TicketsCINCINNATI -- With 20 days separating the Cincinnati men's basketball program from its season-opener in a raucous Fifth Third Arena, head coach Wes Miller and fifth-year senior guards David DeJulius and Rob Phinisee met with the media ahead of Tuesday's practice.
The Waiting is the Hardest Part
As changing NCAA timelines occur each year, every team must make adjustments accordingly. Some stagger their off days, others make it off-weekends, and so on and so forth. Miller, full of energy as always, treats every practice like the most important day of the season, but even he can admit there is some angst in waiting for the season.
"It's interesting that when they moved the preseason back to I think 40-42 days before the season starts. Years ago, you would go, 'man, the preseason is long,' and there's certain days you go, 'man, we got five weeks left.' Then there are certain days you look up and go, 'oh my gosh, we don't have enough time, because we have to get better at these three or four things that are incredibly important to our foundation, our success, and we haven't gotten to these details,' but relative to last year, it's completely different."
What's Lost Can Always Be Found
Cincinnati may have lost the nation's two leading active shot blockers from a year ago in Hayden Koval and Abdul Ado (who is staying as a graduate assistant), but Miller did say that while anyone who beat the perimeter would think twice coming into the post, it is simply a different dynamic now.
"It's not the same this year, but the positive is we have four guys on the floor who are over 6'5," Miller said. "The wingspan is different, and we can cover more ground, so there are some neat things you can do there like denying more passes and double-team a little bit more and some of the pressing stuff we've done in years past. It's not all bad or all good, but you have to learn how to utilize the gifts that you do have. I do think we are trending to more positional size across the board even though we lost some of it in the interior."
What's in a Name?
The NBA, and even the college game, has evolved over the years into positionless athleticism that allows for all 10 players on the floor to have a three-point capability. Miller even recalled growing up in the late 80s and 90s with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Hakeem Olajuwon and Shaquille O'Neal as "true centers." With the aforementioned losses of towering bigs Ado and Koval, Miller took time to delve into that matter when asked about fifth-year Old Dominion transfer Kalu Ezikpe.
"Kalu's more of a true forward," Miller said. "He's got perimeter skills, he can really handle the ball, and he can really pass. He's got great athleticism. I'm trying to get him to figure out how to unlock that athleticism with how he plays to get his motor running, to do some little things to take advantage of that combination of width, strength, power, quickness, feel. We're going to use him completely different than we used Hayden and Abdul, because even though that might be the biggest guy on the floor, it's not the same position."
Phinisee's Potential On Both Ends of the Floor
The Bearcats' backcourt gained a lot of traction this offseason with the addition of Phinisee, a 69-game game starter for Indiana over the last four years. While he has garnered a "Papa" nickname from teammates, namely sophomore C.J. Anthony for his laid-back attitude and focus, his defensive reputation and penchant for clutch offensive moments precede him.
Phinisee has scored 20 points in one win over No. 4 Purdue, while collecting 18 in another against No. 4 Iowa. He also knocked down the buzzer-beating, three-pointer against Butler as a freshman.
"He's really steady with the ball and doesn't turn it over," Miller said. "He makes good decisions. I've been really surprised at his ability to get his shoulders down and by his guy, make a good decision and get to the paint. He's made big shots in his career with some game-winners and 20-point games. I think he will be a more consistent shooter because he's worked on his game this offseason. I think he'll have some prolific offensive games. I value this as in him playing the elite guard position, but he's not a guy coming down to hunt his own offense; he's coming down and running the team and playing the right way."
DeJulius' Jersey Announcement
Those who have followed DeJulius his first two years in Clifton are well aware of his selflessness on and off the court. DeJulius, a Preseason All-AAC selection, has taken it a step further in his final collegiate season, announcing that 100 percent of profits made from his jersey purchases will go towards books for inner-city children in his hometown Detroit and Cincinnati.
"Coming from the inner city of Detroit, I see firsthand a lot of people won't have the proper guidance and environment in place that has such a gravitational pull," he said. "I feel like books are a good place to providing discipline and builds a hunger of knowledge. I think knowledge is the first step in becoming a well-rounded person."
2022-23 SEASON TICKETS
Season tickets for the 2022-23 men's basketball campaign in Fifth Third Arena are on sale, and serve as the only guaranteed way to get admission into the Crosstown Shootout against Xavier on Dec. 10. UC opens its 18-game home slate Monday, Nov. 7 against Chaminade.
The Waiting is the Hardest Part
As changing NCAA timelines occur each year, every team must make adjustments accordingly. Some stagger their off days, others make it off-weekends, and so on and so forth. Miller, full of energy as always, treats every practice like the most important day of the season, but even he can admit there is some angst in waiting for the season.
"It's interesting that when they moved the preseason back to I think 40-42 days before the season starts. Years ago, you would go, 'man, the preseason is long,' and there's certain days you go, 'man, we got five weeks left.' Then there are certain days you look up and go, 'oh my gosh, we don't have enough time, because we have to get better at these three or four things that are incredibly important to our foundation, our success, and we haven't gotten to these details,' but relative to last year, it's completely different."
What's Lost Can Always Be Found
Cincinnati may have lost the nation's two leading active shot blockers from a year ago in Hayden Koval and Abdul Ado (who is staying as a graduate assistant), but Miller did say that while anyone who beat the perimeter would think twice coming into the post, it is simply a different dynamic now.
"It's not the same this year, but the positive is we have four guys on the floor who are over 6'5," Miller said. "The wingspan is different, and we can cover more ground, so there are some neat things you can do there like denying more passes and double-team a little bit more and some of the pressing stuff we've done in years past. It's not all bad or all good, but you have to learn how to utilize the gifts that you do have. I do think we are trending to more positional size across the board even though we lost some of it in the interior."
You could say that last year, we were maybe more traditional. This team's more modern, and we're very positionless. - Wes Miller
What's in a Name?
The NBA, and even the college game, has evolved over the years into positionless athleticism that allows for all 10 players on the floor to have a three-point capability. Miller even recalled growing up in the late 80s and 90s with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Hakeem Olajuwon and Shaquille O'Neal as "true centers." With the aforementioned losses of towering bigs Ado and Koval, Miller took time to delve into that matter when asked about fifth-year Old Dominion transfer Kalu Ezikpe.
"Kalu's more of a true forward," Miller said. "He's got perimeter skills, he can really handle the ball, and he can really pass. He's got great athleticism. I'm trying to get him to figure out how to unlock that athleticism with how he plays to get his motor running, to do some little things to take advantage of that combination of width, strength, power, quickness, feel. We're going to use him completely different than we used Hayden and Abdul, because even though that might be the biggest guy on the floor, it's not the same position."
Phinisee's Potential On Both Ends of the Floor
The Bearcats' backcourt gained a lot of traction this offseason with the addition of Phinisee, a 69-game game starter for Indiana over the last four years. While he has garnered a "Papa" nickname from teammates, namely sophomore C.J. Anthony for his laid-back attitude and focus, his defensive reputation and penchant for clutch offensive moments precede him.
Phinisee has scored 20 points in one win over No. 4 Purdue, while collecting 18 in another against No. 4 Iowa. He also knocked down the buzzer-beating, three-pointer against Butler as a freshman.
"He's really steady with the ball and doesn't turn it over," Miller said. "He makes good decisions. I've been really surprised at his ability to get his shoulders down and by his guy, make a good decision and get to the paint. He's made big shots in his career with some game-winners and 20-point games. I think he will be a more consistent shooter because he's worked on his game this offseason. I think he'll have some prolific offensive games. I value this as in him playing the elite guard position, but he's not a guy coming down to hunt his own offense; he's coming down and running the team and playing the right way."
DeJulius' Jersey Announcement
Those who have followed DeJulius his first two years in Clifton are well aware of his selflessness on and off the court. DeJulius, a Preseason All-AAC selection, has taken it a step further in his final collegiate season, announcing that 100 percent of profits made from his jersey purchases will go towards books for inner-city children in his hometown Detroit and Cincinnati.
"Coming from the inner city of Detroit, I see firsthand a lot of people won't have the proper guidance and environment in place that has such a gravitational pull," he said. "I feel like books are a good place to providing discipline and builds a hunger of knowledge. I think knowledge is the first step in becoming a well-rounded person."
2022-23 SEASON TICKETS
Season tickets for the 2022-23 men's basketball campaign in Fifth Third Arena are on sale, and serve as the only guaranteed way to get admission into the Crosstown Shootout against Xavier on Dec. 10. UC opens its 18-game home slate Monday, Nov. 7 against Chaminade.