Khatmandude

Mick's teams seem to be unmotivated, unprepared and unenthusiastic. He'd better pull coaching magic out of his ass next year, otherwise it's time to say bye bye. I'd like our future coach to be over 6 ft also. Can't intimidate officials by being 5'2" or whatever he is.

Cronin is a below avg coach. Unfortunate but true. Great recruiter, below avg coach.

[quote name='Jason' date='14 December 2009 - 11:07 AM' timestamp='1260797820' post='842247'] Alright Mick, it's time to do something about the free throw shooting. It is costing us games. If it were me, I'd take 1 day a week where they do nothing but shoot free throws and run gassers. Repeat. [/quote] Seriously.........both losses this year are due to lack of ability to shoot free throws. Make your free throws and you're undefeated right now.

Ibrahima Thomas will be eligible for the Crosstown Shootout. I think he'll get some minutes. He's been running with the starters in practice for close to a year now. I think he just has to get accustomed to the game again and he'll be a valuable player this year. Lance Stephenson is special.......Gates can be if he ever decides to turn up his intensity. He's like the most gentle giant I've ever seen. Cashmere's getting his offensive rhythm.

[quote name='#22' date='25 November 2009 - 03:20 PM' timestamp='1259171411' post='833083'] I know that Kansas, UK, Maryland, and UNC all looked at the kid, but withdrew interest after he took unofficial visits. Anyway, I [i]do[/i] think that UC is one of the more underrated teams in the country, that Yancy Gates will be 1st team All-Big East and potentially 2nd team All-American. The will definately get a tournament berth, and finish 5th in the Big East behind Villanova, West Virginia, Louisville, and Georgetown. [/quote] I completely forgot about Louisville and should have mentioned them in my top 5 instead of UCONN. UCONN will be good, but probably 6th place is more accurate for them based on who they lost. They do have a strong backcourt though with K. Walker, Dyson and Stanley Robinson. Georgetown, seemingly has a good team on paper but will underachieve again and finish 7th IMO. Or even 8th depending on how Pitt's young players develop. It's a tough league. And with Lance, Maryland offered him a scholarship until the whole UnderArmour factory situation happened. They retracted it. They would have been in big trouble with the NCAA if Lance did commit there. And again, there were ALOT of schools recruiting him but didn't allow the information to leak. Good get for Cronin and UC. Should be a good game tonight vs Gonzaga.

[quote name='ThurmanMunster' date='25 November 2009 - 01:05 AM' timestamp='1259120159' post='832987'] UC will probably come in 2nd in the big east to nova this year. [/quote] I doubt it. They have the potential to, but they're a young team. 2 Freshman, a Sophomore, Jr and Sr starting with the top reserves a freshman, a sophomore, a junior and finally Toyloy a Sr. They have insane depth though. I actually think Syracuse or West Virginia may win the league over Villanova or at least have the potential to. I think Villanova, Syracuse, WV, UC and UCONN will battle it out for the top 5 spots in the B-East. Pitt is decent also, just lack offense but they'll play hard each game.

[quote name='#22' date='25 November 2009 - 12:10 AM' timestamp='1259116809' post='832976'] Why did all of the great college basketball teams pass on the kid? Why were his only offers from FIU, UC, and a rebuilding Memphis team? [/quote] So the trips he took to Maryland don’t count as them recruiting him? What about Kansas? They were on him hard and almost had him commit until they got Xavier Henry. UC was in it also but it just wasn’t publicized until the end. There were plenty of schools recruiting the kid……just because you don’t see the names on national publications or websites doesn’t mean jack.

[quote name='#22' date='05 November 2009 - 11:54 PM' timestamp='1257474292' post='823252'] or a complete bust who winds up in the back of several Clifton police cruisers. I'd say it's 50-50 at this point. [/quote] Seriously? He managed to stay out of police cruisers while living in NY City but you think that he'll come to Cincy and have a 50-50 chance of doing so? That's a pretty dumb statement. And being a "bust" won't be determined in college. He'll be a lottery pick the moment he wants to leave. His NBA career is what will determine his success as a basketball player. He's been the #1 HS player in the country since he was a freshman. He lost that status due to his perceived attitude problems his SR year. If based on that info you're saying he's got a 50-50 chance to be a "bust" then again, pretty dumb statement. Maybe you should stick to your UK thread as obviously you have nothing to add to this conversation.

Lance will be eligible......just hope they get official word before tonight's game.

I saw Lance Stephenson play in the Deveroes league championship game on Saturday. He's as advertised.....extremely talented, insane creativity with the ball .....straight up NYC game. Which is good AND bad IMO. He will have to learn to control his desire for one on one play and get more in tune with the team concept if the Bearcats are going to fully benefit from having him on the team. The long term benefits of him being a Bearcat are obvious. Dion Dixon has completely taken me by surprise as to his development. He is going to have a breakout year and be one of the best players on the team along with Deonta, Lance, Yancy and Cashmere. Explosive athletic ability was displayed by him and noone could keep him from getting to the basket when he wanted to. Has great handle and has improved his jump shot tremendously. I'm excited about him this year. Sean Kilpatrick is going to be an impact freshman. He's a slasher who can finish off the glass like noone I've seen. He's got a feel for scoring and his jumpshot is pretty good too. He's athletic and has good handle himself. He was also getting to the hoop at will. Yancy is an absolute monster.......he is Shaq like without being 7'2".....I just wish he would turn up his intensity. He's soft for his size and needs to play with determination and aggressivness but it's not like you can take his Deveroes summer league performance and say its how he's going to play during the college season. He was clearly the biggest guy on the floor and could have hurt people if he wanted to. He's just a goofy guy and person......he's only like 20 yrs old so I can understand that but hopefully he gets serious during the season. Super excited about the team this year......they SHOULD be top 5 Big East and a NCAA tourney team with potential to actually make some noise if they play to their capabilities. Mick's recruiting has got the team going in the right direction....hopefully his coaching can mature to match.

[quote name='Bunghole' post='782959' date='Jun 30 2009, 04:02 PM']UC fans don't want that kind of yearly humiliation. They saw what happened in the tournament a few years ago, and that was a very good UC team, and only a so-so UK team.[/quote] No......not a very good UC team.......we had Nick Williams starting at SG for God's sake. We had 3 above average players in James White, Jason Maxiell and Eric Hicks. You guys had a pretty good team actually........Kalena Azubuike, Ramel Bradley, Randolph Morris, Chuck Hayes, Patrick Sparks, Rajon Rondo, Joe Crawford, Shegari Elleyne and Orbzut (two 7 footers). No comparison........UK had the better team by a large, large margin and it was a good game. UC played their hearts out and still lost due to the talent factor.

[quote name='#22' post='782949' date='Jun 30 2009, 03:21 PM']Thug or not, that is a pretty sick lineup. That team won't win the Big East, but they will come closer than anybody thinks. I with the ADs would man up and give us the UC/UK games that we all want, though..[/quote] Very well could win the Big East, although Villanova will by the likely favorite. Big East is going to be down a bit this year with Marquette, UCONN, Syracuse and Pitt losing alot. WV, 'Nova are the likely frontrunners but UC has a real good chance if they play to their capabilities. Mick will be praised/criticized based on the end result and the praise/criticism will be fair as he has a full team for the first time essentially. I agree......I wish the UC/UK matchup would happen although both programs haven't been as prominent lately as they were up until 5 yrs or so ago. It was fun when we got the wish in the 2nd rd of the 2004/2005 tourney though.

[quote name='Jason' post='782941' date='Jun 30 2009, 03:54 PM']Assuming we do get him is he SG or SF? A lineup of PG: Cashmere Wright SG: Deonta Vaughn SF: Lance Stephenson PF: Ibrahima Thomas C: Yancey Gates could be pretty damned good.[/quote] We got him! Lets just hope he's eligible. If so, I see: PG: Cash Wright SG: Deonta Vaughn SF: Lance Stephenson PF: Yancey Gates C: Stephen Toyloy Then, after Thomas becomes eligible its a free for all as their 5 best players could very well be Wright, Gates, Stephenson, Vaughn and Thomas but how do you fit them in the lineup together besides your lineup? That would leave them thin at rebounding as Gates would be your only legit rebounding threat. Thomas, even though he's 6'10" is soft as they come and doesn't like to bang at all. I think we'll see plenty of rotations and pressing style, full court, up tempo game that Cronin's been wanting to play here since he arrived. This IS the year the Bearcats get back to the tourney.

[quote name='Bunghole' post='782858' date='Jun 30 2009, 12:50 AM']Silly, of course we do. We also have a coach that is as infallible as the Pope. Why do you think UK has a thing for upright, suit-wearing Italians? Because they are basketball Gods that go to Church on Sundays. This makes them beyond reproach. Didn't you get the memo? Cronin...that's a Mick name, right? Ooops, that's already his first name, I meant [i]Irish[/i]...Irish Catholics are wannabe drunks. You cannot trust them. You need a Dago wop to coach your team to the promised land. Their reputations are impugnable.[/quote] Haha......maybe my black and red bias is clouding my judgement of Stephenson just as your big blue bias does not allow you to see the slime that Calipari oozes from his pores. And you are the most racist dude I've ever met and gotten a car wash from

[quote name='JC' post='782868' date='Jun 30 2009, 03:01 AM']It's one thing to see the stars and how they were in college. (Greg Paulus and Josh McRoberts were generally top 5 in their class). It's how they translate. UC in the Big East I just don't think they will do very well. They don't have the same pieces the UCONN team had that was shown. It would be great to see UC turn it around..but they just aren't going to with Lance Stephenson. "Born Ready" really? He wasn't even very impressive in the Mcdonalds game.[/quote] You can't see someone in the McDonald's All American game and judge anything by it.........although Lance had 12 pts, 6 assists and 3 steals. Not a bad line by any means. You're talking about the same player who hung 40 points on Jamal Crawford of the NBA at Rucker Park, the same guy who broke Marbury and Sebastian Telfair's scoring records in NY, the same guy who was considered to be the #1 player in his class after his Jr season. The same player who was projected as a late lottery pick had he been eligible out of HS. So before saying he wasn't "even very impressive" you should do your due diligence. And your statement that UC won't turn it around with Lance Stephenson is ignorant and seems to be based on nothing substantial. His value will be measured by more than just his on the court success. Read my post above in reply to #22 for my opinion on that. And as for Greg Paulus and Josh McRoberts........yes they were generally top 5 in their class.......but they were also white.

[quote name='#22' post='782855' date='Jun 29 2009, 11:32 PM']Your argument that talent does not always guarantee a good record is a good one, but then you seem to go on in your next paragraph to say that UC's talent will make them a good team. I shouldn't have to point out how inconsistant this is. Also, John Calhoun and the other good example you could use from last year, John Thompson III, are both much better coaches than Mick Cronin (this is basically inarguable, isn't it?). Cronin's only success as a head coach was at a small school where he had a reputation of taking talented players who wouldn't qualify or had previous trouble and were therefore forced to placed in the OVC. The program is turning around, and has had a spate of bad luck, but Cronin hasn't distinguished himself as one of the great coaches in the Big East, and his time to do this is running out. Finally, every NCAA program (except the high and mighty Duke Blue Devils) will take kids know and then who are turds, but that's what makes Lance Stephenson's story so interesting. You have the #10 player in the country, and the second best SG, and all of the teams that would traditionally be pursuing have backed off at various points because this kid is trouble. Every coach that has met with the kid has stopped recruiting him very soon afterwards. The argument that Lance has had success in high school and clearly can't be a cancer for his NCAA team sure didn't work out of OJ Mayo and the Trojans, did it? I don't seem to remember Tim Floyd, Lil Romeo, and the crew cutting down too many nets. Hopefully Mick will wise up, because no good can come from having two ballhog (and Vaughn is, btw. All of the good ones are) SGs both playing to improve their draft stock and fighting for playing time on the same team at the same time. Mick could be under enough pressure to sign Stephenson, but it will do more than anything to end his College Hoops career at UC.[/quote] Regarding your first point, I simply was stating that talent does not always dictate a team's record and used UCONN as an example. The similarities are that both teams were very young. Talent + youth = mediocre whereas talent + experience = NCAA tourney team and more. I do see however where one could be confused by my post. As for Stephenson (who's commited to UC as of now btw), he has question marks around him, no doubt but his talent is unquestioned. And even though OJ Mayo didn't cut down any nets at USC, he made them "relevant" again which Stephenson will do for UC. He will sell tickets, he will get national exposure for himself and the program, he will get the Bearcats on ESPN where impressionable young men will be watching. His intangible value may be greater than his talent. My argument is that he wasn't so much a cancer on his HS team since they won 4 state titles. Mayo didn't come close to accomplishing this feat. Lance also broke Marbury and Telfair's HS scoring record. Is he a ballhog? Damn right he is......so is Kobe Bryant. Vaughn isn't a ballhog as you claim IMO because he was TOLD to take those shots. He was one of the only viable options (and the only perimeter option) for UC the past 3 yrs. As he went, the UC offense went. Now, he's not playing PG and SG at the same time. Your point about him and Stephenson vying to improve each others' draft spot is a valid one and a concern I myself have. But at the same time, it's a problem I'd rather have than not. The same can be said for your UK Wildcats with many a candidate for one and done as well as Patterson needing to improve his draft stock. But this problem is like having 2 good QB's.....it's not the worst thing that could happen to a team. And the concern about schools backing off Stephenson is valid also, but requires a bit further research into why it happened. Bill Self has stated that he would have signed Lance if Xavier Henry didn't commit. Memphis and USC are among other schools still recruiting Lance (he's committed to UC however) right now. Maryland had to back off or face NCAA action due to Lance and his father visiting the Under Armour facility in MD (Under Armour is owned by a Maryland alum and booster) during an official recruiting visit. I read a very good article recently which stated that some schools backed off Stephenson because of his father who is know to be a loud mouth and a headache for a coach. Regardless of what it is, it's speculation on our part and doesn't do the kid justice by labeling him. I had concerns about his court case which is for groping a girl afterschool. The more details that have come out, the less concern I hold. Apparently, the girl is saying he grabbed her breast and butt after school, in front of the school and she proceeded to kick and punch him for it. However, there are no witnesses and some have suggested that Lance wasn't even in that area at the time the girl is claiming. He said, she said which will get thrown out. Again, we don't know what happened so let's not speculate. Does no good. And Mick wasn't under any pressure to sign anybody. Most thought he was done recruiting for the year after he signed Jaquon Parker, after which Mick received a 2 yr contract extension. Stephenson commit or no, he was in good shape for the upcoming year with a team some were calling a sleeper pick to win the Big East........here's an article by Andy Katz which mentions as much: [quote]• Lance Stephenson's sexual assault case was adjourned until July 15, according to ZagsBlog.com, a blog based in New York City. The hearing at the Brooklyn Criminal Court that also involves high school teammate Darwin Ellis, is based on an allegation that occurred last fall outside Brooklyn's Lincoln High. The Sporting News reported over the weekend that Stephenson visited Cincinnati. The Bearcats have a scholarship open. This is the deal: If Stephenson is cleared by everyone involved -- the courts (i.e. a plea deal to a misdemeanor or charges dropped) and the NCAA eligibility center -- then the Bearcats seem to be the most likely destination. Stephenson's talent isn't in question, but in the past few months Kansas, Memphis, Arizona, Maryland, St. John's, Florida and even Florida International have been linked in some form to his recruitment. As of now, Cincinnati may be the last school standing. [b]With or without Stephenson, the Bearcats are primed to be a sleeper in the Big East.[/b] The Bearcats will get former Oklahoma State center Ibrahima Thomas eligible in mid-December and added expected impact players such as shooting guard Sean Kilpatrick and point guard Jaquon Parker to go along with redshirt freshman Cashmere Wright, who was out last season with a torn ACL in his left knee. Wright is projected to be the starting point guard for the Bearcats. The Bearcats already bring back their top two scorers -- Deonta Vaughn (15.3 ppg, 4.7 apg) and Yancy Gates (10.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg) -- after going 8-10 in the Big East, 18-14 overall. If Stephenson were to go to Cincinnati and he can mesh with the aforementioned players, it wouldn't be unrealistic to consider the Bearcats a Big East title contender.[/quote] So again.........Mick wasn't facing much pressure considering he was just given a contract extension. He took over a mess and has gradually improved the talent level and the winning percentage. This will be a big year for him (even w/o Stephenson) but not a make or break year by any means. He's happy at UC and UC (Mike Thomas specifically) is happy to have Mick at UC. Not much besides this matters at the current time.

[quote name='JC' post='782806' date='Jun 29 2009, 03:11 PM']I would think talent would reflect their record?[/quote] I don't have to venture far away from UC to debunk that argument.........let's look at UCONN shall we. In 2006/2007 they went 17-14 and 6-10 in the Big East, missing the NCAA tournament obviously. Here's their roster for that year: Marcus Johnson Ben Eaves Doug Wiggins [b]Jeff Adrien [/b] Ben Spencer [b]Jerome Dyson [/b] [b]A.J. Price [/b] Curtis Kelly [b]Stanley Robinson[/b] [b]Craig Austrie[/b] Rob Garrison Jonathan Mandeldove [b]Gavin Edwards[/b] [b]Hasheem Thabeet[/b] Marty Gagne Does that roster/talent level reflect in their record? That answer would be no. What's the significance of the bolded names above? OK.....in the future, let's not use such simplistic arguments. UC has a good amount of talent this year......let's analyze a bit position by position shall we? PG: Cashmere Wright (4-star; top 50 recruit); Dion Dixon (3 star - top 100 recruit); SG: Vaughn (All Big East player); Kilpatrick (3/4 star - top 100 recruit); Davis (unranked due to injury) SF: Wilks (4 star - top 65 recruit); Bishop (3 star - top 150 recruit) PF: Toyloy (JUCO, offered by Clemson, Minnesota, West Virginia and Baylor...chose UC); Ibrahima Thomas (transfer from Okla St...6'10" skill player who can shoot; avg. 9 pts, 6 rebs as frosh in Big 12) C: Gates (5 star - top 22 player; All Big East Freshman); McClain (4 star - top 50 recruit) Of course these rankings are subjective and should not be taken as exact but they do give you a pretty good idea of the talent level on this year's team. It shows an average to above average level of talent wouldn't you say? Throw in Lance Stephenson who is at worst the #10 player in his class and it looks that much more impressive no?

[quote name='JC' post='782798' date='Jun 29 2009, 01:47 PM']There bringing back two players that scored more than ten points a game..and they only won 8 games in the big east. Mostly against not very good teams. They just aren't very good. Stephenson isn't going to put them over the top either. Maybe into the NIT.[/quote] That's a weak argument for proclaiming "they're not very talented"...........sure you don't want to amend your argument before I present a case for their talent? Remember, TALENT is the key word here.

[quote name='JC' post='782782' date='Jun 29 2009, 12:02 PM']If thats what you want to believe, thats fine. He isn't going to do anything for UC. [b]They don't have much talent as it is[/b]. He isn't going to put them over the top. It's not like he is going to get along with anyone on the team either.. Lose-Lose in my opinion.[/quote] Care to provide evidence to back up that assertion? I'll provide evidence to the contrary after you've posted......it'll be like a debate......YAY!

[quote name='JC' post='782780' date='Jun 29 2009, 11:46 AM']Stephenson is a piece of shit. He is only going to kill team chemistry..and make UC worse. I guess he had to sign somewhere.[/quote] He killed his HS team's chemistry so much that they won 4 state titles in his 4 yrs there. Playing in NY.

[quote name='#22' post='782746' date='Jun 29 2009, 12:00 AM'][url="http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2009/jun/28/prep-standout-stephenson-visits-cincinnati/?sports"]http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2009/jun/28/p...cinnati/?sports[/url] don't look know, but UC is about to sign one of the biggest peices of shit in the country. My favorite Lance Stephenson moment: When asked about his young child and ex-girlfriend, he said that he is no longer paying attention to "off the court distractions." I thought Huggins was gone?[/quote] His court case is about to get thrown out due to his alleged victim waiting 3 days before reporting Stephenson "groping" her and there not being a witness to the alleged incident. Anyways, he doesn't seem to be the best human being in the world, but he's probably not as bad as he's made out to be either. He seems like a prima donna but if he can fit in with his teammates, he's a hell of a talent...... I'm sure UK has all choirboys on their roster as do a majority of NCAA college hoops teams, thus your need to interject your opinions in a UC thread.

Eric Bledsoe apparently will commit to UK...........he's a really good PG and defensive machine who has been upgraded to a 5-star recruit. His eligibility at this point is 50-50 but still a good get.

[quote name='JC' post='773135' date='May 3 2009, 06:42 PM']Looks like Riek is going to Mississippi State now.. [url="http://community.foxsports.com/blogs/goodmanonfox"]http://community.foxsports.com/blogs/goodmanonfox[/url][/quote] Rumor......

Good things coming from UC recruiting .......... should be something official here soon.

Bad officiating and FT shooting and UC still prevails. I like what I see out of Yancy, he's an absolute monster down low and once he turns on the tenacity a bit more, he'll be unstoppable. He's 6'10 and is athletic as anyone on the team. He's going to get better and better.........good thing because UC will be without John Riek who prob wont ever play college basketball. That's unfortunate. Now UC HAS to win the next 3 games in order to be considered favorably for the tourney. They're winnable games, although tough ones at Syracuse, at South Florida and finishing off at home vs Seton Hall.