
him to maybe take two less in the last game
where he could have maybe driven the ball and put pressure.
Speaker 2 (31:10):
Yes, and that's why we watched.
Speaker 3 (31:11):
The film and we point that out to him and
point that out to the team that this isn't about
not shooting the ball, because I will tell you, guys,
in coaching, missing shots is really difficult. Having guys that
are afraid to shoot or don't believe they have the
confidence to shoot is way worse.
Speaker 2 (31:28):
Okay, So it's not always as simple.
Speaker 3 (31:31):
We want guys to play confidently, as Dan mentioned earlier
with the question, but we got to continue to get
better with shots election.
Speaker 2 (31:38):
I think we've improved there over the last couple of weeks.
Speaker 3 (31:41):
Results in the win lost column may not feel good,
but we do believe in that area that we're evaluating,
we have improved and we'll continue to improve.
Speaker 9 (31:50):
Brian Coach, I know that Chom you're asking him to
do some stuff that he has not been asked to
do in the past. As far as his inside game,
How is he developing there? I mean, we can see
what's happening in the game, but just what are you
seeing in practice and the way he's approaching it and
how he is progressing with what you're asking him to
(32:12):
do that he's not used to.
Speaker 3 (32:14):
Yeah, I think guys. You to put this in perspective,
Shawna Bayev and Mustafa Chalmer unbelievably gifted young players, like
they're special and they're gonna have these special basketball careers
long after this year. They're very young players, and they're
being asked to do things they've never been asked to
do with an intensity and a demand that they've never had,
(32:38):
u with a standard they've never been asked to do
it that that can be difficult. It's very healthy for them.
They're they're actually improving in front of our eyes. They're
gonna have success in league play because they've been through it.
But imagine if and this is an excuse, but just
so you see what you're looking at when you ask
these questions. I mean, Jalen Haynes is a fifth year
(32:58):
senior that was running up for the year in the
A ten last year, that averaged sixteen to ten.
Speaker 2 (33:03):
Okay, Like now, that.
Speaker 3 (33:05):
Puts less pressure on Mustafa when there's a guy at
his position that.
Speaker 2 (33:10):
Was on a championship team in.
Speaker 3 (33:11):
A great league last year on a great team and
was almost a Player of the Year in the league.
That's a fifth year senior that's twenty three years old.
Speaker 2 (33:18):
Now that it's like the pressure on him to perform
is a little different. Right.
Speaker 3 (33:24):
The good moments feel great, the negative moments there's somebody else,
So it's almost like having an understudy there to start
the year, somebody to work beside. Now the pressure's on
Mustafa to performed. This is great for his development. It
might not always be fun, you know, to watch the process.
It's the same thing for Sean Jalen. Celestine is a
fifth year senior, played at Calf, played at Baylor, played
(33:45):
on a tournament team, and basically hasn't hasn't performed in practice.
This week is the first time he's done three days
in a row since he got to Cincinnati. Okay, so
you know the guy at his position that's older and experienced.
So Shawn's been thrown completely into the fire. So then
we get to pick apart everything that he's doing or
(34:05):
not doing. The truth is they're both improving, and they're
both going to have great years, and they're both gonna.
Speaker 2 (34:09):
Have terrific basketball.
Speaker 3 (34:11):
Chris most likely in the NBA at some point. We're
just seeing some of that young stuff and they don't
have that older player beside him at their position. They
were supposed to have. That's okay, this is life. Do
it throws it at you and you just work through it.
And they're both working through it, and I think they're
both going to be great.
Speaker 1 (34:26):
All Right, we need to take a time out. This
is the West Miller Radio Show or Live at the
Original Montgomery In Home of the World's Greatest Ribs. On
seven hundred WLW. We are back at the Original Montgomery
In Home of the World's Greatest Ribs and the West
Miller Radio Show. We're getting ready for a big road
game coming up on Saturday at two o'clock, Cincinnati will
be in Atlanta to take on the eight and one
(34:49):
Georgia Bulldogs. We've got about ten minutes left with coach.
Let's get to another question from the audience. Go ahead.
Speaker 6 (34:54):
So I'm just curious with the new world of college
basketball in college sports, but the transfer portal, and I
all that, when does the process for next year begin
for you?
Speaker 2 (35:04):
Are you doing that now? That began a long time ago? Okay, Okay, yeah,
thats uh.
Speaker 3 (35:11):
I think you know and and and I'm again I
don't I don't ever try to be the person complaining
what what good's that gonna do?
Speaker 2 (35:20):
That this new landscape's crazy. I mean, the.
Speaker 3 (35:23):
Transfer portal process started before we ever played a game.
I mean, you know, every every player now has an agent.
That agent has a roster. Every coach in the country
knows every agent's roster. Every coach in the country gets
text messages weekly about how their players are performing in
other colleges to monitor them to follow.
Speaker 2 (35:40):
I mean, this is going on.
Speaker 3 (35:42):
You know, it's I'm not saying anything controversial, it's the truth.
So that's that's stuff's going on. And we're monitoring all
these players around college basketball that will be in the
transfer portal. I think at this point you just assume
every single player will be and uh and and staying
in touch with the people that are calling about them.
But you know, you're not breaking any rules, You're not
(36:03):
reaching out to anybody directly. But let's be honest, this
is just what's going on in college football in college
basketball every single day.
Speaker 2 (36:10):
Thanks for us, appreciate it. Sure now they're probably of questioning.
Speaker 10 (36:13):
So the changes in the nil that are coming, I
think soon, do they change your approach at all? Is
there any changes to what you do based on the
changes that have coming?
Speaker 3 (36:25):
Yeah, I think for me, hiring Corey Evans was a
game changing decision because we were able to hire somebody
that spends three hundred and sixty five days a year thinking.
Speaker 2 (36:36):
About nil transfer portal and everything that goes into it.
Speaker 3 (36:42):
And so, you know, and I think most schools are
now doing something along those lines because we're living in
this moment with our team trying to prepare for the
next game, you know, really trying to have a special year.
But having somebody that is not a part of that process,
that only thinks about the roster build that's coming, you know,
(37:03):
when the season ends. I think that was a big
adjustment for us. We talk about the changes that are
coming in college basketball, there's only been one consistent thing
over the last four years, is there'll be a change
every three months and then another change the next three
It's been hard to hit a moving target with strategy
because things change every recruiting cycle. The only thing you
(37:24):
can count on is it's going to change and it's
going to cost more money.
Speaker 2 (37:27):
That's about all the two things that I think have
been consistent. Bob, So I'm talking about Mustapha. You mentioned
Jalen Haynes.
Speaker 4 (37:35):
How's Jalen's recovery coming along, and will we see him
on the court this year.
Speaker 2 (37:40):
I'm hopeful.
Speaker 3 (37:42):
His recovery's been miraculous to this point. Honestly, I think
it's the quickest recovery I've ever seen from an injury
like that. Our trainer, Bob man Jean, who's been doing
it for forty plus years, said the same thing. He's shooting,
He's going through skill workouts. He participating in those aspects
of practice at times, but he's not practicing yet, not
(38:05):
even in non contact situations. But he is doing some
shooting workouts in some i'd say sixty seventy percent skill stuff.
I do think that there's a chance that we'll see
him in a Bearcat uniform. It will not be this
week or next week, but I do think it's possible
this year. You know, maybe that's wishful and hopeful thinking,
because I think he's pretty special, not just as a talent,
(38:27):
but as a functional player, experienced player, competitor. I thought
when we put this roster together that Sincere Harris and
Jalen Haynes were the most old school type Bearcats, I
think people out there listening will understand what I mean
by that, and had experience being that way over their
college careers, and I think people watch sincere understand exactly
(38:48):
what I'm talking about. Jalen Haynes, in his own way,
has that same moxie. So yeah, I really think i'd
like to have him back, and I think he's making
every effort to get back.
Speaker 1 (38:57):
Have you thought of his comeback in terms of, Okay,
if he can get back in early January and have
most of the Big twelve schedules still ahead, then it's
well worth it. If it's closer to February, then it's
better off trying to see if he can get a
red shirt season. Do you think of it kind of
in those terms?
Speaker 3 (39:15):
Well, I think I think you always have to think
about what's best for the human being coming off of injury.
And you know, selfishly, I wanted if we can play
two games.
Speaker 2 (39:27):
I want him to play. He's that good, you know,
he's that impactful.
Speaker 3 (39:30):
He was probably our best player in our preseason stuff,
you know, and that type of thing.
Speaker 2 (39:36):
So yeah, I want him to play.
Speaker 3 (39:38):
But I do think there's an aspect of what's the
right thing to do for the individual, and you'll always.
Speaker 2 (39:42):
Answer that question first.
Speaker 3 (39:45):
I'll tell you this though, I do think he deserves
another year, whether he plays or not. I think even
if he plays, he does when you look at he
had to sit out a year at George Mason when
the old transfer rules existed that told you had to
sit out, and then halfway through the year they changed
them and said, oh, by the way, you can play
in January if you want now. And he didn't want
(40:08):
to waste a whole year playing half a year, and
that was the NCAA going back and forth six times
in his career ain't fair.
Speaker 2 (40:15):
He deserves another year no matter what.
Speaker 3 (40:16):
So I hope he gets to play this year and
then I'd like him to come back and play again
next year.
Speaker 2 (40:21):
And I think he's got a hell of a case there.
I know the sound of that.
Speaker 4 (40:23):
Yeah, I know that in house lawyer that can take
it up if you got you want somebody to help
with the process. But anyway, coach, in the in the
non in the on the off season, you did a
lot of team building exercises. You go different places. You
guys are doing a lot of stuff for the to
build camaraderie and sort of let the steam out because
you were going really hard in the summertime. What are
(40:44):
you doing personally to take some steam off? I know
you like the golf a lot. Are you hitting any
golf simulators?
Speaker 3 (40:50):
No? Well, hell, who's playing golf in Cincinnati in the
winter simulators?
Speaker 2 (40:56):
That's why I said no. I know, I don't. I
don't need any time.
Speaker 3 (41:00):
I need to spend my time getting better, Uh, working
with our team and preparing for the next game.
Speaker 2 (41:06):
And I find health within that. Terry.
Speaker 3 (41:09):
I get on the peloton, not as much as I should.
I probably should do that a little more. And I
got a great a great woman at home, and I'm
just cook blessed, blessed to have some some some time
twenty thirty minutes when I come home at night and
take a break and eat, and we get to spend
time together.
Speaker 2 (41:26):
That's more than I need.
Speaker 1 (41:27):
I never heard did t nell sneak his way into
the Thanksgiving celebration?
Speaker 2 (41:32):
Did that happen? He did not. He was invited.
Speaker 1 (41:35):
He invited himself. We heard it, But then you were
legitimately invited.
Speaker 2 (41:40):
You didn't make it, Huh, I did not make it.
Speaker 1 (41:42):
That's unfortunate.
Speaker 4 (41:43):
I'll be there Christmas now that I got the invite.
Speaker 1 (41:47):
A standing it's to show up at every holiday.
Speaker 8 (41:51):
I'm here.
Speaker 1 (41:54):
We had a question from one of our Bearcad fans
tonight about already planning for next seat. And I'm not
sure if we've discussed it or not on a radio show,
but dude, you you did sign a high school player
in the early recruiting period. Cayden Allen, six' five guy
with guard. Skills tell us a little bit about.
Speaker 2 (42:11):
Him he's a terrific. Player he's.
Speaker 3 (42:14):
Playing he's playing his senior year at a School Long Island,
lutheran goes by Lew high In New York, city and
they play on the in The Nike league that's now
This National High School, league high high level. Stuff HE'S
i think they have him ranked as a top fifty.
Speaker 2 (42:35):
Player he actually was.
Speaker 3 (42:37):
At one point ranked as a top, twenty top ten
maybe player in his class as a young, player because
he was playing With Cooper flag and a bunch of
other very well known players on a Mont org team
that won the national championship and went, undefeated and he
was the only underclassman that played a significant role in that.
TEAM i find it, fast and we've recruited him for three.
(42:58):
Years he's such a such a bright young. Man he's
focused his ability to pay attention and focus and articulate
things is beyond his.
Speaker 2 (43:10):
Years he's.
Speaker 3 (43:11):
SKILLED i think he could play all three positions in the.
Backcourt and this is WHAT i find. AWESOME i don't
care what the heck they rank. Him he'll be one
of the top twenty players in his. Class and he's
he's should be a junior in high. School AND i
don't think people know. THAT i don't think the people
ranking him know. THAT i don't think other people that
recruiting him knew, that but we found. OUT i think
(43:33):
he'll show.
Speaker 2 (43:35):
Up he's.
Speaker 3 (43:37):
SEVENTEEN i mean like he won't turn. Eighteen he's. Young
he's very very young for a high school, senior and,
again should be in the next. Class if he was
in the next, class he'd probably ranked in the top,
ten and that's the class he should be. In so
we're really excited about. Him BUT i am so impressed
with him his, intelligence his, focus and not just his,
(44:01):
talent which is tremendous as. Well he's going to be
a great.
Speaker 4 (44:03):
Player the president for, that the president for that Was Troy.
Colepaine he was on campus and didn't turn eighteen Until.
NOVEMBER i believe and he was getting major minutes under.
Speaker 3 (44:12):
MCCRONA i remember being at AN aau event In, pittsburgh
of all, places in the spring of his junior. Year
he was playing for a team loaded team out Of,
virginia AND i remember. WATCHING i was looking at some
other guys AND i, said who in the heck is?
That it Was Troy copaine and then he, then you,
KNOW i think he was already. COMMITTED i want to,
(44:33):
say he's going To. Cincinnatis how the heck did they get?
Him you, know he was great And i've gotten to Know.
Speaker 2 (44:40):
Troy think a lot of them also a highly intelligent basketball,
player no.
Speaker 1 (44:45):
Doubt all, right we are out of. Time we appreciate
The bearcat fans were with us here. Tonight we've got
some stuff to give away momentarily for everybody listening on the,
radio thanks for tuning. In this has been The West
Miller Radio show from the Original Montgomery In home of
The World's greatest rips one hundred do W L dole
It is show time.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
That's good dud.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Thank you, sir. A very pleasant, good evening, everybody. Greetings
from the original Montgomery In home of the world's greatest ribs.
Welcome to the West Miller Radio Show. I'm Dan Horde
with former Bearcats stand out Terry Nelson, my new favorite
podcaster and the star of the show, the head coach
of your UC Bearcats. That's here at four Wes Miller.
(00:30):
We are off to Atlanta tomorrow for a big game
coming up on Saturday against the Georgia Bulldogs. They are
eight and one. They're only lost this year in overtime
against an excellent Clemson team. You have taken on some
challenges in the non Big Twelve portion of the schedule,
and this is one of the toughest ones on the slate.
Speaker 3 (00:48):
Yeah, this will be a great opportunity, great game. They
I don't know what. I haven't checked the polls, and
nor do I care a whole lot about them this
time of year.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
But when you look.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
At the the at the Ken Pomp stuff, I mean,
they're one of the best teams in the country to
start the year, and they're doing some some really interesting things.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
In the open court.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
They're they're pressing, and they're playing extremely fast and speeding
you up defensively. That they've had a really nice start.
It's it's a it's a big time game, big time opportunity.
Speaker 4 (01:19):
Average of ninety nine points a game, which is incredible.
What is it about Georgia. I mean, it's been the
last three or four years that we played Georgia or
in Georgia. Obviously there's some players there, but what about
the what's the connection.
Speaker 3 (01:31):
I don't think that there's really it just kind of
by chance, right, we had the Georgia Tech Series, now Georgia,
and then I think Georgia will be back up this
way to play US neutral somewhere next year.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
But I don't. I actually that's Clemson. I think that
it comes back here next year. I don't. I don't.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
I think the Georgia win's a one off. But no,
I think it's more by chance. It wasn't There's there's
no nothing behind the scenes here. Intentionally just trying to
find quality games, and Georgia was look and we were
looking and it made sense to do it neutral.
Speaker 4 (02:02):
Lauren said, you planned that game because she came over here,
so she said.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
She was going to go back if because she moved
up from at Lea exactly.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
Yeah, Yeah, she is hiding behind a post now trying
to apployd eye contact with you team, Allen. I can't
blame her. Yeah, there's a balancing act when you put
together your schedule. You know you're going to have so
many killer games in the Big Twelve, you want some
in the non conference you don't want too many. Did
you feel like you had a pretty good balance this year.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
Yeah, I think there's you know, we've said this publicly
quite a bit, guys. I think the first thing you're
trying to do is build a tournament resume with your
non conference schedule. Are there opportunities to do that? The
second thing you're trying to prepare for your league because
that's ultimately what's going to define your year in the
regular season. And then third, you want to make sure
(02:52):
there's some level of balance to keep you know, working
and building your team and learning your team, especially in
today's age. And I thought when we put together a
knock schedule, I thought we did that.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Is it fair for basketball?
Speaker 4 (03:02):
Because Notre Dame had an early loss to Miami and
they're penalized for that ten in a row. But in
basketball it seems like it goes up and down based
on per game, Like you have a your game versus
Dayton and Xavier and Georgia and Clemson, and they can
really boost your net ranking or push them down and
(03:23):
bury you.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (03:25):
I think, And I haven't followed been a little preoccupied
and hadn't quite followed the football stuff. But I think
basketball and football are different because there's so many more opportunities,
you know, like and you get into the league, like
we played in the Big Twelve every night. It's the
neatest part about the league is every night's an opportunity
(03:45):
to get a big time win. Correct, And so that
is different than football, where maybe one loss can keep
you out of the playoff. It's not like that in
college basketball.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
Fortunately.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
All right, let's go back and do a bit of
an autopsy on the Xavier game. You haven't played a
ton of zone defense since you've been at Cincinnati. A
zone defense helped you get back into that game and
helped you take a lead with two and a half
minutes to go. Did you find something do you think
defensively in that game?
Speaker 3 (04:11):
Well, you know, we were It was interesting I thought
going into the game defending the three point line was
a huge key. They were making eleven a game, top
five in the country, and made threes a game. You know,
they had inserted those you know, inserted a kid into
the starting lineup in the front court. So they were
putting five guys in their starting lineup that are all
very capable from three and defending two shooters in the
(04:35):
front courts. Unique it'll happen again this year. But you know,
you guys that are coming off of games they've made
five threes that, you know, the starting five man, the
starting four man in recent games that each made five
threes each. That presented some different types of challenges, and
I thought, you know, our game plan was to really
make sure that we were able to defend the three
point line, make them score over us around the basket.
(04:57):
I was frustrated with our defense in the game because
we did defend the three point line, but we weren't
disciplined to make them score over us. We fouled, gave
up and one opportunities. We gave up a basket where
we didn't sprint back in transition after a made basket,
which is unacceptable. And then uh, they made a bunch
of two's over the top, and that that's that's something
(05:19):
that we've always been really good at is making it
tough to score too. So anyway, we get into the
second half and it just made sense at that point
to try something different in the zone workforce.
Speaker 4 (05:30):
You said that you didn't think that Carol could score
over Baba and Mustafa one on one.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
What did you see consistently assistently? Because it certainly it
were at a level of basketball where everybody can make
a one on one tough shot. That's sometimes you just
clap your hands and you run back the other way
and play the next possession, right, I mean, that's going
to happen at this level, But you know to to
(05:57):
to to get scored on over the top as much
as we did. That surprised me. But you allow somebody
to get in a rhythm by giving them easy ones.
Now they get to two feet with an angle, get
fouled and one, And we made a lot of errors,
very simple errors to allow those, and then people get
in a rhythm and it's easier for them to make
the tougher ones.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
And I thought he did a little bit of both, right.
Speaker 3 (06:20):
He got easy ones, he got to the foul line,
and then he was able to make some really tough
ones over the top to close the game.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
Hindsight, it's always twenty twenty. What, if anything, would you
do differently against him?
Speaker 3 (06:31):
Well, I think we would have spent more time on,
you know, how to defend that action where they just
kind of like set a pick and roll for him
on the side and he drives it and flips his hips.
You know, late in the game when we somebody asked me, like,
why didn't you double more? Well, we were in the zone,
you know, like one of the things we did. We
went to the zone. We were trying to get to
the double. We talked about it, and we got to
(06:53):
it on one possession late in the game. There were
two possessions he scored over the top. One of them
was after they broke the zone kind of switched into man,
and then the other one he had drove from the
perimeter and just kind of made a quick move. So
we were trying to double him more, but we probably
to spend a little more time defending that because it
was what they were kind of going to over and
over again.
Speaker 4 (07:14):
I noticed in practice there seems to be what I
used to call with Bob Huggins the Jack be Nimble experience,
where you light a fire into somebody and you make
them try to try to get them to play with
a little bit more urgency in practice. I've been seeing
a little bit more of that lately. Is that because
you're trying to turn up for the conference? Are you
just trying to get them prepared one game at a
(07:34):
time for that?
Speaker 2 (07:35):
I just think I was really excited to have a
week of practice. You know it's been a while.
Speaker 3 (07:40):
Yeah that I'm not guys, I ain't making excuses or complaining.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
I just as a coach, I live for practice.
Speaker 3 (07:45):
I live live for the opportunity to go in there
and work and get better and you know, teach and
like you said, you know, try to make the team
a better team. And we had a week to do that.
And so I think there was an opportunity to coach
in a lot of different ways, and maybe one of
them is what you're talking about. That was very intentional
to try to create some urgency in some certain areas
(08:06):
that we got to improve.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
Mustapha Chim has not been able to take advantage of
his size and athletic ability lately as much as he
did earlier. This year. What are you working on with him?
Speaker 3 (08:16):
Well, we need him to be a force. We need
to be a presence. We need him to be a
great rebounder on both ends. We need him to be
a shot blocker and a rim protector defensively. You know,
I thought in the Xavier game we did a nice
job of getting the ball within four or five feet,
like I thought, we were able to establish the post
box with him. We didn't convert enough there. We're gonna
(08:37):
keep trying to get him the ball. We need him
to convert down there and kind of find his rhythm offensively.
But there's no doubt about it. He's a big time player.
We need him to play like a big time player,
and I believe he will. We're hard at work at it.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
Break all right, yep, we'll take a time out. You
are listening to the West Miller Radio Show or Live
at the Original Montgomery In Home of the World's Greatest Rips.
On seven hundred, we are back at the Original Montgomery
In Home of the World's Greatest Rips and the West
Miller Radio Show. We appreciate the Bearcat fans are with
us here tonight. We will have some stuff to give
(09:10):
away at the end of the show some Bearcat gear
and some tickets to the bearcats next home game. Their
next game, though, of course, is on the road this
Saturday at Georgia. That's at two o'clock start. It's in Georgia,
I should say, it's not a true road game. It's
in Atlanta, obviously closer to the University of Georgia. Starts
at two o'clock in the afternoon. Paba Miller missed a
(09:32):
couple of games. He's been back for a couple of
games now, probably playing at less than one hundred percent,
and even at less than one hundred percent. He had
seventeen rebounds in the Xavier game, a new career high
for him. You spoke with reporters earlier today and it
sounds like he's getting healthier and healthier at practice.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
He has been able to put days together this week,
which is to me what led to a really great
start for him of the season. He was one of
our him and Dada Thomas and in terms of practice
have been our most consistent guys day in, day out,
and no mistake that those guys have had the start
they've had, but him missing practice affected him. It was
(10:10):
very obvious to our eyes as coaches again getting back
in the rhythm of practice this week, I suspect that
don't really help him.
Speaker 4 (10:18):
I've noticed that during this time you were early on,
when you start getting the injuries to your team, you
start giving them more breaks in between, and you start
taking a little bit softer approch, not a softer approach,
but not trying to push him as hard in certain
areas because you want to just get to the game.
But now that they're getting back healthy, I see you
(10:39):
doing more with pressing and defenses and just trying out
different things. Is that intentional?
Speaker 2 (10:45):
I just hate the dynamic you talked about. You can
call it soft, it's what it is.
Speaker 3 (10:50):
I mean, you know, you got guys hurt, you can't practice,
and it's not they're not being soft.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
But hell, that's what I'm not going to the place
I just told you. I live for practice.
Speaker 3 (10:58):
Yeah, but if guys are hurt and can't practice, what
are you supposed to do? And you know, we were
in a segment there where we were doing walkthroughs, not
practices because we didn't have enough to be able.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
To practice there for a little bit. And no, that's
no fun. That's no fun. I don't love that.
Speaker 3 (11:15):
You can call it any bad word you want, I
won't disagree with it. But the no I think you
have to this is basketball is like anything. There's no secrets.
Like there's no secrets. It takes what it takes. The
work is the work. The preparation is the preparation. And
you know, again, I'm Fit's felt good this week to
be able to get back in the gym and do that.
Speaker 1 (11:35):
You have an approach of trying to build your players up.
You want them to feel confident when they take the court,
and part of that is giving them freedom to take
shots that you think they can make and they think
they can make. But I wonder sometimes if there's a
fine line when a guy who maybe doesn't have a
great percentage and a key situation in the game takes
one and you have to say, Okay, there are times
(11:56):
to take that shot and other times not too.
Speaker 3 (11:58):
It's coaching, right, You get the film, you you get
on the practice court, and you start really defining roles. Right.
We've been doing that for the last two or three weeks.
It doesn't mean that you still won't have a moment
in a game where somebody will be eighteen to twenty
two years old and do something they're not supposed to do.
But I do think shot selection is going to be
(12:20):
really important to our ability to improve our offense as
a team.
Speaker 4 (12:24):
I spoke about this on the Legends Unpluged podcast. You guys,
make sure you go ahead and do that.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
It's excellent. Yes, so big thumbs up from your broadcast
partner Dan Horde.
Speaker 2 (12:34):
Appreciate it.
Speaker 4 (12:34):
Reve we were seven to zero in the nineteen ninety
two season. Ninety one ninety two, we go to Michigan State,
we had a nineteen point league. We end up losing
at the Buzzer. And back then was now it was
during the time. Right now, there's no twenty hour rule,
so you can practice as long as you want. So
the Hugs would make us do two a days. And
then so after running us for a while, he put
(12:55):
us all on the baseline and said this is your role,
and he went down one. I won and went to
everybody and he came to me and he said, Terry,
you work the hardest that we have. I need you
to rebound, I need you to block out, need you
to play post defense. But if you don't go hard.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
You can't pass, you can't shoot, you can't.
Speaker 4 (13:13):
He just went through all this stuff that I can't do,
and I didn't hear any of that. All I heard
was if I want to play, play, post defense, play,
you know, box out, do whatever. But it gave me
the ability to say, this is what he sees in me,
and if I do this, I can make a difference
for the team. Do you have those conversations or they
just kind of know based on the roles that you
(13:35):
are planning out with offensive defensive strategy.
Speaker 2 (13:38):
Yeah, you have those conversations, maybe in a different way
than you could do in the nineties.
Speaker 3 (13:43):
I mean you also got to have those conversations with
the agent.
Speaker 1 (13:48):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (13:49):
And then there's a transfer port, you know, so it's
not you know, yes, if you were pissed about it,
you could you walk out of the door and transfer
it back in ninety one ninety that's right, Corey.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
No, you do, Listen, you do.
Speaker 3 (14:05):
And there's certain fundamentals of coaching that are the exact
same as they were fifty years ago, and that's what's fun.
And then there's there's certain dynamics that are much different.
I think I think, yes, you're trying to define what
guy's strengths are getting them to play to their strengths,
getting them to sacrifice maybe something they want to do
(14:25):
for something that would be better for our team for
them to do. We're having those conversations for sure. I
think we have good kids that are trying to buy
in and want to win.
Speaker 1 (14:34):
You express some optimism after the Xavier game, and I
feel like some people took it the wrong way, like
you weren't upset with the loss, which obviously nothing could
be further from the truth. Probably put your fist through
a back blackboard or something like that. But what did
you see in that game that was caused for optimism
and positivity?
Speaker 2 (14:57):
Yeah, you know, there's no way I didn't know that.
I'm deleted social media a while back. I only have
the apps on my phone, so to how smart. It's
a much better way to live. I'll tell you what
it makes. It makes life, not just for anything with basketball,
just in general.
Speaker 3 (15:15):
I mean now, when I open my phone, I read
my news apps, so I know what's going on in
the world. But the.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
No I listen nobody.
Speaker 3 (15:23):
I don't know if I could even describe the pain
that you feel after a loss.
Speaker 2 (15:29):
You know, it's a it's a deep pain. Uh.
Speaker 3 (15:32):
You know, you put your whole life and you nest
into something and when you lose, I don't I don't
even have the words to describe the.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
Pain that you feel.
Speaker 3 (15:41):
But that said, you know, the job of a coach
of a player is to learn to get back to
work and to figure out how to grow and to
become a great team. And so you know to me
that that's what you do with the loss. You learn,
you learn, you're gonna feel that pain. Like it doesn't.
(16:02):
I'm still upset about the game somewhere down here, like
I don't like to talk about it, but that's my
job is coming here and talk with you guys and
answer questions. But the truth is you got to learn
from it. You gotta channel it, and when you're winning
games in the Big Twelve later in the year, the
things that you went through at some point that that
didn't feel good have to be a catalyst for you
(16:24):
to be a good team. And those of us that
have been in it a long time, you know, you
know that's how it always works, and so that that's
the goal.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
That's the job.
Speaker 3 (16:32):
And there were some moments in that game, you know
that were positive. What I would say is had we
hit a shot to go up one under two minutes,
had we we have won that last two minutes, you
guys be asking me all these fun questions tonight about.
Speaker 2 (16:47):
How good is it? You know that, well, you know,
you got to put things in perspective sometimes too.
Speaker 3 (16:52):
So we did some good things to come back from
a thirteen point deficit, to take a lead on the
road and a rivalry game. You know, that's something we
can build on. And there's a lot that we've already
talked about that we can learn from.
Speaker 4 (17:03):
The great pat Riley said there's winning and there's misery. Sure,
and that's exactly what you feel when you put your
whole life into the preparation in doing all that and
then you lose. Tell you it's tough for you guys
that don't if you played sports on any level.
Speaker 3 (17:19):
Yeah, but you know, I say this, Terry, and I
think you'll appreciate this, and anybody's listening, I think I'll
appreciate this.
Speaker 2 (17:24):
Is you feel like as low as you could ever feel.
Speaker 3 (17:28):
But sometimes you take a step back and you think
about I'm coaching basketball, we're playing basketball, and think about
how great our lives are, how fortunate we.
Speaker 2 (17:36):
Are, who the hell wants to hear me complain? No
serious that people.
Speaker 3 (17:40):
Out there working nine to five and struggling to put pop.
Who wants to hear me complain? My job, into complain
is to figure ou how to get our damn team better.
And so when I stand in front of the media,
I sit here in a radio interview, Hell, what do
I have to complain about? My job is to go
get us better and that's where my focus is.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
So you guys get right to it.
Speaker 4 (17:58):
Like when the game's over, you guys don't know, he
doesn't go home and have a big stake and hang
out like his assistant coaches are breaking down to film
and you guys are going over what just took place,
So you don't really get a mental break. So you're
still in game mode. You try to, you know, Dan
and myself or Dan and Steve, try to take some
steam off in the radio interview before you get to
(18:18):
the media room and you know, project to the world.
Speaker 2 (18:22):
But then you have to go right back and look
at what you just saw. What is that like?
Speaker 4 (18:27):
For those that don't know.
Speaker 3 (18:29):
It's the only thing that I can do after a game,
because if not, your brain is so eat win winter lost.
Your brain's wired and all you can think about is
the game and everything that happens. So the only thing
that you're not going to be able to go to sleep.
The only thing that makes any sense is to get
to work. And for me, in any of the difficult
things I've ever experienced in basketball, the only thing that
(18:49):
it helps is working harder. And so you know, when
lose your draw, we get in the room and grade
the film and start figuring out how we can get better.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
Did you start that or did you get that from
one of your previous as coaches.
Speaker 3 (19:00):
That's what my college coach did, And you know, when
I was playing, you know, a couple of times I
would go ask to watch them grade the tape because
they call out the grades and I wanted to see
how that went. And then when I was getting into coaching,
I would sit and help them grade and do that
as a young person that wanted to coach. And then
even you know, I was so fortunate that my mentor
(19:22):
and coach was coaching an hour from me. You know,
when I was a young head coach, and I probably
a couple of games a year, I wouldn't go to
the game, but I drive down there when the game
was over, just to sit in and watch them grade,
you know, just to see if I could pick something
up or learn something. And sometimes I felt like we
were doing it like them, and I'd go watch them
and go, hell, we ain't doing it like as good
as they're doing it. You know, you might learn something,
(19:43):
but no, I we greade and it's not the exact
same system in process that I learned from from my
college coach. We've tweaked it, we've altered it to fit
what we're doing. But that's where the whole thing started.
I'm not that original, to be honest.
Speaker 1 (19:58):
When you've added new members to your coaching staff and
you explain that this is part of the process, did
they go away?
Speaker 4 (20:03):
What?
Speaker 1 (20:04):
Yeah, we're not going out to dinner right.
Speaker 2 (20:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (20:08):
It's in the in the circles of all the guys
that I've worked with that and most of us are
all still very close guys that we've worked with over
the last fifteen years. That's like the one joke they
all have, like I don't miss the grading, or you know,
a new guy gets hired and they see somebody that
used to work with us on the road, how you
get ready for the grading.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
You know, like they assistants don't like it.
Speaker 3 (20:29):
But I will say I've had a number of assistant
coaches that have appreciated it because you.
Speaker 2 (20:35):
Get the team, you get the staff on the same page.
Speaker 3 (20:38):
You learn, you really teach young coaches how to watch film.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
It's something I really.
Speaker 4 (20:43):
Do value you, mikeel on the staff, you would challenge
you on the sideline, and it was a crazy dynamic.
You guys are going back and forth on the sideline.
Is there anybody that challenged you, not in a physical way,
but saying, look, I think we need to do this
when you have a strong opinion.
Speaker 3 (20:57):
Otherwise I'm main man, Mike, I mis amen, Mike. He's
doing great. He's this assistant at New Mexico. They're off
to a great start. So shout out to Mike Roberts.
But oh yeah, we would get into some altercations.
Speaker 2 (21:09):
Dan and I would be bumpling to like this. It's funny, man.
Speaker 3 (21:12):
I walked into Starbucks one morning and we were coaching
down at the mid major school in North Carolina together,
and we used to go to the same Starbucks every
morning on the way to work.
Speaker 2 (21:21):
And I walked in.
Speaker 3 (21:22):
And one of the fans that comes to the game
stop me, and he goes, are you okay with your
assistant coach?
Speaker 2 (21:27):
What are you talking about?
Speaker 3 (21:28):
And I said, grasp you guys from about twenty last night,
you okay with your assistants?
Speaker 2 (21:31):
I said, what are you talking about?
Speaker 3 (21:32):
He said, you guys got into it on the side,
and I was like, that's just how we communicate.
Speaker 2 (21:36):
Man like.
Speaker 3 (21:37):
But uh no, that was great and we worked together
for ten years and we had a really good dynamic
for sure.
Speaker 1 (21:43):
All right, Well, take a time out of questions from
the audience when we continue. This is the West Miller
Radio Show or Live at the Original Montgomery In Home
of the World's Greatest Ribs on seven hundred w allw
Welcome back to the West Miller Radio Show, Live from
the original Montgomery In Home of the world's Greatest Ribs.
I think we're on next Tuesday next week. If I'm
(22:05):
not mistaken because of the schedule next week, it'll be
well double check before the end of the show tonight.
In any case, let's take some questions from the audience.
Phillis as batting lead off tonight coach.
Speaker 5 (22:17):
This kind of dovetails with Dan's comment just a little
bit this may seem it's from observation and might be
somewhat tough for you. We like hearing that there's good
practice and that it sounds really, you know, really encouraging,
but it hasn't appeared to translate many times in performance
(22:38):
on the floor, and that seems to be a bit
of a disconnect. The fan base, for better or for worse,
would like to see the intensity of the coaching to
turn up and get a little tougher. And we know
that good people can be very demanding, but is there.
Speaker 2 (22:53):
A downside to that to be demanding, to be.
Speaker 5 (22:57):
Demanding and expecting more of the players than what they're
doing delivering at that point. Because we know we have
good players, that's not even a question, but it seems
that there needs to be more demanded of them and
to be a little tougher on them because and I
know it's a mishmash, we only had three returners, so
it makes it really complicated. But I think sometimes with
(23:20):
coaching and leading, that the expectation has to be up
here and then moved down from from the top of
really being hard to being okay, this is where we
are kind of coaching and leading.
Speaker 3 (23:37):
Yeah, I think the standard has to be high. I
think that's what's being demanded of them. So yeah, that's
from my perspective. Yes, that you're right in what you're saying,
and the application of that is happening.
Speaker 1 (23:52):
Thank you, sure, Thanks Phyllis. Before we get to Brian,
the show is on Tuesday on December thirtieth, so not
next week, but the week after Christmas. We'll have a
Tuesday show, not a Thursday show.
Speaker 2 (24:06):
Bryan, you're up, coach. I don't know a thing about Georgia.
What do they do?
Speaker 3 (24:13):
Press press, speed the game up. They lead the nation
and shot blocking. So as they speed the game up,
they steal the ball, they turn the they turn you
over to high rate their top ten in the country there.
When you shoot shots quickly around the rim, they turn
those into turnovers by blocking shots and altering shots.
Speaker 2 (24:32):
And then they're.
Speaker 3 (24:34):
Playing about as fast as you can play, converting defense
to offense with a ton of guards that are downhill oriented,
shoot a lot of threes, touch the paint a lot.
Speaker 2 (24:46):
They have an athletic front court.
Speaker 3 (24:48):
So again, playing eleven guys, they're playing eleven deep, playing
extremely fast on offense and defense.
Speaker 1 (24:55):
And it's really playing eleven deep too. They're all averaging
double digit minutes. It's not like the eleventh guy gets
in there for four correct, Yeah, all right, next question.
Speaker 2 (25:04):
Uh two parter here?
Speaker 6 (25:06):
Uh do we have an update on Gisel James for
one and two? Does a player like that fit with
this lineup? With the men of ball dominant cards that
we have.
Speaker 2 (25:17):
From a basketball perspective. I don't have any updates.
Speaker 3 (25:19):
But he's doing great, really proud of I'm really happy
for him. But I don't have any basketball updates and
uh so then you know, I guess it's not appropriate
to answer the second part of the question.
Speaker 1 (25:33):
All right, thank you very much.
Speaker 7 (25:36):
Yeah, coach, My question is more on the offensive side.
Speaker 2 (25:40):
I think you do.
Speaker 7 (25:41):
You've done over the years pretty good job on the
defensive side. Offensive side. With this year's team, you have
a better inside presence than you've had in a while.
What are your thoughts on the balance between you know,
the inside game, When do you really emphasize that during
(26:03):
the game versus the analytics of that you're seeing out
there of you know, everybody wants to shoot the threes
and so forth. What's that balance? Because you have to
have the inside game, you have to have guys that
drive the ball to basket, finish or get the free
throw line, as well as guys that.
Speaker 2 (26:19):
Can shoot the three.
Speaker 7 (26:21):
Three shooting has been a struggle for this team. How
do you take advantage of what you have now as
an inside game and how early do you deploy that.
Speaker 3 (26:32):
It's a great question. The you know, the first thing
with the three point shooting is we have a roster
full of guys that haven't not just projected that they
could go shoot threes. Well, they've already shot threes well
in their careers, right, So at some point, and I
believe it will happen, we're going to shoot the ball
well from three. We made eleven in our last game,
(26:53):
so that's that's a step in the right direction. But
if you're just shooting threes, right, that's knocking. To be enough,
we have to establish ourselves in the postbox, right.
Speaker 2 (27:04):
We're trying to do that.
Speaker 3 (27:05):
We're trying to do that through Mustapha Chim, We're trying
to do that through Baba Miller. We're trying to do
it to start games and start halfs. If you look
at the start of most games, we start a possession
by throwing it into the box you know, the first
possession against a the night we throw it in, they
double Baba, Boba the ball, kick it out, hit a
three day, it hits it three to start the I
mean we're trying to do it. I thought we actually
got the ball into the box. To Mustafa, Well, we've
(27:28):
had knights we didn't I mean we got it that,
we didn't get in enough against Louisville and he had
it going against Louisville. Right, we've had nights that we
got it in there and we didn't convert. We got
it in there pretty good to him. I thought he
had a couple of really nice looks to start the
second half, running the rim, getting early post catches. He's
gonna convert those. Baba's been our most consistent guy. It's
(27:48):
scoring around the basket, putting pressure on the basket, whether
it's the drive or the back to the basket game.
We need that from other guys. Since your Harris has
been pretty consistent at driving the ball and getting to
the rim. We are getting fouled more than we've ever
gotten fouled since I've been at Cincinnati. So we're getting
to the free throw line. We're not converting, right, I
mean we're shooting fifty percent. And you know, you look
(28:08):
at the last game right from a shot disparity standpoint,
because this is what we go in there after the
game and we evaluate every aspect of it. You know,
shot the ball well from three for the first time
in a while.
Speaker 2 (28:18):
That was great.
Speaker 3 (28:20):
We actually got to the basket with angled shots. We
didn't take a bunch of contested midi twos that are
the lowest percented shots in our game. We get to
the basket, we miss miss four layups. I'm not talking
about layups that the coach is going, heah. You could
may say it's a layup, but it was contested. We
missed four point blank layups. Those are one hundred percent
shots in college basketball. They didn't go in. We got
(28:42):
the ball into mu a couple times twice, and we
missed two and a half footers.
Speaker 2 (28:46):
Those should be about ninety percent converted.
Speaker 3 (28:49):
So and then we miss a eleven free throw So offensively,
in the last game, the shot disparity, the rim pressure,
that getting to the free throw line, the getting the ball.
Speaker 2 (28:57):
To the post box, we executed that, but.
Speaker 3 (29:00):
We leave eleven on the free throw line, right, we
missed six layups or opportunities that it the worst case,
you're five for six, Well, that's going to be a
big disparity in the game. Now, we haven't executed offense
to that degree in every game to start the year.
We need to execute offense that consistently, and then we
need to convert more consistently. But establishing the box, you're
(29:22):
absolutely right. Whether it's through the post, whether it's through
the drive, whether it's through a cut, whether it's through
a transition layup, whether it's defense to offense, that's got
to happen.
Speaker 8 (29:32):
All right, next question, Okay, following up on the last question, So,
Baba Miller, it's specifically so he was over four and
then shootout from three, but it looked like he had
the advantage inside. He's either gonna get double teamed or
he's gonna score inside. So when when do you coach
up and say yet, it's not your night, don't don't
(29:56):
keep shooting the three. And there's a kind of a
two part question. I think he can shoot the three,
but he hasn't shown it yet this year. So that's
the second part of the clesson is that is that
part of his game that you want, that you encourage
or is like, no, no, get down low, do your thing,
because you have a lot of talent and you can
score it will down there pretty much.
Speaker 2 (30:14):
Yeah, Bob's over four from three in the Savior game.
It's what you're referring to.
Speaker 3 (30:19):
He's been such a force in all aspects of the
game for us to start the year. You know, certainly
I trust Baba. Boba's been our most consistent player to
start the year before the injurygue in the Louisville game,
Baba already showed that he could shoot the three a
year ago at Florida Atlantic, So you're not talking about
somebody that hasn't made threes. Number two, We stat every
(30:41):
three in practice. In practice, in drills, we find that
if you can shoot seventy percent or better, that's going
to translate to better than thirty three percent in live play.
Baba shoots seventy five percent in our shooting drills. From
the summer till now. We have confidence that Baba can
shoot it.
Speaker 2 (31:00):
His ability to.
Speaker 3 (31:00):
Stretch the floor will be very important for this team
over the course of the year. Now, do we want
him to maybe take two less in the last game
where he could have maybe driven the ball and put pressure.
Speaker 2 (31:10):
Yes, and that's why we watched.
Speaker 3 (31:11):
The film and we point that out to him and
point that out to the team that this isn't about
not shooting the ball, because I will tell you, guys,
in coaching, missing shots is really difficult. Having guys that
are afraid to shoot or don't believe they have the
confidence to shoot is way worse.
Speaker 2 (31:28):
Okay, So it's not always as simple.
Speaker 3 (31:31):
We want guys to play confidently, as Dan mentioned earlier
with the question, but we got to continue to get
better with shots election.
Speaker 2 (31:38):
I think we've improved there over the last couple of weeks.
Speaker 3 (31:41):
Results in the win lost column may not feel good,
but we do believe in that area that we're evaluating,
we have improved and we'll continue to improve.
Speaker 9 (31:50):
Brian Coach, I know that Chom you're asking him to
do some stuff that he has not been asked to
do in the past. As far as his inside game,
How is he developing there? I mean, we can see
what's happening in the game, but just what are you
seeing in practice and the way he's approaching it and
how he is progressing with what you're asking him to
(32:12):
do that he's not used to.
Speaker 3 (32:14):
Yeah, I think guys. You to put this in perspective,
Shawna Bayev and Mustafa Chalmer unbelievably gifted young players, like
they're special and they're gonna have these special basketball careers
long after this year. They're very young players, and they're
being asked to do things they've never been asked to
do with an intensity and a demand that they've never had,
(32:38):
u with a standard they've never been asked to do
it that that can be difficult. It's very healthy for them.
They're they're actually improving in front of our eyes. They're
gonna have success in league play because they've been through it.
But imagine if and this is an excuse, but just
so you see what you're looking at when you ask
these questions. I mean, Jalen Haynes is a fifth year
(32:58):
senior that was running up for the year in the
A ten last year, that averaged sixteen to ten.
Speaker 2 (33:03):
Okay, Like now, that.
Speaker 3 (33:05):
Puts less pressure on Mustafa when there's a guy at
his position that.
Speaker 2 (33:10):
Was on a championship team in.
Speaker 3 (33:11):
A great league last year on a great team and
was almost a Player of the Year in the league.
That's a fifth year senior that's twenty three years old.
Speaker 2 (33:18):
Now that it's like the pressure on him to perform
is a little different. Right.
Speaker 3 (33:24):
The good moments feel great, the negative moments there's somebody else,
So it's almost like having an understudy there to start
the year, somebody to work beside. Now the pressure's on
Mustafa to performed. This is great for his development. It
might not always be fun, you know, to watch the process.
It's the same thing for Sean Jalen. Celestine is a
fifth year senior, played at Calf, played at Baylor, played
(33:45):
on a tournament team, and basically hasn't hasn't performed in practice.
This week is the first time he's done three days
in a row since he got to Cincinnati. Okay, so
you know the guy at his position that's older and experienced.
So Shawn's been thrown completely into the fire. So then
we get to pick apart everything that he's doing or
(34:05):
not doing. The truth is they're both improving, and they're
both going to have great years, and they're both gonna.
Speaker 2 (34:09):
Have terrific basketball.
Speaker 3 (34:11):
Chris most likely in the NBA at some point. We're
just seeing some of that young stuff and they don't
have that older player beside him at their position. They
were supposed to have. That's okay, this is life. Do
it throws it at you and you just work through it.
And they're both working through it, and I think they're
both going to be great.
Speaker 1 (34:26):
All Right, we need to take a time out. This
is the West Miller Radio Show or Live at the
Original Montgomery In Home of the World's Greatest Ribs. On
seven hundred WLW. We are back at the Original Montgomery
In Home of the World's Greatest Ribs and the West
Miller Radio Show. We're getting ready for a big road
game coming up on Saturday at two o'clock, Cincinnati will
be in Atlanta to take on the eight and one
(34:49):
Georgia Bulldogs. We've got about ten minutes left with coach.
Let's get to another question from the audience. Go ahead.
Speaker 6 (34:54):
So I'm just curious with the new world of college
basketball in college sports, but the transfer portal, and I
all that, when does the process for next year begin
for you?
Speaker 2 (35:04):
Are you doing that now? That began a long time ago? Okay, Okay, yeah,
thats uh.
Speaker 3 (35:11):
I think you know and and and I'm again I
don't I don't ever try to be the person complaining
what what good's that gonna do?
Speaker 2 (35:20):
That this new landscape's crazy. I mean, the.
Speaker 3 (35:23):
Transfer portal process started before we ever played a game.
I mean, you know, every every player now has an agent.
That agent has a roster. Every coach in the country
knows every agent's roster. Every coach in the country gets
text messages weekly about how their players are performing in
other colleges to monitor them to follow.
Speaker 2 (35:40):
I mean, this is going on.
Speaker 3 (35:42):
You know, it's I'm not saying anything controversial, it's the truth.
So that's that's stuff's going on. And we're monitoring all
these players around college basketball that will be in the
transfer portal. I think at this point you just assume
every single player will be and uh and and staying
in touch with the people that are calling about them.
But you know, you're not breaking any rules, You're not
(36:03):
reaching out to anybody directly. But let's be honest, this
is just what's going on in college football in college
basketball every single day.
Speaker 2 (36:10):
Thanks for us, appreciate it. Sure now they're probably of questioning.
Speaker 10 (36:13):
So the changes in the nil that are coming, I
think soon, do they change your approach at all? Is
there any changes to what you do based on the
changes that have coming?
Speaker 3 (36:25):
Yeah, I think for me, hiring Corey Evans was a
game changing decision because we were able to hire somebody
that spends three hundred and sixty five days a year thinking.
Speaker 2 (36:36):
About nil transfer portal and everything that goes into it.
Speaker 3 (36:42):
And so, you know, and I think most schools are
now doing something along those lines because we're living in
this moment with our team trying to prepare for the
next game, you know, really trying to have a special year.
But having somebody that is not a part of that process,
that only thinks about the roster build that's coming, you know,
(37:03):
when the season ends. I think that was a big
adjustment for us. We talk about the changes that are
coming in college basketball, there's only been one consistent thing
over the last four years, is there'll be a change
every three months and then another change the next three
It's been hard to hit a moving target with strategy
because things change every recruiting cycle. The only thing you
(37:24):
can count on is it's going to change and it's
going to cost more money.
Speaker 2 (37:27):
That's about all the two things that I think have
been consistent. Bob, So I'm talking about Mustapha. You mentioned
Jalen Haynes.
Speaker 4 (37:35):
How's Jalen's recovery coming along, and will we see him
on the court this year.
Speaker 2 (37:40):
I'm hopeful.
Speaker 3 (37:42):
His recovery's been miraculous to this point. Honestly, I think
it's the quickest recovery I've ever seen from an injury
like that. Our trainer, Bob man Jean, who's been doing
it for forty plus years, said the same thing. He's shooting,
He's going through skill workouts. He participating in those aspects
of practice at times, but he's not practicing yet, not
(38:05):
even in non contact situations. But he is doing some
shooting workouts in some i'd say sixty seventy percent skill stuff.
I do think that there's a chance that we'll see
him in a Bearcat uniform. It will not be this
week or next week, but I do think it's possible
this year. You know, maybe that's wishful and hopeful thinking,
because I think he's pretty special, not just as a talent,
(38:27):
but as a functional player, experienced player, competitor. I thought
when we put this roster together that Sincere Harris and
Jalen Haynes were the most old school type Bearcats, I
think people out there listening will understand what I mean
by that, and had experience being that way over their
college careers, and I think people watch sincere understand exactly
(38:48):
what I'm talking about. Jalen Haynes, in his own way,
has that same moxie. So yeah, I really think i'd
like to have him back, and I think he's making
every effort to get back.
Speaker 1 (38:57):
Have you thought of his comeback in terms of, Okay,
if he can get back in early January and have
most of the Big twelve schedules still ahead, then it's
well worth it. If it's closer to February, then it's
better off trying to see if he can get a
red shirt season. Do you think of it kind of
in those terms?
Speaker 3 (39:15):
Well, I think I think you always have to think
about what's best for the human being coming off of injury.
And you know, selfishly, I wanted if we can play
two games.
Speaker 2 (39:27):
I want him to play. He's that good, you know,
he's that impactful.
Speaker 3 (39:30):
He was probably our best player in our preseason stuff,
you know, and that type of thing.
Speaker 2 (39:36):
So yeah, I want him to play.
Speaker 3 (39:38):
But I do think there's an aspect of what's the
right thing to do for the individual, and you'll always.
Speaker 2 (39:42):
Answer that question first.
Speaker 3 (39:45):
I'll tell you this though, I do think he deserves
another year, whether he plays or not. I think even
if he plays, he does when you look at he
had to sit out a year at George Mason when
the old transfer rules existed that told you had to
sit out, and then halfway through the year they changed
them and said, oh, by the way, you can play
in January if you want now. And he didn't want
(40:08):
to waste a whole year playing half a year, and
that was the NCAA going back and forth six times
in his career ain't fair.
Speaker 2 (40:15):
He deserves another year no matter what.
Speaker 3 (40:16):
So I hope he gets to play this year and
then I'd like him to come back and play again
next year.
Speaker 2 (40:21):
And I think he's got a hell of a case there.
I know the sound of that.
Speaker 4 (40:23):
Yeah, I know that in house lawyer that can take
it up if you got you want somebody to help
with the process. But anyway, coach, in the in the
non in the on the off season, you did a
lot of team building exercises. You go different places. You
guys are doing a lot of stuff for the to
build camaraderie and sort of let the steam out because
you were going really hard in the summertime. What are
(40:44):
you doing personally to take some steam off? I know
you like the golf a lot. Are you hitting any
golf simulators?
Speaker 3 (40:50):
No? Well, hell, who's playing golf in Cincinnati in the
winter simulators?
Speaker 2 (40:56):
That's why I said no. I know, I don't. I
don't need any time.
Speaker 3 (41:00):
I need to spend my time getting better, Uh, working
with our team and preparing for the next game.
Speaker 2 (41:06):
And I find health within that. Terry.
Speaker 3 (41:09):
I get on the peloton, not as much as I should.
I probably should do that a little more. And I
got a great a great woman at home, and I'm
just cook blessed, blessed to have some some some time
twenty thirty minutes when I come home at night and
take a break and eat, and we get to spend
time together.
Speaker 2 (41:26):
That's more than I need.
Speaker 1 (41:27):
I never heard did t nell sneak his way into
the Thanksgiving celebration?
Speaker 2 (41:32):
Did that happen? He did not. He was invited.
Speaker 1 (41:35):
He invited himself. We heard it, But then you were
legitimately invited.
Speaker 2 (41:40):
You didn't make it, Huh, I did not make it.
Speaker 1 (41:42):
That's unfortunate.
Speaker 4 (41:43):
I'll be there Christmas now that I got the invite.
Speaker 1 (41:47):
A standing it's to show up at every holiday.
Speaker 8 (41:51):
I'm here.
Speaker 1 (41:54):
We had a question from one of our Bearcad fans
tonight about already planning for next seat. And I'm not
sure if we've discussed it or not on a radio show,
but dude, you you did sign a high school player
in the early recruiting period. Cayden Allen, six' five guy
with guard. Skills tell us a little bit about.
Speaker 2 (42:11):
Him he's a terrific. Player he's.
Speaker 3 (42:14):
Playing he's playing his senior year at a School Long Island,
lutheran goes by Lew high In New York, city and
they play on the in The Nike league that's now
This National High School, league high high level. Stuff HE'S
i think they have him ranked as a top fifty.
Speaker 2 (42:35):
Player he actually was.
Speaker 3 (42:37):
At one point ranked as a top, twenty top ten
maybe player in his class as a young, player because
he was playing With Cooper flag and a bunch of
other very well known players on a Mont org team
that won the national championship and went, undefeated and he
was the only underclassman that played a significant role in that.
TEAM i find it, fast and we've recruited him for three.
(42:58):
Years he's such a such a bright young. Man he's
focused his ability to pay attention and focus and articulate
things is beyond his.
Speaker 2 (43:10):
Years he's.
Speaker 3 (43:11):
SKILLED i think he could play all three positions in the.
Backcourt and this is WHAT i find. AWESOME i don't
care what the heck they rank. Him he'll be one
of the top twenty players in his. Class and he's
he's should be a junior in high. School AND i
don't think people know. THAT i don't think the people
ranking him know. THAT i don't think other people that
recruiting him knew, that but we found. OUT i think
(43:33):
he'll show.
Speaker 2 (43:35):
Up he's.
Speaker 3 (43:37):
SEVENTEEN i mean like he won't turn. Eighteen he's. Young
he's very very young for a high school, senior and,
again should be in the next. Class if he was
in the next, class he'd probably ranked in the top,
ten and that's the class he should be. In so
we're really excited about. Him BUT i am so impressed
with him his, intelligence his, focus and not just his,
(44:01):
talent which is tremendous as. Well he's going to be
a great.
Speaker 4 (44:03):
Player the president for, that the president for that Was Troy.
Colepaine he was on campus and didn't turn eighteen Until.
NOVEMBER i believe and he was getting major minutes under.
Speaker 3 (44:12):
MCCRONA i remember being at AN aau event In, pittsburgh
of all, places in the spring of his junior. Year
he was playing for a team loaded team out Of,
virginia AND i remember. WATCHING i was looking at some
other guys AND i, said who in the heck is?
That it Was Troy copaine and then he, then you,
KNOW i think he was already. COMMITTED i want to,
(44:33):
say he's going To. Cincinnatis how the heck did they get?
Him you, know he was great And i've gotten to Know.
Speaker 2 (44:40):
Troy think a lot of them also a highly intelligent basketball,
player no.
Speaker 1 (44:45):
Doubt all, right we are out of. Time we appreciate
The bearcat fans were with us here. Tonight we've got
some stuff to give away momentarily for everybody listening on the,
radio thanks for tuning. In this has been The West
Miller Radio show from the Original Montgomery In home of
The World's greatest rips one hundred do W L dole
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