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15 hours ago, futurecoach said:

Texas and a guy some on here said they wanted to possibly replace Cal in Chris Beard seem to disagree with this thought. 

Lets sit back and see how much playing time the kid next year, it won't be much.  If he wants to be a bench warmer, he could have done that at UK.  The kid plays hard, just doesn't have the talent for a high D-I team.  NKU would have been perfect for his skill set.  

21 hours ago, Voice of Reason said:

 Do you think Brannen is blameless in all of this?

 If not, how do you think UC should have handled the situation?

It is obvious Cunningham doesn't have the goods he needs to get rid of Brannen and not have to pay the buyout.  I believe Brannen is getting a raw deal, plain and simple as that.  If UC wants to get rid of Brannen, that is their prerogative.  However, they need to honor the contract and pay the full buyout.  

Do you think Cunningham is blameless in all of this?  From my perspective, he seems to be in a little over his head and it has showed with the way he has handled this from the beginning.  If I am the president of UC and see my basketball coach is not reporting to the AD, I am going to have some very serious questions for the AD.  Your AD needs to be involved and know what is going on with all sports and their coaches.  Who knows, perhaps if Brannen is reporting to Cunningham, like he should have been, there may have been a different ending to the story?      

1 hour ago, Walter said:

How did John get a bad deal? He never once refuted the allegations against him. I will say it again... If he were able to relate to players better, show better leadership and management skills, and not force players out due to his "culture" we would not be in this situation. 

The ONE player (David DeJulius) who actually went on record with positive things to say about JB even said there needs to be a different approach and culture change with how John does things. The difference is he doesn't have the luxury of another free transfer and immediate eligibility at a next stop so he's forced to stay. Davenport would have been out too but his dad made it clear their family sticks to commitments and is a no transfer family. 

As far as a settlement being offered, the allegations were a breach of contract on the University level (student welfare) so UC tried to do what was right and pay the guy a fair sum to go away. Brannen refused because of his ego, and now he is likely to end up with much less or nothing due to the allegations and evidence favoring UC. 

I'm interested in seeing what Mike Saunders and Tari Eason do after a new coach is named. If both come back, that alone should tell you that them entering the transfer portal had nothing to do with "greener pastures" and everything to do with how they were treated and manipulated by an ego maniac,  control freak coach. 

"UC tried to do what was right" .  That is laughable and funny you believe that.  When this is all over, we will see how Cunningham botched this whole situation.  Now their going to have to pay John and also overpay their next coach.  Will be interesting to see who they hire, as any up and coming coach is going to have to be overpaid to come work under Cunningham.  All, but I forgot, the coach won't be reporting to Cunningham.  🙂   

1 hour ago, MJAlltheWay24 said:

I'm not a subscriber of the Athletic and don't plan on starting to be.

For those of us that aren't Athletic subscribers, it seems really weak on UC's part and Cunningham appears to be in way over his head, based on what information is easily accessible. Sounds like that might not be the case but from the outside it feels that way.

Based on whats public about all this, Id stay away from having Cunningham as my boss.

Exactly spot on!

10 minutes ago, Walter said:

You're clearly Team Brannen and that's fine... But at the end of the day the allegations were made for a reason and John Brannen didn't handle certain situations properly which led to him being fired. If he led, communicated, and managed his team better, a stale relationship with an AD wouldn't have mattered. 

These players didn't want to play for John because things were so bad. Neither you or I know exactly what happened but read the Justin Williams Athletic articles. UC had plenty of reasons and cause to fire him, whether you like it or not. 

As far as Fick goes, he isn't leaving because a coach was fired... Especially after that same coach and his petty lawyer made a private conversation public to try to burn the place down on their way out. My guess is Fick never speaks to JB again after that.

I am team no one, I think John got a bad deal, all from an AD that was searching for anything to get rid of him and not have to pay the buy out.  If UC had plenty of reasons and causes to fire him (as you state), they wouldn't have offered a seven figure buyout?  I hope John takes them to the shed, as I would anyone who was treated the way he was.  

I never once said Fickell would leave because Brannen was fired and I will leave it at that.  

9 hours ago, Walter said:

More details and final statement below from Brannen's attorney, Tom Mars:

 

Good, I hope John gets every last penny he is owed from UC.  The way this whole process has gone down tells you a whole lot about Cunningham.  There is no reason the head basketball coach at a major university is not reporting to the athletic director.  It is obvious Cunningham did not have a fondness for John and saw an opportunity to get rid of him.  Stay strong John, get every last penny you can.  Cunningham may want to start looking for a football coach, Fickell will be leaving after this year.  

11 hours ago, Jack of all Trades said:

Yes Jackson was overrated.  Where did PFF rank him last year?

This was taken directly from PFF website in an article written on January 13, 2021.  They seem to be rather high on him?  Perhaps the Jets believe they can coach even more out of him:

8. CINCINNATI BENGALS

One of the most improved units we saw this season from 2019, regardless of team or position, was Cincinnati's secondary. The team saw strong play from returners Jessie Bates III, William Jackson III and Darius Phillips — but also from free agent signings Vonn Bell and Mackensie Alexander.

Bell finished in the top 15 in PFF grade down in the box while Alexander ranked among the top 15 defensive backs in the slot. Phillips earned the third-highest forced incompletion rate on the outside (21.6%), and Jackson finished above the 70th percentile in outside coverage grade. Bates was the clear-cut top performer of this group. He led all safeties in the NFL in PFF grade and in interceptions plus pass breakups (15).

3 hours ago, Walter said:

Another former player speaking out...

Jarron Cumberland was also VERY vocal at the beginning of this season and throughout last season about the issues he had with JB both on and off the floor. Blame the AD all you want but there's plenty of current and former players confirming UC program is a dumpster fire because of the coach and his lack of leadership/management/communication.  These players left because of the coach, not the AD.

The process is dragging because lawyers are involved. Cunningham has a law and compliance background. He isn't placing Brannen on administrative leave if he doesn't have cause to fire him. He is simply making sure they don't miss anything. The slow process is frustrating but I'm fine with John Cunningham doing everything he has to in order to save the University 5.25 mil. 

I guess we will just sit back and wait to see what happens.  It is obvious this AD has nothing on Brannen and is going to be grasping at straws to get rid of him.  If he had anything, Brannen would have already  been terminated.  Hopefully, they look at Cunningham next after this is all over, for being an inept AD.    

7 hours ago, Voice of Reason said:

And the first question to Brannen is, Why did you walk off the floor on your own team?

All the he said they said arguments in the world can't explain away that one.

And I am sure John would admit that was a mistake.  Does he have a history of this, no.  Most likely frustrated, almost snuck in to the tourney and his team just got run off the floor.    

On 4/4/2021 at 9:04 PM, Jack of all Trades said:

William Jackson was overpaid as a free agent.  Not that good and glad to see he is gone.

Not that good?  Seemed to be rather liked in the CB free agency rankings.  Better hope Burrow stays healthy next year because he is the only way they can win them 35-30 games next year.  This Bengals D has gotten worse and they were not good last year.  

On 4/4/2021 at 8:35 PM, futurecoach said:

Quite possibly.  Except being Bengal fans, we get to hear and notice more when it is about our Bengals. Shoot there have been players who have even complained and ripped the Patriots after leaving. Let’s not act like it is uncommon for players to do that. Happens more to teams who don’t win though obviously. 

Ha, ha...keep sipping the Bengals Kool-Aid, Mikey likes your kind.  The Bengals do a lot of losing, so I think you just hit the nail on the head, it happens to teams who don't win and that is the Bengals.  They got a good one in Burrow, hope they don't throw all that talent down the drain like they have with a many of their players.  

20 hours ago, Tomcats1990 said:

That’s on CAL. Kid should have been a backup at most. Mintz should have started point all season and probably KY doesn’t have a 9-16 record. 

I don't dispute that at all, hence my point he is not UK material and never would have been.  Cal is dependent on the guards that can create for themselves and others (his offense is rather outdated and needs some updating), Askew does neither.  He created for the other team with his turnovers and air balls.  It was a huge swing and miss when Cal gambled their season on him running the show.  Then you throw Boston in next to him and this team had no chance.   

21 hours ago, futurecoach said:

That’s simply not true at all. 

Lets circle back in three years and see who was right.  I like my chances a lot!  

Ok, which means he is 6'1" at most.  He got abused all year long and you could see he was not going to cut it from the first game.  Not his fault, totally on Cal for putting all his eggs in Askew basket.  Just like Quade Green several years ago, he is not a high level D-I guard.  I believe a perfect place for him is a school like NKU.  He can go to UCLA, with the year they had, the kid will be the 12th man on that team the next 3 years.  They are going to be loaded from here on out, Mick can coach and recruit.  Calipari has to have a dominant guard for his teams to go anywhere and Askew was never going to be that, hence the reason I am sure he was told or saw the writing on the wall.      

1 hour ago, Tomcats1990 said:

Cincy is still a huge step up in prestige and $$$ and I believe if a guy like Mills would take the job could turn Cincy back into a Contender.

UC is a dumpster fire right now!  They obviously are grasping at straws to try and find anything to not have to pay Brannen his money.  If there was anything there, he would have been fired already.  If I am any coach with a promising future, why do I want to come in to a situation with this AD?  I will wait, there will be plenty of better opportunities.  I was to accept, I would have a phone conversation with Mr. Brannen first.

1 hour ago, futurecoach said:

I agree I think Askew will end up being a very good college basketball player. I truly believe UCLA could be a great spot for him. He is a tough kid, and would be a good match for Cronin IMO. 

To me a perfect spot would be a school like NKU, just doesn't have the size for a high level school.

On 4/4/2021 at 2:06 PM, Tomcats1990 said:

If I’m Cincy go get Mills from ORU and hope his 2 stud players will follow him.

If I am Mills I stay right where I am and wait for the next opportunity.  UC is a dumpster fire right now.  The AD has no one to blame except himself for the way this has been handled.

44 minutes ago, Runcible Owl said:

Final from Union per Ryle Sports Med.

The Colonels start the season with four straight wins. The Raiders drop to 3-2.

Next up:

Cov Cath hosts Elder (OH) tommorow at 5:00 .

Ryle plays at Dixie on Wednesday at 5:00.

Thanks for update.  Been wondering how the season has been going, there are no scores posted on KHSAA app.  

It seems like every team that wins has that one game in the tourney they win, but it could have gone either way.  I think Zags had their game last night and they start to pull away late from Baylor.  

31 minutes ago, Kenny Powers said:

I have been told that Cam Giesler will be back at HHS for his sophomore year. 

What a clown show, this is utterly ridiculous!  So does he have to sit his sophomore year in football (played varsity for CCH) and basketball (played varsity for NCC)?  If so, is he still eligible to practice?

14 hours ago, 16thBBall Fan said:

Think they may have actually passed us!!

In the past year, correct.  Overall, this has been going on with the Bengals for a long time and is a real problem for them.  Unless the Bengals are going to overpay, they are not on equal footing with other teams.  Even former players, whom had great careers here, laugh at just how bad this franchise is ran and how they are treated after they retire, compared with other teams they played for (yes, I have had conversation with individuals who this applies to).  Not surprising, I believe Mike Brown would take 8-8 every year, as long as he is making lots of money and the pheasants are filling his stands.  

18 hours ago, CincySportsFan said:

You forgot to include the part of his quote where he blasted the Bengal fans too.

Wasn't relevant to my point of him ripping the organization, like many players before him have also.  Are there any other organizations out there that get ripped by former players as much as the Bengals do?

Add William Jackson to the list of former Bengals who ripped the organization after signing elsewhere.  The more and more this happens, the harder it is going to be for the Bengals to shed the Bungles mentality with free agents:

“Them dudes, they wonder why they’re not winning. I’m happy I’m out of that thing man. It’s a blessing to get away, and I wish them the best, but Washington…let’s go from here.” 

Utterly RIDICULOUS!  I watched pretty much everyone of my brothers games when he was a senior and won the state baseball championship and those were some of the best memories of my life.  With this stupid rule in place I would not have been able to watch many of the games, as my parents would have used the 2 tickets as is.  People have had enough and are tired of being controlled.  Let people make the decisions for themselves, if you are worried about sitting outside at a game and catching COVID, stay home, let us live our lives.

1 hour ago, TheDeuce said:

I think leaving out that the shot was blocked is to exclude a big part of the play. How often is a foul called after a shot is blocked? I'm not saying it's right or wrong either way, but that is rarely called, on any level. 

If you run over a guy, even after blocking a shot, the foul should be called.  A foul is a foul, no matter when it occurs.  Do I fault the refs, absolutely not, CCH had opportunities to build on their lead to end the game and didn't execute.