Cincinnati Hires Northern Kentucky's John Brannen

[UofCT]

 

[mauconnfan]

I wanted us to hire Hurley from Wagner. Probably wouldn't have gotten the other championship but our program wouldn't have imploded either.

Prefer the championship and implosion now that we know DH will bet us back. We’ll be like Tiger winning the Masters when we win again in 2022.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Which is why you never listen to former players when making a hire.

This seems like a rock solid hire to me. Guy has won in the region, appears to be a “rising star” category of coach. He also seems like a fit for the program.

 

[tzznandrew]

Which is why you never listen to former players when making a hire.

This seems like a rock solid hire to me. Guy has won in the region, appears to be a “rising star” category of coach. He also seems like a fit for the program.

They probably wanted Van Exel?

 

[CallMeBruce]

They probably wanted Van Exel?

Programs like Cincinnati should never be hiring head coaches who don't have head coaching experience. I said the same thing about Temple promoting McKie instead of hiring an established head coach like Becker or someone similar. Maybe McKie will work out (and maybe Van Exel would have), but we've seen that there is far too much uncertainty for no good reason.

 

[don356]

If a guy like Van Exel wants to coach d1, then he should become an asst. a d1 level. Penny Hardaway had his own AAU program which is why he's at Memphis. It was shortcut to get talent. Plain and simple. He may not be able to coach a lick. The track record of Nba guys going into D1 is awful, flat out. I also think they wanted to cut ties with any link to Huggins. At some point you have to break free from a personality.

 

[UofCT]

Programs like Cincinnati should never be hiring head coaches who don't have head coaching experience. I said the same thing about Temple promoting McKie instead of hiring an established head coach like Becker or someone similar. Maybe McKie will work out (and maybe Van Exel would have), but we've seen that there is far too much uncertainty for no good reason.

Don't know much about Aaron Mckie other than his outer body experience during the 2001 NBA regular season and playoffs but I imagine he spent years on the bench (like Ewing) and has earned the job. Any Temple boneyarders want to chime in?

 

[CallMeBruce]

Don't know much about Aaron Mckie other than his outer body experience during the 2001 NBA regular season and playoffs but I imagine he spent years on the bench (like Ewing) and has earned the job. Any Temple boneyarders want to chime in?

He's been an assistant for a long time. I would prefer to never hire someone with no HC experience again. Let these guys prove themselves as head coaches at a lower level.

 

[HuskyHawk]

They probably wanted Van Exel?

Sure. And many of our guys wanted KO. Hell, many of them wanted us to keep him when it was clear he couldn't do the job. That connection to former players often clouds your judgment. Cinci made the right choice here.

 

[don356]

Interesting comments from a form Xavier guy:

John Brannen at UC: New coach likely means shift in style for UC – a shift toward scoring
John Fay, Cincinnati EnquirerPublished 5:30 a.m. ET April 15, 2019

24 Photos
GALLERY: New UC basketball coach John Brannen



CONNECTTWEETLINKEDINCOMMENTEMAILMORE
The University of Cincinnati went with a familiar name and a local guy to replace Mick Cronin as basketball coach by hiring Northern Kentucky University coach John Brannen.
But the hire likely means a big change in the style of play for the Bearcats.
Consider this: The Norse were 44th in Division I in points per game at 78.5; UC was 198th at 71.5. Norse took 845 3-point field goal attempts; UC took 673.
The Bearcats have been a defensive-first team since Bob Huggins took over in 1989. That is likely to change at least somewhat under Brannen.
More: What you need to know about new University of Cincinnati basketball coach John Brannen
Some other numbers on the NKU this year: The Norse ranked 11th in the nation in assists per game (16.9), 27th in field goal percentage (.478) and 32nd in the assist-to-turnover ratio (1.34).
“It's a totally different hire at UC," said Steve Wolf, a college basketball analyst for CBS Sports Network. "It’s a totally different personality. This is an offensive guy. Yes, he’ll have defense first, but they will attract different type of people there who will not only play hard but will be fundamentally sound on the offensive end. Nobody has been more fundamentally sound on the defensive end than UC under Mick, under (Bob) Huggins, under Andy Kennedy. On the offensive side, I just felt it was sluggish. I think the offense will be a little bit smoother. And I guarantee Johnny Brannen will get guys who can shoot the 3.”
More: John Brannen: Social media reactions to UC Bearcats hiring NKU Norse head coach
Wolf has known Brannen since he was 7.
“He’s just a wonderful guy. Fundamentally sound. He’s like a John Wooden type. He’s good at Xs and Os. He’s respectful but very firm. Johnny Brannen is a guy who has a workmanlike approach. He gets good quality kids who have to understand the game, who have to understand how important chemistry is to a team. He is a developer of kids."
More: Kenyon Martin: Former UC Bearcats players 'are not happy' about John Brannen hire
Brannen, 45, was a career assistant with stops at Alabama, VCU and St. Bonaventure before NKU hired him to take the program from Division II to Division I in 2015.
The Norse made the postseason in each of their three years in Division I, going to NCAA in 2017 and this year and to NIT in 2018. They won the Horizon League title in 2017 and 2019.

 

[kobe]

he and chris mack are tight and i know a lot of xavier people like him. if chris mack had waited another 1-2 years before leaving, he'd have been their #1 target.

so the fact that their fans are upset that we got him makes me happy )

 

[tcf15]

Nysier Brooks in the transfer portal. Bummer for Cinci and the AAC.

 

[Fishy]

They probably wanted Van Exel?

Van Exel or Andy Kennedy.

To their credit, Cincinnati spend almost zero seconds thinking that over.

 

[ctchamps]

Prefer the championship and implosion now that we know Dan Hurley will bet us back. We’ll be like Tiger winning the Masters when we win again in 2022.

Absolutely. Programs can turn around with correct hires. We don't win that fourth championship if players like Bazz bolt.

 

[kobe]

Nysier Brooks in the transfer portal. Bummer for Cinci and the AAC.

think there is still a chance he could come back. but this definitely isn't a good sign.

 

[tcf15]

 

[HawkHusky]

Big loss if he doesn't return. Might be the difference between an NCAA bid and an NIT bid.

 

[don356]

I'll be curious to see if Cumberland gets invited to the nba combine or not. He's not listed on mock drafts i saw. My guess is he ends up returning. You never know. I think he was going to test the waters with or without Cronin.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Says he signed an agent

 

[WrenchFan69]

Says he signed an agent

You can sign an agent and still return under the new rules

 

[kobe]

think most signs point towards him coming back but you never know...

 

[DALTX]

Nice, @superjohn, and RIP to dogbreath who seemingly agreed.

 

[freescooter]

You can sign an agent and still return under the new rules

Pretty soon the NCAA will be allowing the NBA to sign guys then send them down to a college team like they do in baseball with the minors. What a bunch of hoss manure.

 

[the Q]

Pretty soon the NCAA will be allowing the NBA to sign guys then send them down to a college team like they do in baseball with the minors. What a bunch of hoss manure.

I wouldn’t mind the hockey one like the kid from umass who went from the frozen four to scoring a goal in the Stanley cup playoffs in a span of like 3 days

 

[crazyUCfan23]

I wouldn’t mind the hockey one like the kid from umass who went from the frozen four to scoring a goal in the Stanley cup playoffs in a span of like 3 days

Personally, I love the way hockey does the draft. You're only eligible when you're 18 (theres a cutoff date sometime in the fall, which is why Eichel had to go to BU for a year) and when you decide to turn pro the team that drafted you has your rights.