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John Brannen named UC head basketball Coach.
- Thread starter HExus
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Yes, it's official now. He may seem like the easy and safe higher, but based on his resume he was the obvious choice. Being so local was just an added bonus.
He preaches toughness and offensive rebounding like Cronin did, but also seems to be quite a bit more offensive minded. He likes to press on D and our team next year will have the athleticism, length and size to be an excellent pressing team.
Brannen became my favorite early on and I just kept liking him more as time went on.
He preaches toughness and offensive rebounding like Cronin did, but also seems to be quite a bit more offensive minded. He likes to press on D and our team next year will have the athleticism, length and size to be an excellent pressing team.
Brannen became my favorite early on and I just kept liking him more as time went on.
sirthought
Well-known member
Welcome to UC coach Brannen.
There were likely a wider group of impressive candidates that didn't get interviews, but Brannen has done an impressive job with developing players and running a strong program. He's a great hire under the circumstances.
It's really uncommon for a young D1 program to achieve the results they've had at NKU. Going to the NCAA in their first eligible season and losing to Kentucky by a mere nine points...that's your coach putting you in a position to compete against the odds. Yeah, they lost, but they had their chances against a loaded team with several NBA prospects.
Regarding the UC team...I don't think we have to worry about Curtis. He's signed a LOI and this new coach is no one that he should fear wouldn't set him up for great development and success.
I'd be concerned about Cumberland, but that was the case with Cronin as well, and we'll just have to see what he wants to do next. If he's gone it's going to be a major adjustment, but I still feel optimistic about several of the guys making a big jump this season.
One thing Cronin has done well with this roster is set guys up to see their path of where they can grow into more contribution. I'd be surprised if many decide to bail after this hire.
Trevon Scott has to be looking at how Brannen took a 6'8" Drew McDonald and turned him into an inside/outside star and hoping that he might learn something good.
There were likely a wider group of impressive candidates that didn't get interviews, but Brannen has done an impressive job with developing players and running a strong program. He's a great hire under the circumstances.
It's really uncommon for a young D1 program to achieve the results they've had at NKU. Going to the NCAA in their first eligible season and losing to Kentucky by a mere nine points...that's your coach putting you in a position to compete against the odds. Yeah, they lost, but they had their chances against a loaded team with several NBA prospects.
Regarding the UC team...I don't think we have to worry about Curtis. He's signed a LOI and this new coach is no one that he should fear wouldn't set him up for great development and success.
I'd be concerned about Cumberland, but that was the case with Cronin as well, and we'll just have to see what he wants to do next. If he's gone it's going to be a major adjustment, but I still feel optimistic about several of the guys making a big jump this season.
One thing Cronin has done well with this roster is set guys up to see their path of where they can grow into more contribution. I'd be surprised if many decide to bail after this hire.
Trevon Scott has to be looking at how Brannen took a 6'8" Drew McDonald and turned him into an inside/outside star and hoping that he might learn something good.
Welcome to Brannen! Our guys know how to play D and give effort so it will be interesting to see how they can excel under a new coach on offense. Hopefully we can keep all the major players and maybe add a transfer. Not sure if any player can or will follow Brannen or if he looks for a shooter transfer.
Welcome to UC coach Brannen.
There were likely a wider group of impressive candidates that didn't get interviews, but Brannen has done an impressive job with developing players and running a strong program. He's a great hire under the circumstances.
It's really uncommon for a young D1 program to achieve the results they've had at NKU. Going to the NCAA in their first eligible season and losing to Kentucky by a mere nine points...that's your coach putting you in a position to compete against the odds. Yeah, they lost, but they had their chances against a loaded team with several NBA prospects.
Regarding the UC team...I don't think we have to worry about Curtis. He's signed a LOI and this new coach is no one that he should fear wouldn't set him up for great development and success.
I'd be concerned about Cumberland, but that was the case with Cronin as well, and we'll just have to see what he wants to do next. If he's gone it's going to be a major adjustment, but I still feel optimistic about several of the guys making a big jump this season.
One thing Cronin has done well with this roster is set guys up to see their path of where they can grow into more contribution. I'd be surprised if many decide to bail after this hire.
Trevon Scott has to be looking at how Brannen took a 6'8" Drew McDonald and turned him into an inside/outside star and hoping that he might learn something good.
Agreed, Scott has always had the game of more of a stretch 4 (likes to play facing the basket, a good passer and okay at handling the ball). Hopefully Brannen can help him take his game to the next level.
Last year Brannen had a guy go from the low 20's in 3-point shooting percentage to the low 40's. We've got quite a few guys on this team who need to make a jump in 3-point percentage (Williams, Moore, Scott, Johnson), so hopefully he can help them.
If Scott can become an even better inside/outside player (he should be able to) and 2 of those 4 can become at least 35% 3-point shooters we will be in excellent shape next year.
Emperor Snapper
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I'm not 100% sold on Brannen, but finally divorcing the program from Bob Huggins is a positive. It's long past time to move on. Frank Martin would have been a terrible choice, as he has essentially had one well-timed hot streak and a whole lot of hot garbage for years now. Pitino would have been fun, but the dude is radioactive right now. It would be begging for nonstop investigations into the program.
Cronin left the program in far better shape than he found it, and at the end of the day you hope every coach can do that.
Bohn has done well with his last two hires in football and women's basketball, so I think he has earned some trust with this one.
Cronin left the program in far better shape than he found it, and at the end of the day you hope every coach can do that.
Bohn has done well with his last two hires in football and women's basketball, so I think he has earned some trust with this one.
Solid hire on paper. Too many unknowns to see how it will all shake out, but the upside is we have an up and coming coach who can build off our recent success and maybe do something March. I'm really excited that the teams identity will inevitably evolve under Brannen, and here's to 9 more tourney's under his leadership.
cincrulz11
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I really like the hire. He was #2 on my list behind Casey Alexander when the coaching search started. But honestly the more I compare the 2, Alexander only had more years under his belt. If you compare each of their first 4 years at their previous program, Brannen comes out ahead.
There are plenty of things to like here. His former guys praise how smart he is. Last year his team was 27th in eFG% and the year before they were 25th in eFG% on defense. As a comparison we weren't in the top 100 in offensive eFG% a single time under Mick, and we were in the top 25 in eFG% on defense 6 times (all in a row from 2013-2018). This makes me think he's going to be good on both ends of the floor and has a good understanding for what he wants to do at each end. I think this is going to be an improvement for us from that aspect.
We have to see how his recruiting does but he seems like a guy that is capable. The media loves him and he seems to have really good relationships with his former players. It appears all the nku players and fans love him. I look forward to having a coach that doesn't come off as downright embarrassing from time to time the way huggins and cronin did.
There are plenty of things to like here. His former guys praise how smart he is. Last year his team was 27th in eFG% and the year before they were 25th in eFG% on defense. As a comparison we weren't in the top 100 in offensive eFG% a single time under Mick, and we were in the top 25 in eFG% on defense 6 times (all in a row from 2013-2018). This makes me think he's going to be good on both ends of the floor and has a good understanding for what he wants to do at each end. I think this is going to be an improvement for us from that aspect.
We have to see how his recruiting does but he seems like a guy that is capable. The media loves him and he seems to have really good relationships with his former players. It appears all the nku players and fans love him. I look forward to having a coach that doesn't come off as downright embarrassing from time to time the way huggins and cronin did.
cincrulz11
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"To the recruits in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana and beyond we're coming"
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After watching the presser I think this is more of a home run than I was thinking was possible initially. One of the best candidates we had was right here born and raised. Sounds like he was pretty much option 1A all the way through so to be able to land option 1A is a great thing.
From a fan standpoint we are finally going to get back to seeing some full court basketball on both ends and that excites me to no end. Can't wait to see us running the court and picking up press full court for some quick turnovers and some exciting dunks etc. I like the option of putting up the first best shot even if it means we can't always be in position to rebound. It's going to be fun again even if the winning consistency isn't always there potentially.
He sounds like he has his shit together and seems very confident in his abilities. I think the players can't wait to play the style he will incorporate. They will have as much fun as the fans. Our roster is set up to run the court and get to the hoop and play around the rim and we can do that more in an open and faster tempo. Keith Williams, Logan Johnson should both do very well if we don't slow things down and go half court as much. Scott should be just fine in that style and Cumberland is good on the break. Brooks is mobile enough to get up and down the court. Ellie is mobile, Diara is mobile etc. Curtis should also shine if we can get him in open court scenarios.
For this roster it seems like a perfect fit if we aren't facing half court defenses all the time because we can't shoot very well. Really really like this hire a lot from a local perspective and a current roster fit perspective and a fan excitement perspective.
From a fan standpoint we are finally going to get back to seeing some full court basketball on both ends and that excites me to no end. Can't wait to see us running the court and picking up press full court for some quick turnovers and some exciting dunks etc. I like the option of putting up the first best shot even if it means we can't always be in position to rebound. It's going to be fun again even if the winning consistency isn't always there potentially.
He sounds like he has his shit together and seems very confident in his abilities. I think the players can't wait to play the style he will incorporate. They will have as much fun as the fans. Our roster is set up to run the court and get to the hoop and play around the rim and we can do that more in an open and faster tempo. Keith Williams, Logan Johnson should both do very well if we don't slow things down and go half court as much. Scott should be just fine in that style and Cumberland is good on the break. Brooks is mobile enough to get up and down the court. Ellie is mobile, Diara is mobile etc. Curtis should also shine if we can get him in open court scenarios.
For this roster it seems like a perfect fit if we aren't facing half court defenses all the time because we can't shoot very well. Really really like this hire a lot from a local perspective and a current roster fit perspective and a fan excitement perspective.
Just think about LoJo picking up press full court? He is going to be a menace!! and Williams and Scott should do quite well with their length and athleticism.
Williams and LoJo are going to have some nasty dunks this year on fast break and press.
Williams and LoJo are going to have some nasty dunks this year on fast break and press.
cincyalum2014
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He absolutely hit a home run with that press conference. Very well spoken guy and what he did with lesser recruited guys like Drew McDonald excite me to see what he can do with better talent. The longer Samari waits the more I think he may bail, if he does it will suck but so be it. I will be interested to see what JB does with the 2 open spots we have right now. This team is set up to win now and I am curious to see how the rest of the staff shakes out.
Looking forward to seeing how Brannen will handle seniority over talent or vice versa. I am hoping for a heavy dose of Curtis and Johnson early to get them some experience. It will be interesting to see how he handles Diara as well. Hell even Hardnett. He probably can't shoot well but he can run and handle the ball.
I think guys like Prince and Moore are better set up for half court but we shall see. Not sure how well Fredericks fits his system either.
If we are playing full court on both ends we are going to need the depth for breathers...so I think they can all have a shot to get in there.
I think guys like Prince and Moore are better set up for half court but we shall see. Not sure how well Fredericks fits his system either.
If we are playing full court on both ends we are going to need the depth for breathers...so I think they can all have a shot to get in there.
He absolutely hit a home run with that press conference. Very well spoken guy and what he did with lesser recruited guys like Drew McDonald excite me to see what he can do with better talent. The longer Samari waits the more I think he may bail, if he does it will suck but so be it. I will be interested to see what JB does with the 2 open spots we have right now. This team is set up to win now and I am curious to see how the rest of the staff shakes out.
Sure hope Curtis stays on. Seems like a great fit for him but who knows. If not I think we need to grab a transfer to fill in on the wing for sure. For this upcoming year it might be important to grab a guy who has proven he can do it anyway. But long term I want Curtis on the team.
Looking forward to seeing how Brannen will handle seniority over talent or vice versa. I am hoping for a heavy dose of Curtis and Johnson early to get them some experience. It will be interesting to see how he handles Diara as well. Hell even Hardnett. He probably can't shoot well but he can run and handle the ball.
I think guys like Prince and Moore are better set up for half court but we shall see. Not sure how well Fredericks fits his system either.
If we are playing full court on both ends we are going to need the depth for breathers...so I think they can all have a shot to get in there.
Based on his highlights I think Prince can fit. He's big, but he's mobile and athletic and is well suited to play the stretch 4 (or potentially even SF) and I believe he's been working a lot on improving his 3-point shooting this year. He has a pretty good handle for his size, 3-point shooting seems to be his main weakness.
Moore might be the hardest fit. He doesn't have much of a handle and he's not a great athlete. Obviously if he can be the 40%+ 3-point shooter that Cronin thought he could be, he will have a spot. But his handle and athleticism are average at best, so his shooting need to be great to make up for that. Frederick's would also be tough to fit, but seems like he's gone anyway.
Hardnett played PG at times for his HS team. Obviously, we need to see how that translates to college, but he seems like he can do it all (handle, run, shoot). His biggest weakness was just that, weakness, he needed to put on ~20lb of muscle (which i speculate is why he redshirted). He should be ready to get a lot of minutes next year.
The hardest thing I think will be assist-to-turnover ratio, Brannen puts a big emphasis on that and assists. UC played a lot of iso-ball, especially in conference play, meaning very few assists - especially assists from non set plays. Guys are going to have to become better passers and minimize mistakes.
cincrulz11
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The hardest thing I think will be assist-to-turnover ratio, Brannen puts a big emphasis on that and assists. UC played a lot of iso-ball, especially in conference play, meaning very few assists - especially assists from non set plays. Guys are going to have to become better passers and minimize mistakes.
probably can't compare what he does to what we did. its really hard to get any assists when 1 guy has the ball most of the time and is taking the majority of the shots.
i think we just got so used to watching our offense we've lost sight of what a well run offense can look like.
For this roster it seems like a perfect fit if we aren't facing half court defenses all the time because we can't shoot very well. Really really like this hire a lot from a local perspective and a current roster fit perspective and a fan excitement perspective.
Agreed. Cronin by accident or by plan, seems to have recruited a near perfect roster for Brannen's system. Cronin talked a lot about pressing as well, but would never commit to it (just press vs bad teams, then switch to half-court in conference play), but he seems to have recruited with the pressing concept in mind.
We've got mobile centers, power forwards who can play the stretch 4 and handle the ball (Scott especially seems like he could really flourish in that role next year) and big athletic guards who can run and handle. Our biggest weakness is 3-point shooting, which hopefully we can fix over the summer. But even if we can't, an aggressive defense and fast-break offense can create a lot of points even if threes aren't falling.
probably can't compare what he does to what we did. its really hard to get any assists when 1 guy has the ball most of the time and is taking the majority of the shots.
i think we just got so used to watching our offense we've lost sight of what a well run offense can look like.
Yeah, I was just thinking along the lines of what the players are used to. In the old system they were expected to get the ball to Jarron and get out of the way. Only create/shoot if there's an obvious advantage or late in the shot clock.
Now, it seems like they are going to have to get the mentality of everyone is a creator and not just Jarron. Might take some work to get them into the new mindset though and get them used to making plays.