UC Men's Basketball Head Coach Wes Miller Season Opening Press Conference
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00:00 Well, good to see everybody excited that we've started practice.
00:04 It's official practice because now you certainly have the summer and the stuff
00:11 before official practice starts.
00:12 We started last Tuesday.
00:14 We did two a days on Tuesday and Wednesday, 6 a.m.
00:19 and 3 p.m.
00:21 Gave them a day off and then kind of got into a normal practice structure Friday,
00:26 Saturday.
00:27 And we're back at it here this week, so we're starting to try to get it together.
00:32 But like I said, we had the summer, we had the fall, so it's not like we're starting
00:36 from scratch.
00:37 But it's a great time of year because we're doing basketball every day,
00:41 doing what we love to do.
00:43 To this point, it is early, very early.
00:47 Let's put that in perspective.
00:48 I've been pretty pleased with their approach.
00:52 There's some ability out there.
00:54 There's some depth out there.
00:56 And so there's some things to work with.
00:57 But as you guys know, you know me well enough now, it's early.
01:00 So to make any kind of broad statements about anything, it's too early to say
01:08 that after just a couple of practices.
01:09 - Do you want to go ahead and get the I don't know out of the way on the waiver
01:14 process?
01:15 - Yeah.
01:16 So I figured the question was coming.
01:20 I don't know if I'll have an answer that'll satisfy anybody, but we've
01:24 submitted waivers to the NCAA on Aziz and Jamil's behalf.
01:32 We're going to respect that process.
01:34 I'm not going to say anything more about it, honestly, out of respect to Aziz and
01:39 Jamil's privacy.
01:42 And so, you know, we respect the process.
01:44 We're going through the process.
01:45 We will, you know, let everybody know when we know something.
01:52 And we're supporting them through the process.
01:54 And that's about all I think is appropriate to say at this point.
01:58 - Point guard, got two new guys coming into that spot.
02:05 Where have Dede and Gisle kind of got themselves as we're getting into the
02:12 nitty-gritty in practice?
02:15 - Yeah, it's exciting in some ways, the point guard position, because, you know,
02:21 we recruited two guys, and Dede, and everybody's going to have to get used to
02:25 De'Veon Thomas.
02:27 He goes by Dede.
02:28 So we're going to call him what his mom calls him.
02:31 It's the way I've always done it.
02:32 So his mom calls him Dede, so we're going to call him Dede.
02:34 But it's exciting because we really believed in both him and Gisle in the
02:38 recruiting process.
02:41 And we got two guys that don't have experience in Division I college
02:45 basketball.
02:46 Certainly, Dede has some college experience in junior college, but that we
02:50 believe in a great deal.
02:51 So trying to get them up to speed, it's a fun challenge for me as a coach.
02:57 So far, they have been incredibly hardworking and coachable.
03:02 They're humble, but also confident.
03:05 So are they where we need them to be today?
03:07 No, and they're not.
03:09 They wouldn't tell you that they are, but they've done a nice job of doing their
03:13 part in the summer and the fall stuff.
03:15 And we're working on getting them up to speed every day because we know how
03:18 important that position is in college basketball.
03:20 It's certainly important to the way that we're trying to play.
03:23 Do we have a ton of depth at Point Guard?
03:25 No.
03:26 That doesn't feel comfortable to say.
03:29 I hope I don't have to say that a lot of times as the head coach at Cincinnati.
03:32 But the two guys we have there, we believe in a great deal.
03:35 They have a lot of ability, and they embody the values of this program.
03:39 And that part does feel good to say.
03:41 And so I do think we'll get those guys up to speed.
03:43 I just hope it's sooner rather than later.
03:45 I guess the other thing about Point Guard is Cimas Lukosius has a lot of
03:50 Point Guard qualities.
03:52 Obviously, his size maybe dictates that he's more of a swing player,
03:57 a forward player.
03:59 It is two years at Butler.
04:00 But guys, he's really good with the ball in his hands.
04:03 He's really good in on-ball action.
04:05 He's really good in the open floor with the ball in his hands.
04:07 He creates offensively plays for others, which is one of the ways that I think
04:11 about a lead guard.
04:13 So he has some offensive qualities, even if he's maybe not the most conditioned
04:18 with his size and his athleticism to guard Point Guards on the defensive end.
04:23 But we do think he'll have some Point Guard responsibilities
04:27 offensively along with Dede and Gisle.
04:30 You lost some guys that could have come back.
04:32 You replaced them with some pretty good guys.
04:35 How excited are you and fans to see particularly the big guys?
04:40 I think when fans see our team out there on the floor,
04:43 they'll be excited just about the depth, the length, the size,
04:48 the athleticism, the mentality.
04:51 I think that the thing that's been neat is watching that evolve
04:54 over the last couple of years.
04:56 And I think this team's continuing to grow that mentality.
05:01 It's been kind of a steady growth since I got here.
05:03 And I think this team will take another huge step there
05:06 if we do the right things in practice every day.
05:08 So I think people will be excited to see this group in its totality.
05:11 Sure.
05:13 What's the amount of turnover?
05:15 How much of it is just like each other and Brandon?
05:22 Yeah, well, turnover in college basketball is part of it now.
05:26 I mean, the job of being a college basketball coach at this level
05:31 has probably changed two or three times since I've even been here,
05:36 you know, what the job entails.
05:38 But I think any of my colleagues will tell you,
05:40 you look around the country, that's pretty normal.
05:42 But trying to evolve and understand that as a head coach
05:46 I think is really important.
05:47 And I've worked really hard at that.
05:49 Our staff's worked really hard at that.
05:52 I will say, with the seven new faces, you know,
05:55 you go, "Oh, man, there's a lot of new faces."
05:57 And a lot of those guys are really important
05:59 to our success this year.
06:00 But the one thing we do have is we have a really solid nucleus
06:04 of returners that make it feel like it's not just a brand-new team.
06:09 You know, I mean, Odie and Vic, and, you know, in particular,
06:14 John Newman, I mean, I can keep kind of going down the list here,
06:17 those six guys, but those guys bring that continuity
06:22 and that older leadership to a group.
06:24 So it doesn't feel like you're just trying to work
06:26 with a new team completely.
06:28 You know, you get into practice, and they know the drills,
06:30 and they know the points of emphasis.
06:31 And so we're actually a lot farther along this year
06:35 in terms of where we are in practice
06:37 and where we are as a team, you know,
06:39 given the transfers and the freshmen.
06:41 But I think that's more because of the guys that are returning.
06:44 So we do have some good continuity,
06:46 even though we have some new faces as well.
06:49 So, a lot of experience on this team.
06:51 How has that experience helped with the development
06:53 and the break on?
06:54 Yeah, I think we pride ourselves as a program on development.
07:06 We -- You know, one thing we talk about a lot
07:08 is we don't just say that we develop our players.
07:11 You know, we have a --
07:12 We define what development means to us
07:14 in every facet of basketball, of strength and conditioning,
07:20 of mental conditioning, you know,
07:23 growing up as a young person.
07:24 Like, we define what development means,
07:25 and we have a plan of how we execute that every day.
07:28 And so we're really proud of the guys
07:31 that have been in this program,
07:32 and the longer they're here, the more they develop.
07:35 We're proud of that growth.
07:37 But when you have some guys that have been a part
07:39 of that process on the team,
07:41 it helps get buy-in from those new players
07:44 because they see -- Number one,
07:46 they see the example of how to do it,
07:47 and the guys that are returning are a great example
07:49 of how to do it.
07:51 And then, number two, it helps them buy in
07:55 because those guys have bought in
07:56 and believe in what we're doing.
07:57 So, anytime you have older players
07:59 and continuity in a positive environment,
08:03 I think we really do have a positive environment.
08:05 I think the impacts of everybody's growth,
08:08 you know, across the board is relevant,
08:11 and certainly we're seeing that, but we're not satisfied.
08:14 We want even more of it.
08:16 You mentioned your face is a teammate.
08:19 You know, talk about TJ Cretton a little bit.
08:21 What have you seen from him?
08:25 Yeah, you know, I think, like,
08:27 you look at those newcomers this year,
08:29 it's a wide variety of guys,
08:32 you know, that have different ability.
08:35 They kind of play different positions
08:37 or maybe have different strengths and weaknesses,
08:38 and also, you know,
08:40 different levels of maturity and experience.
08:43 So, you got somebody like CJ Frederick,
08:45 who, you know, he might have as much experience
08:49 in college basketball as anybody I've coached
08:52 over the course of his career.
08:53 I mean, he's played on NCAA --
08:56 played on a team that was top five in the country
08:58 the whole year at Iowa,
08:59 had a chance to win the national championship
09:01 and was a starter, and he contributed to that team.
09:04 You know, so, two years there.
09:07 Actually, three, I believe, you know.
09:09 No, two, I'm sorry, and then two years at Kentucky.
09:11 And he's been through a lot,
09:13 which I think gives great perspective to leadership
09:16 because he's been one of the key players
09:19 in both programs that he's played at.
09:20 He's also sat out and red-shirted
09:22 and fought through injuries.
09:24 I mean, he really does have a plethora of experience
09:28 that gives him the ability to be mature and lead.
09:32 And the neat thing about him
09:33 is he has a really unique way of connecting
09:36 to everybody around him.
09:38 Like, he's one of those guys that comes in
09:40 and does a good job connecting with the whole team.
09:42 So, yeah, you know, he brings something different
09:45 than Gisle and Ravon do
09:47 because they're coming from such different perspectives.
09:50 But he's done a nice job of working with our whole team.
09:52 And certainly we have really high expectations for CJ,
09:54 and he's had a -- I'll tell everybody
09:56 because I'm sure this is what people that know him
09:58 or have followed him are going to ask.
10:00 He's had a really healthy summer and a healthy preseason.
10:04 I think it's his first summer in a couple years.
10:08 Their offseason, he's been able to even participate.
10:11 I didn't realize this
10:12 until I started getting to know him here this spring.
10:15 But he didn't play basketball, live basketball,
10:19 wasn't cleared for live basketball
10:21 until the first day of practice last year at Kentucky.
10:24 That's really hard.
10:26 That's really hard that you haven't had any summer
10:28 or any build-up training,
10:30 and then you get thrown into it.
10:31 So he's had that here all summer, all fall.
10:35 He's healthy, knock on wood.
10:36 And I think that puts him in a position
10:39 to really perform well for us.
10:42 You've got a build-up, non-conference play.
10:44 How does that all come together?
10:45 Obviously, Teddy's home, scheduling,
10:47 and no holiday permits for the short amount of time.
10:51 Yeah, you know, it was --
10:55 Obviously, there's strategically --
10:57 You know, you're transitioning to a new conference,
11:00 and it's been the best basketball conference
11:02 in America for the last -- recent history, right?
11:06 I mean, I think it's almost inarguable.
11:09 I always say people in recruiting
11:10 try to act like their leagues are better,
11:12 and you kind of laugh because it's one thing you can't argue.
11:15 You talk -- It doesn't matter what metric you value.
11:18 Over the last five or six years, it doesn't matter,
11:21 whether it's national championships,
11:23 whether it's Ken Palm, whether it's the Net.
11:26 I mean, any advanced analytical system,
11:30 this league has been the best league in college
11:32 basketball for five or six years.
11:33 So you're entering that league,
11:36 and you don't have experience in that league.
11:39 You know, we wanted to make sure that we were at home a lot
11:41 because we're going to be in some --
11:43 We're going to be on the road a ton,
11:44 traveling all over the country.
11:45 Now we go to Utah, and I'll probably should go to Arizona
11:48 here in a couple years.
11:49 So we wanted to make sure we were home,
11:51 that we got a chance to build our team here in Cincinnati.
11:55 We didn't want to over-travel early.
11:58 You know, certainly that doesn't mean
11:59 that we padded our schedule because I look at our schedule,
12:02 and there's some real challenges,
12:03 and they might not be all names that our fans will go,
12:07 "Wow, that's a crazy challenge,"
12:09 but I think if people really look at some of the opponents
12:12 that are coming in here,
12:13 some of them are picked to win their league.
12:14 You know, some of them played in the NCAA tournament last year,
12:17 and a lot of them are picked in the top three in their league.
12:19 So we challenged ourselves more than people may think,
12:22 but trying to be home and trying to be around the area
12:26 was really important.
12:28 I look at, you know, like the Dayton game.
12:33 You know, that will be a really intense environment.
12:35 I think there's traditional rivalry
12:37 there from the location and history.
12:41 So that will be something that will really challenge us,
12:43 prepare us for league play.
12:45 Obviously, the Crosstown shootout
12:47 is going to be that every year.
12:49 Damon Stoudermire and I were able to get together
12:51 and agree on a home-and-home, so we'll play Georgia Tech here.
12:55 So those are some of the marquee games for sure,
12:58 but I think people can't look just at those.
13:00 I think there's some other really challenging games
13:02 on the schedule.
13:03 So I think it was a nice balance of challenging ourselves
13:05 a little bit but trying to be home
13:07 and trying to get ready for this transition into the Big 12.
13:11 A guy that used to sit in that chair a few years ago
13:14 used to talk about being able to dance all the dances.
13:17 Do you feel like with this roster,
13:20 you've got the opportunity to play big, play small,
13:23 be able to crank up the tempo, be able to grind people out?
13:25 Do you feel like maybe for the first time here,
13:28 you've got a roster that can do all the different things?
13:31 I do, yeah.
13:33 I think we've tried to build it that way for certain, Chad,
13:36 that we have some versatility, some lineup versatility.
13:43 People know how aggressive I want to play defense.
13:46 You look at 12 years as a head coach
13:48 and over the overwhelming majority of that,
13:50 we've been an aggressive defense and a successful defense.
13:54 So we want to do that here at the highest level.
13:56 You have to have rim presence to do that,
13:59 I believe, to really extend pressure.
14:01 You've got to have guys at the rim
14:03 that make you pay for just getting down there.
14:06 I think you have to have the positional size to do that.
14:10 So defensively, I think we've crafted a roster
14:12 that has some of those components.
14:15 I think we've made sure our style of play
14:19 allows for lineup versatility.
14:21 So the stuff that we've really spent time on in the summer
14:24 and the fall is whether we have two big guys out there,
14:27 the traditional big guys,
14:29 or whether we have one big with some swing-forwards,
14:33 which we have quite a few of those as well.
14:36 The habits of how we play offensively and defensively
14:39 are very consistent so that we can sub or change a lineup,
14:42 which may really impact our opponent,
14:45 but doesn't have us thinking a whole lot.
14:47 You know, it's pretty seamless.
14:48 So I'm proud of the roster that's been crafted,
14:53 but also proud of some of the structure
14:55 our staff's come up with to make it all work,
14:58 you know, going into a new league.
15:01 Dan Spillings had some games last year down the stretch
15:05 where he went wild.
15:08 Has he developed that much more?
15:11 Where do you think he went wild?
15:14 Listen, we sat in here all year last year,
15:16 and I think I was really clear, you know,
15:20 the confidence I have in Dan and his ability,
15:23 you know, his talent.
15:24 He was just so young.
15:26 Not young just because he was a freshman.
15:28 Young to basketball, right?
15:29 I mean, Dan, most of us started playing basketball
15:33 when we could walk.
15:34 I know that's how I was, and most college players
15:37 are like that.
15:38 Dan, you know, got to organize basketball
15:39 much later than most people
15:42 and certainly played for great coaches back in Philadelphia,
15:46 you know, throughout high school
15:47 and throughout the summer stuff.
15:49 But there's things, because of his young nature to basketball,
15:53 that just weren't there as a freshman,
15:54 and we spent a lot of time trying to get him up to speed.
15:57 So I think the first thing that I see with Dan,
16:00 you know, not just now,
16:01 but over the course of the summer and the fall,
16:03 is, you know, there's just things he understands now
16:06 that he didn't understand as a freshman,
16:07 so that that learning curve just isn't quite as big,
16:10 and that's allowing him to go play
16:12 with his natural instincts and gifts
16:14 that we've all seen flashes of.
16:15 So I think we'll see that more consistently
16:17 because he doesn't have to think quite as much.
16:19 And then the other thing, I think he's worked really hard,
16:21 and he's worked hard on his body.
16:23 He's worked really hard on his skill set in his game.
16:26 And so you can see that kind of improvement.
16:29 I say this to our team all the time.
16:31 The best thing about freshmen is they become sophomores.
16:34 You know, I mean, and I tell freshmen,
16:36 you don't have to wait until your sophomore year
16:38 to become a sophomore.
16:39 You know, I keep telling Gisle every day and Ravon,
16:41 you guys can be sophomores today if you'd like.
16:44 You know, we don't have to wait until this time next year.
16:46 But Dan's kind of gone through that process this offseason
16:49 of going from a freshman to what I'd call a sophomore,
16:51 meaning a seasoned college player.
16:53 And, you know, I expect us to see good results
16:55 over the course of the year there.
16:57 [Inaudible]
17:02 ...in the process of using his abilities and his ability...
17:07 How do you see that process?
17:11 I'll tell you what, guys.
17:12 I've been really, really impressed
17:18 with what he's done since the day that he got here.
17:23 You know, number one, I think he feels --
17:26 he feels that he's in a healthy environment.
17:27 Like, we really value our guys' health
17:32 and their mental well-being.
17:33 So I think he's in a really healthy environment
17:35 where he feels comfortable.
17:37 And, I mean, you just look at it.
17:38 I mean, he came in, and I was very clear
17:40 with him from day one.
17:41 Like, I'm going to do my part for you,
17:43 but you got to do your part, and part of it is coming in here
17:46 with the right mindset to work every day.
17:48 And he comes in, and I don't want to share
17:50 too much information, but I want to say
17:52 he's lost, like, 45 pounds in three months.
17:56 And we're seeing --
17:57 played against him last year at Temple,
17:59 and if you really watched him at Temple,
18:01 there's flashes over the course of every game he played.
18:04 He makes two or three plays every night
18:06 that just make you go, wow, jaw-dropping
18:08 for somebody with his size, right?
18:11 And the biggest challenge
18:13 is getting that to be more consistent,
18:15 and I kind of felt like getting him
18:19 in a different kind of condition would allow for that.
18:22 And I think our hunch was right
18:26 because the better shape he gets in,
18:28 he's really, really invested in doing the right things
18:31 and the right approach every day.
18:33 I mean, he's lost a ton of weight.
18:35 He looks great.
18:37 He's running the floor as good as anybody on our team.
18:41 He's maybe one of the best passers I've coached --
18:44 maybe the best passer I've ever coached in the front court.
18:46 He's shown the ability to shoot three-point shots,
18:49 which is, wow, he can actually really shoot the basketball.
18:52 You know, his scoring on the box is well-documented,
18:56 and he's certainly a presence defensively.
18:57 I'm trying to get him to get out there
18:59 and guard guards and move his feet.
19:01 I think he thought I was crazy the first couple weeks
19:03 he was here in the summer asking to do that.
19:05 And there's some possessions in practice where I stop and I go,
19:09 wow, if he can do that consistently,
19:11 which I believe he's capable of,
19:13 I think he's going to turn not just the heads of our fans
19:16 and the people that watch our team,
19:17 but I think he'll turn heads all across basketball.
19:20 So I've been pleased with him.
19:22 He's still got a lot of growing to do,
19:23 but he's taken some massive steps forward
19:25 in a really short period of time here.
19:27 [BLANK_AUDIO]