Wow, what a month for Cincy.
After firing Cronin, losing Brooks/Nsoseme/Fredericks/Johnson to transfers, losing their best freshman recruit to Nebraska, the uncertainty of NBA prospects for Cumberland, they end up making a good hire in Brannen, keep Cumberland and attract his cousin, sign a solid guard freshman and get two other good depth grad transfer pieces.
Talk about a quick rebound.
He actually ended up with 2 freshman recruits which considering what he inherited is pretty good work. The kid who he landed is a small forward, Jeramiah Davenport, who played on the state champ. team with Jaxson Hayes who was just a first round draft pic as a frosh out of Texas. He spent a year at Hargrave. For a guy who was coming out of the Horizon league and didn't hire anyone's dad or guardian as an assistant, he did a heck of a job. Other frosh:
Hidden gem?
Davenport always believed he could succeed at a higher level of Division I. With his 2018 teammates Hayes and McBride going, he feels he has something to prove to those who discounted his future abilities. He also adds he has grown and may be closer to the 6-foot-7 Hargrave Military Academy listed him, than the 6-foot-5 he was at Moeller.
"In my opinion and even as great as Jaxson is now, in that senior year Jeremiah was the best player in Southwest Ohio, if not the state," Kremer said. "He had a brilliant senior year for us. He's worked really hard. He's had a dream to be a high-level Division I player and he's going to get that chance."
At Hargrave, the Tigers went 35-3 and scored more than 100 points 25 times, including 173 against Bristol Prep March 1. Among familiar Hargrave products are David West and Jordan Crawford of Xavier, Tony Bobbitt and James White of UC and Joe Alexander of West Virginia.
Obviously, the style of play was different than Moeller, just as Brannen's system at UC is likely to differ from Mick Cronin's.
"It got me prepared for the next level," Davenport said. "Coach Brannen is a good guy. I like his image. He really cares for his players. He's excited to get to work and me too. That's a deadly combination."
Because of his dunking abilities, some have compared his game to current Bearcat Keith Williams. While a compliment, Davenport has his own answers for those that haven't seen him hit those dunks.
"I don't really look into that," he said. "I'm Jeremiah Davenport and I'll always be Jeremiah Davenport. If my game is like his, my game is. But, I know my game is like my game. This is my chance to show everybody what they were missing on. I have so much belief in myself and Coach B. They (other coaches) aren't going to necessarily regret, but they're going to hear about me for sure. Patience pays off. I've found my new home. Bearcat Nation."
