This is the Wes Miller Radio Show live from the original Montgomery In. Brought you in part by Skyline Chilly feeling good. It's Skyline Time and by the original Montgomery In and the Montgomery In at the boat House, home of the world's Greatest Ribs. Now here's Dan Horde, It's Terry Nelson and you SE's head coach, Wes Miller.
It is show time, very pleasant, good evening, everybody. Greetings from the original montgomery And home of the world's Greatest Ribs. Welcome to the West Miller Radio Show on Dan Horde alongside former Bearcats stand out Terry Nelson and the star of the show, the head coach of your you See Bearcats. Let's hear it for Wes Miller.
I think we both agree with your intro. That's pretty good.
Thank you. Tried to bring the energy for you Tel and I like it. I know that you are quick to criticize if you're not. Feel like it's not just me. The org level is.
No room, bills led down if Dan Horde doesn't bring the energy, all.
Right, the energy is here tonight. I'm fired up. I'm ready to all great victory last night for the Bearcats. Eighty nine sixty two over the Lipscomb buys Ins. I know what some people are thinking, Lipscomb, they're in the Atlantic Sun, big deal. Well, they led Duke in the second half about two weeks ago. They went to the NCAA tournament last year. That's a good team. It's not a Big twelve opponent, but it's a good team. That was a quality win for your team last night.
Yeah, you know said that, the same thing you just said in the press conference last night. I'm not going to sit here and act like that's a power for team. But that's a really good team.
And it's one of those.
Deals that over Christmas, you know, you open the laptop and start watching tape and it's the game after Christmas break right, and you scheduled that game. And I'm not going to say you want a cupcake, but you know, you tell your you tell your staff schedule in the game. Fine one that if these guys ate too much food at home a Christmas or like, find one that we can work through some of the kinks from Christmas holidays.
And the staff failed because I'm watching the tape and they're beating Duke in the second half and they've won. I think they'd won six to seven coming into our game. They're picked to win every single game the rest of the year and win their league. But also just they have the shooting, you.
Know, they really move the ball.
They play a funky style of defense that is given some people that have more gifts than they do problems. So it was one of those games that you're a little bit more nervous about than you should be coming off a Christmas break.
I thought our guys played well last night.
Some similarities here, Kenyon Martin, Jason not Jason, Maxill close, three other post players I'm trying to think of, Trey Scott and Gary Clark. These are all the latest guys that have twenty rebound games, and Boba Miller. It seems like it was so effortless. It's almost like guys were getting out of the way because they knew it was effortless to try to grab a rebound. What's it like when you have a guy you know on the defensive end, we'll grab every rebound for you.
And you only give them one shot.
Well, when somebody's rebound and the way Baba was, it's a great thing. I told the guys at halftime, terry that you know. I said, Hey, let's point this out. Baba has thirteen rebounds. I said, but hell, you guys going to compete with them a little bit? I mean, And the one statistic that I believe you can be selfish with as a player and it's still good for the team is rebounding. You know, you can be selfish
with rebounding and it's still good for the team. I said, Hell, somebody else will get one, but twenty one something I had somebody when I first got here. I won't give a name player on the team my first year or so, said coach.
Coach, take me to Rubies like you you take me to Rubies.
And I said, I will if you get twenty rebounds in a game.
I said, that's my rule.
I'll take anybody to Rubies they get twenty rebounds in the game, so me and in one game or a season, because I would have went at the.
End of the year one game in one game.
So I told the team last nsks, I'm taking Boba the Rubies. I'm sure there's some instead of a violation, but I hadn't done it yet.
He can pay for you, He can pay for your meal exactly but.
The guy said, do we get to come to I said, if you get twenty days bound, you do you know what type of thing?
All right, next time somebody gets twenty rebounds, we will mention the Ruby rules.
Here's our struggle for the steak thing to that.
One of us has to get twenty rebounds. You never you're never getting mistake team. Now you might not get one anyway based on occurrence standard.
Correct. Let's talk about Mustapha Chohm.
He had eighteen points last night that tied his career high, eight field goals and a couple of free throws. You said something really interesting on the postgame show, basically kind of saying, you know what, when I've really been stressing that I wanted him to do, wasn't working out so well. So we're gonna let him do what he's comfortable doing. And it seems to have kind of brought the confidence back for Mustafa.
Yeah, I mean I want him to put his seven to two frame on the rim and dunk every basketball and go get twenty You know, I mean, Terry Dan and you guys have been at practice like that's the end. Then we're not gonna stop emphasizing that because when when that part of the game clicks form Mustafa, He's in an entirely different category as.
A player, and I do believe it will. But he's he has a great touch, and he has a lot.
Of confidence in his touch, even from the post facing up shooting a turnaround and allowed him to get back to doing that. I think has helped him and he's found some confidence again. And it was good to see the ball go in for him last night and I think it'll continue to do so. And we got to let him kind of be him with his touch from you know, fourteen to fifteen feet and in.
Dayda Thomas was on a heater in the Clemson game. Follows that up he's two or five from downtown and lifts him game. But what is it like now that you know that you have an instant outlet that if you draw something up, he doesn't have to toll the three point line to make the shot, but he can.
He can make shots.
From all over the floor from three sort of just to loosen the defense up.
Yeah, I just think you got to have guys that can be elusive scoring the basketball when you know if you can find small advantages for him, they can make things happen when there is no advantage, they can make things happen.
Day Day's been.
One of those players, but he's emerging in a different way here in his final season.
You can see the maturity and the confidence, and he's I think in.
The right positions. And I think Jis Will being back out there helps him too. It takes some of the pressure off absolutely and allows him to get more comfortable in his own right.
In the final twenty three minutes of the Clemson game, you outscored the Tigers fifty four to thirty. That's a twenty four point difference. Last night you won the game by twenty seven. So over the last basically six half or three halves rather you've outscored the opposition by fifty one points. Do you feel like this is the team that you thought you could have coming into the season.
Yeah, I don't know if I've like thought in those kind of terms. Other I think it's simpler for me that I think when we play consistently, Dan, we can be a great basketball team. We're starting to figure out recently how to play more consistently. Certainly, Gisel's presence, you know, I think has helped everybody. It's not Gigsels plays great, but Gisele's presence on the floor has made other players better because there's another guy that can shot create for others.
He has a calming influence with the ball and then he can go make something happens, so the defense has to respect him. He also has like physical presence defensively, which is impactful, and so I think that's elevated us. But you know, you know, they'd still like to see Jalen Haynes out there at some point.
I'd like Tyler McKinley to be healthy.
So I think if we could ever get to full strength, I think that'd be a lot of fun too.
Kirk Resa had.
A good game against Tartleton State, and then he had a good game yesterday.
But yet, even though he didn't score as.
Much as Tartleton State, you said yesterday was his best game.
Why well, I thought he was really good defensively.
You know that.
I don't know what the perspective is that people that are watching, but that's a very difficult team to defend. Again, all five guys can shoot, they all cut, they're always moving, you know, and they're good at it right, And you can see how they started the year and they they hadn't found their way, and then they hit their stride and they've been really good ever since. But they put a lot of pressure on your defense. If you make one mistake defensively, they get a quality shot. I thought
Kerr was really good defensively. I thought offensively he made better reads with the basketball, he protected the ball better, and then obviously, like you know, seeing him shoot the ball with confidence is important to our team.
He mentioned Tyler McKinley. He was capable of playing. He could have played last night. You elected not to use him in the game. Is what he's dealing with right now, something that's likely to linger for a while. Or is he close to the point where he expected them to be?
Back on the news channels nowadays, don't they bring in like the special doctor to answer these questions, like I we got to bring in you know, doctor Nelson here.
I.
Got it exactly, But I don't. I don't, honestly, I don't know.
I know that he was trying to do some things in practice a couple of days before and shoot around, and he he didn't look right. He didn't look ready to play to me physically mentally. Tyler McKinley's ready to play every single day of every second, every day, but he didn't look right physically, and I didn't feel right about playing him the way that his leg looks. So my hope is that he looks like one hundred percent tomorrow and we have no.
Issues the rest of the year because he's very important to our team.
All Right, we're going to take a time out. We are live at the original Montgomery in the home of the world's greatest ribs. It's the Westmeller Radio Show on seven hundred WLUB. We are back at the original Montgomery in the home of the world's greatest ribs and the Westmeller Radio Show. Here there's Radio seven hundred WLW. We appreciate the Bearcat fans who are here tonight. We've got some stuff to give away at the end of the show as always, So gotta be here in order to win.
Come out and join us normally on Thursday nights. This week on Tuesday night, since New Year's is on Thursday. Open portion of the schedule is over. Big twelve play is about to begin.
You get an easy.
One to begin league play the defending champion team that almost won the National championship Houston on the slate for your first league game. But I know as a competitor you are eager to test ub what your guys can do against the great Houston team.
Just excited to get Big twelve play going.
And as the guys in our locker room that they all came to Cincinnati to play in the Big twelve, you know we prepare to play in the Big twelve, is excited to get that portion of it going.
That's what it's all about.
Do you think this.
You've wrapped up with the lineup chains able to now dish out a little punishment physically and with pressure opposed to before, because it seemed like before you have to make it just you have to bring in subs in order to right this ship a little bit. Now it's like you're bringing the fight to the team.
I just think as we get healthier and more holes a team, there's a lot more options in terms of you know, lineups, accountability that there's just a lot more that you can do there and that part, that part's fun.
Again.
If you can the closer you can get to having the whole team together, the better I think we're going to be.
Yep, So This Houston team that comes in on Saturday is interesting to me because, unlike a lot of other prominent teams in college basketball, they did not bring in a bunch of transfers this year. They've got a corps of guys back from the team that played for the national championship, and then three of the best freshmen in the country. So it's almost like an old school approach, at least for this year.
Yeah, it's interesting because they do return some really key players. I mean, you know, to two backcourt players that started on a team that i mean dominated our league last year, which is almost impossible to do, and then you know, was a possession away from winning the NASH Championships. So they and then you know, an All American I was Tuggler, I think he was a defensive Player of the year, maybe an All American. You know, so three starters from
that team that it's back. But then they add, you know, quite a few guys as well that are young players that are terrific that will only be there for one year. Right, They have a couple of guys, two freshmen in their starting lineup that are lottery picks or projected lottery picks that are terrific.
And then they have some other returning.
Players that have been in the program for a really long time that are you know, program guys. So they're again it's a little different than what you're seeing across the board in college basketball.
Right now, your third iteration of the Big Twelve going into the season. Now you've had two seasons under your belt, you realize how difficult this league is and how tough it is to play on a nightly basis, not just the ranked teams but the non ranked teams. It's a quality conference from top to bottom. What have you learn from those previous two that says, Okay, we're ready to take the step the next step in third and year three.
Well, I just think that you learn to value every opportunity, that every single Big twelve game is a big time game, right, Every single opponent is a big time opponent. Every single win is a big time win. And that's exciting and that's fun. I mean, who doesn't want a chance for a great win every single time you take the floor for the rest of the season. That's what you get when you play in the Big Twelve. What an awesome opportunity and viewing it that way and.
Preparing the way that we prepared.
You know again, I think I think we're more prepared this year than we've been going into it the last couple Are there.
Any NBA draft picks out there that you can add to your roster like Baylor did last week? I mean, what did you think of that? I mean, if you can do it, more power to you. I do not blame Baylor, don't get just seems crazy.
I don't have a problem with Scott or Baylor, you know, but.
I just there's just been times it felt like since COVID, right, like whatever COVID hit, it's felt like whatever the rules are of college basketball.
Well they make new ones, and they make new ones. It's it's like every month it changes.
And and this is just another example like you can't even you can't strategize about rules because they what are the rules, you know, and every time you think there are, they change. So it's just another example of the chaos and the unpredictability and the direction that the sports it's been. It's just been chaos, and that's all I can say about it. There's another another really good example.
You have went to a more full court pressure, more based on the talent that you have on the floor in the lineups you have on the floor. Obviously you do everything based on your lineups, but it seems as if you go into full court pressure sort of unlocks the gift of Buck, Harris Day Day and Gisel James. It seems like they like they communicate a lot more than any other of your back court mates. When they're on the floor together, They're always looking and pointing at
each other. They're always doing mind games and talking nonverbally to each other as if they understand what other people. They understand what they're gonna do as a team. Have they worked on that in practice or just something? Is it just chemistry that they have from playing together.
No. I think when we started in the summer, I think we thought that ball pressure could be a huge, a huge component of this team, and that you'd be able to play multiple guards together that could really get after the ball and pick up ninety four feet. And as you said, there's just some lineups that doesn't make as much sense, but we thought there'd be quite a few that it does. In the one year speaking of it makes quite a bit of sense for sure.
Halven Zella gave you an energy boost in the Clemson game and then last night and as limited minutes six point six rebounds. Are you getting exactly what you're looking for out of him?
Well?
I just think that you know, people, I think in today's age forget that. You know, these guys are still very young players. Right, there's eighteen, nineteen, twenty twenty one years old. You know, if you just keep working and they have the right mentality, they're going to keep improving that they're doing their part, We're doing our part.
They're going to keep improving.
He and Halvin just keeps improving. So yeah, I'm not surprised with Tyler's injury. It's been much needed production. But I think there's even more in there from Halvin. I think his finishing can improve. I think he still gets a little nervous sometimes around the basket. He's a good finisher. He actually has some ability to pass and has some skill that it hasn't come out yet. So I think there's a lot more in there. But the rebounding and the defense has been very important to us.
Uh My son TJ's got this new dog and he trains it every day and he treats it like a football player, because if the dog doesn't want to train, doesn't feed it. It's like, come on, man, what's doesn't get a water or anything like that. But when I see your top dog defensively, Buck Harris, do you have
to reel him in at times? Because when you unlease him out there, he wants to play aggressive from baseline or in line to inline and you almost have to say, look, let us get into the flow before you start pressuring and getting files that are seventy feet away from the basket.
Do you have to reel him in or you just let him be who he is?
I think it's a little bit of both, right, Terry.
I think number one, I want him to be that relentless competitor all the time, and he's very capable of that, and at times he's been able to execute that. But just to be relentlessly competitive at all times, I don't want to ever reel that in. But you know, continuing to have good discipline, improve his decision making, improve his pace with the basketball, play to his strengths.
I think those are the areas that we're trying.
I don't know if reeling is the right word, but trying to coach, and I think at times he's shun great development there.
All right, I have a very minor bone to pick with you.
Are you ready I'm handling.
I want to see Grant Darby Shire score. So when he's in the game. I appreciate the fact that when you're inside it thirty seconds to go, you tell the guys no more shooting. The game is over. We've won. But I think you should make an exception for him. He's never scored in his career between Kentucky and Cincinnati, so if he's in the game, that rule goes down the train. Let him shoot.
How about Dan dropping this.
I'm gonna tell you guys something. Don't oh, don't take this the wrong way.
I can also take it.
I I don't think there'll ever be a time where I'm coaching a game and I'm thinking about what the guy on the radio wants me to do.
Well, then we're gonna get you at your piece. We got some good advice.
But that's fair, that's very fair.
But uh but but seriously, I I'd love every every.
Kid on our team, and all of them.
I want them all to have the greatest experience is the greatest moments. And if there's a way to do that without sacrificing the things that we're trying to do as a team. Somebody asked me in the press conference last night, you know, did you know how close Baba was to a triple double there? And if you did, why wouldn't you leave men a little longer.
To try to get it? And I said, well, hold on a second, three assistance be close to a triple double? I look down. He had seven assists.
I said, three assists ain't close. Man, That's a long way away, and it's hard to manufacture. And it's just listen, if if somebody was one rebound away from a triple double or something like that, or one point away, I mean, yeah, you might try something for a possession. So I'm not opposed to that kind of thing. But the real goal of this is for our team. It's for our team to be successful. It's for our team to improve, and if we can figure out a way individually without sacrifice,
I'm all about it. As far as Grant, you know, I do want him to score, but it's also important we do things the right way.
And when you got that kind of a lead.
And the shot clock is off, you dribble the damn thing out it's just what you do, you know, and and when you've been on the other side of it, you appreciate it when it's done, and you remember the times that people haven't.
Done that I've had.
I've been in that I've been in that position a handful of times, more than i'd ever want to be in moving forward, and I remember every day time somebody didn't have that kind of respect for the game. So I always want to But maybe maybe you're right, Dan, and we'll draw up an action for Grant Darbyshire to get that lefty shot off.
Grant.
It's it's gonna happen, Grant, it just has to happen. With more than thirty seconds.
You can take care of that. Put them in at one.
All right, We're gonna take a time out and questions from the audience when we continue. This is the West Miller Radio Show. We're live at the original Montgomery in all of the world's greatest rips seven a WLW. We are back at the original Montgomery in home of the world's greatest ribs and the West Miller Radio Show. Here on seven hundred WLW. Joe Strecker is our engineer. Joe idellas in the studio. We appreciate the Bearcat fans who are out at the original Montgomery in with us tonight.
Time for questions from the audience. Our man Elliot is batting. Leadoff, Elliott, take it away, all.
Right, you need to answer this question as if this was like we're sitting at this table. It's one on one, Okay, nobody else is listening what you're saying.
Oh, boy, Mark.
Cuban family said he'd rather divorce his wife than get rid of Luka Doncic. Have you ever felt that way about a player, were you'd rather your divorce your wife then get rid of them just to keep them.
Wow, well, I'm not married at the moment, so that doesn't really so soon you're married, I think I think the right answer here this would be good media training for you, Elliott, if you were on the other end.
Of this question.
The right answer is if I ever felt that I value a player, that I would make a wild statement to show how much I valued that player. Sure, I value all of our players, and certainly guys like Luka Dancic have a tremendous value, so you can make a wild statement. But if base value, I would not say that.
I don't know if Nego Harrison would agree with you on that. I think he likes a day to day player, but.
He's currently unemployed.
All right, Elise, I'm gonna ask a question for all I'm just kidding. I don't have a question as the coach in two o seven, but I do just have a general question because I argue a lot with my significant other on I believe that Michael Jordan is the goat, no questions asked, hands down. Other people may think that Lebron who calls himself the King his own nickname, So as a former North Carolina guy, who is the goat in West Miller's eyes.
I love this question because this is this is always a fun debate with the team because the players who have absolutely no idea what they're talking about that they all have the craziest opinions of this argument. But it for me, Elist, I agree with you. It's unequivocal to me that the greatest player that's ever played our game
is Michael Jordan. And I would even argue as the greatest and most impactful athlete in my living, like my generation, like in the time that I've lived, I didn't watch Ali or you know, some of the others before me, so I can't speak to them, but in my time, I haven't seen anybody that had more impact on sport and society as a whole than Jordan. The next guy have is Tiger Woods in my lifetime, both.
Very good choices. I'm interested with the current players. Is it strictly Lebron or Jordan or do you have some Kobe people out there that try to make the Kobe case.
No, they're all so ridiculous now, Like it's like you realize how much there are children. When you have this conversation with them, they just regurgitate whatever the the argument they've heard on their Instagram account.
That's probably where it really comes from.
And know they you'll hear every once in a while you get a Jordan and you give them a high five. Then you'reize they didn't get to watch Jordan, right, And then you know most of them Lebron or you'll hear some Kobe and then every once in a while some of us say something just out outlandishly crazy.
But it's it's a fun argument with the players.
Brian Coach, You've had Gisel's obviously come back and been really really great.
It's and it's awesome.
I remember Steve Logan's comments that first game about what it meant to him and the chance you gave him to come back, but to come back and be impactful as awesome. So I'm just curious. I don't remember the timeline of how everything happened. I assume he was supposed to be a part of the plan early on it was gonna be like him and Day Day. I wonder what it's like for him and dayDay to be back
in the back backcourt again, playing together. How are those two guys feeling about what was kind of taken away and now it's back.
Yeah.
I think it's a great question, and there's a lot to it. I think, first off, the team and one of the reasons he's playing is because the team has accepted him and allowed him to assimilate back like I allowed him to come back to campus and.
I allowed him the opportunity to earn.
His way to back to practicing if the team accepted him. But they've accepted him in every way. The one thing a bunch of them said to me when I when I approached them about being okay if we play them, and a lot of them said, we all came here to play with him.
When the team was.
Put together, Gisel was the day they were the guys that that these guys wanted to come play with They they all made the decision to come to Cincinnati as those are cornerstone guys of the team. So I think that's been great for our team. Obviously, him and Dada have a brotherhood and a connection that's been formed over the old school way. It's been formed over three years and they've been through a lot together.
So I think on a personal level, da Day is thrilled.
The same question. I talked to Terror earlier, and I know.
When Jizzl entered the court, you could tell the whole difference was dayDay became day Day and he didn't have to run the team anymore. Seemed to run the team at the point. So that's what I saw is Dayy could do what day they could do, and he didn't have to worry about organizing the team. Does that make sense, Yeah.
I think it's even broader than that. I think Gisel has a presence.
On the court.
You gotta remember he's he was an honorable Mention All Big Twelve player here. He's played two years in this League. He understands the gravity of playing at Cincinnati. He understands the expectations of playing at Cincinnati. He can shot, create, he can defend. I think he makes everybody. I think he makes everybody more comfortable on the floor. He makes
everybody better. I said this in the press conference. Boba Miller is a guy that when he's on the court, our team is better in every way, not just because of the things he does, because he allows other guys to do the things that they do well. Gizl has the same kind of impact. There's a calming impact offensively, he puts people in position offensively, he has presence defensively. So yeah, I think his impact isn't just good or bad play. Its presence on the floor is impactful to our entire team.
All Right, who's.
Next, Wes.
I don't know if you've heard of Ken Palm ratings or know anything about it, but you you are currently ninth best defensively in the country, but only two hundred twelveth offensively. As you gear up towards Big twelve play, how do you look to improve upon your offense well also maintaining that elite defensive edge.
Yeah, Ken Palm is uh that's that's a daily part of life as a college basketball coach, right, And I'm very well aware of those those rankings and numbers. I think we've been trying to attack the offensive thing now for a while, you know, for.
The last like five or six weeks.
From an analytical perspective, the five of our best six halfs analytically this year of coming our last three games, So I think we're we're trending in the right direction offensively.
We have to continue to do that.
Like I'm not saying we've arrived, but you know, we're starting to do some better things on offense, and we have to keep doing that.
Now.
You know, you're getting into.
Big twelve play and we're about to face some of the elite defenses in the country too, And we'll face an elite defense on Saturday as well. So you know, even as we as we continue to improve, we have to do it against the best teams.
Chris, Yes, correct, go ahead.
So this is gonna be a little off subject. I've had season tickets for twenty one years, and in those twenty one years, we have just been really bad at free throws. And Terry and I were talking a little beforehand that. Yeah, you know, the best is the rhythm. I played sports, I get that. But free throws there free because you're just not nobody's doing anything to you. And we can't make free throws. It's so frustrating sometime to watch.
You imagine being the coach because those are free and those points matter. And talk about our offense if you know, we've we've been the one of the worst four or five teams in all of college basketball and free throw shooting this year. And you want to impact the offense, So we've got to take care of the ball better. We've started to do that a little better. Uh, you know, we got to get to the offensive board better. We've done that really good in stretches. We got to do
it consistently. And we get to the free throw line more this year than we have the last couple of years.
You got to make the dang things.
And somebody told when I got here, you know, you know, Bearcat teams don't make free throw as well, and I went, now, we'll be fine there. Now I'm wondering, is there a curse somebody pull it off type of thing, But no, the.
Our guys have worked at it really hard.
We've actually shot it better from the line here recently, and hopefully that'll trend in the right direction.
All right, where is the mic team? I want to take a break. We'll take a time out. Sure, all right, we'll take a break. More questions from the audience when we continue. This is the West Miller Radio Show or Live at the Original Montgomery in Home of the world's great Strip Signed seven hundred WLW. Final segment of the West Miller Radio Show, Live from the Original Montgomery in Home of the world's Greatest Ribs. We've got some stuff
to give away to our Bearcat fans here tonight. We'll do that in about ten minutes right at the end of the show. But let's squeeze in a few more questions. You are up next, young man.
How do you feel about opening opening up Big twell play at home versus Houston?
Well?
Number one, I love your sweatshirt.
That's that's a good sweatshirt right there are players wear that one all the time.
But uh, I'm really excited.
I'm really excited to just start Big twelve play. Obviously, every team in this league is going to be an opportunity to have a great win and an opportunity to have a great night. But with Houston, what they've done, you know, in the last couple of years, what they've done to start this year, that that's a big tom opportunity in our in our home arena.
All right, t Neel's got mic in hand. If there's anybody else that has a question from the audience, he'll make his way to you. If not, we'll wrap things up with a few questions on our own. Anybody in the back corner. Looks like Elliott would like to ask another as well. Team l not moving as quickly as is. Heyday, all right, Elliott.
So we had at Leasta's question about great is what do you think the greatest playoff run discluding twenty eleven dark is.
Twenty eleven like Dallas Maverick, Yes, yes, besides.
That greatest playoff run for a team for an individus.
Most unexpected, but one I enjoyed the most.
When you enjoyed the most, which one do you think is the greatest?
The one I enjoyed the most is the San Antonio. I can't remember the exact year, but when San Antonio is Duncan was getting a little older with with that whole crew, Genobile and Parker and the team, and they beat my twenty four with Lebron Miami in the finals. That was the most I enjoyed Washington team in playoffs.
I bet you can't guess which one's my favorite.
The Pacers last year.
It's best, It's best.
In sync. That was the easiest question that West's fielded all night. All Right, we've got a few minutes left on the show. I want to ask you about a guy that's on the roster that we haven't seen this year and won't because he's red shirting. Bryson Buckingham talked to him recently. He's trying to use this year to get better in hopes that down the road he can be a guy that gets on the court in a meaningful way.
He's Bryceon's a non scholarship player from Oklahoma, terrific young man. He played high school basketball for one of my great friends, guy named Adam Donier at a school in Missouri, Linky Academy, and.
Terrific young man.
Got a chance to be a very good basketball player, and he's had a great attitude. So it'll be fun to see him continue to work and continue to emerge.
Jalen Celestine Celesting is it seems I mentioned this before. He seems to be the bailout for the end of the shot clock situations. He takes a lot of them, and he seems to make him That's not the thing I'm talking about.
But have you ever seen a shot so flat?
It seems that goes in consistently for him because he when he gets it off, it doesn't seem to have a lot of arc, but he's very.
Accurate with it.
He's a very good shooter. I like shots that go in, don't matter the arc, you know.
Like, what do we say in the office the other day we were talking about somebody and somebody said he's a shooter, and and one of our other assistants said, no, no, no, no, he's a maker and that's way more important than a shooter. Uh And Jalen Celesting's a maker. He can really shoot the basketball.
Have you seen a player in your years as a player or a coach significantly changed their shooting style at the college level and become much more successful?
Oh?
Yeah, one that everybody remember here we we we spent the whole summer working on it. Dick Lockin, you know, Victor shout out to Victory texted me the other day, Uh, you know, Merry Christmas.
Which was which was which was cool.
But he spent the whole summer after our first year here going into his I guess that would be his junior year, you know, completely rechanging his shot, putting arc on his shot, trying to extend it to three. And he didn't shoot any threes that year, but he worked on it every day and his free throw got better.
And then that that last year he played here, he had a great start to the year shooting threes, didn't sustain it during the league play, and then he had an All acc year Clemson that his senior year and shot the heck and they made five against North Carolina one night. I think he made four against Duke one night on a really nice team. So a guy that couldn't shoot in over a three year period became a really good shooter from out to three and is now with Oklahoma City.
After the Clinton game, you stayed.
In the area, obviously you're I was trying to help you with your bag and you said, no, you're gonna go visit mom.
You have family and friends out there. After a loss, how are you able to enjoy yourself.
Around family and friends, knowing that the entire time you may be smiling in their face, but you're replaying the game in your head.
Oh, there's no smiling. It's family.
I mean, if you can't be who you are around your family, who can you?
You know?
And so my family has been involved in my basketball journey for third thirty some.
Years, right that they know me.
And the neat thing is after something like that, I don't want to be around anybody. But if I'm going to be around somebody, it's family because they get it and they give me my space. So I got in the car with my mom and drove back to Charlotte, and I opened up the laptop and she asked about three questions and then she said, you know what, I know.
You don't want to talk to me. I'm just gonna be quiet.
And we were in silence for the rest of the driver and I watched UH and and I watched the game on my laptop. But no, I it was good. It was good to get home and see my mom. And my sister was in town UH with with with I have a nephew, at little baby nephew. So I saw them and then I was able to kind of get back and just completely rest and prepare for a couple of days to get get ready for this this push that we have in the league.
Play with so many international players on the roster, what did they do for Christmas?
Good question? You know, different guys did different things.
But Boba Miller and Jeordie Rodriguez's families flew over and they actually spent their time in Manhattan and New York. Halven went, there's a direct flight from from UH from Cincinnati to Paris, so we we we told him he had to come back a day earlier if he was going to do that. So he actually came back on Christmas Day.
He said it was great.
There was nobody on the plane and he got upgraded to business class. He's ruined now, so U, but he was so excited.
He said, yeah, I.
Got on the plane on Christmas Day and nobody was on it and they gave me business class.
And I said, oh boy, I said, you'll never You'll never want to go back to coach again. But uh so he actually went home, which I did.
I don't love a guy going to Europe and back, but that was very important to him. And again he got back a day early in case there was a travel complication.
But you know, Mustapha stayed in Cincinnati.
He had a friend of his from high school fly up here, and he basically did nothing. And he was in he was rehabbing some knee stuff and stayed in Cincinnati the whole time.
Who am I forgetting from.
Kirk kerk Kerr went and spent some time with what what he would call family, uh here in West Virginia.
So he he was he was with some American family.
I would say, I don't think people of value. Oh, I understand the value of doing nothing. When you're an athlete or a coach, like your time is demanding, and when you get a chance to do nothing, you almost feel like you should be doing something because you're always used to doing something. Do you find yourself in that situation as a coach, You probably never get that situation during the season.
Yeah.
I give the analogy Terry to like vacation, you know, which is not what it's like a two hour break a couple of days at Christmas, it's not a vacation.
You know, we're in the middle of it.
Was. What was really nice for me at Christmas is I got a couple of days that I could really think about our team plan, you know, and see the big picture a little bit. I wouldn't say it was a break from working. It just was a break from practicing and being around the team. But I think when you get in the off season and you get a couple of days away on a vacation, by the time you're into that second day, you're going, I don't feel comfortable.
Let's get back to work.
And I think anybody that has a passion for what they do feels that when they get some idle time.
You mentioned Bobba Miller's family. They were at the game last night. His grandfather saw him pull down twenty one rebounds. Wow, which is pretty cool. You might have to see if you can get him to stick around.
If that's what it takes.
We have a couple of spare bedrooms in our house and he's welcome to move.
In, all right, Grandpa the other Miller. It could be related, Bobba Miller, Wes Miller.
It's possible.
As my dad always said, we had a great player where I coached before, whose last name was Miller, who had like a fifty inch vertical and ended up getting a cup of.
Coffee in the NBA.
And my dad used to always say, that's my sixth child and the only one that got all my athleticism. And he says that about Bobba Miller. Now he said, hey, he's using the same line. He said, Bobba Miller's my six child and the only one that got my size LinkedIn athleticism. So you know it's somewhere the Millers are all related, But I don't see any comparison to the athleticism.
Well, I understand if it's a good line, feel free to use it over Yes, right, I'd say that to your dad for sure.
Are you looking? Were you upset or just sort of?
When Baba Miller and Mustafa Chan were fighting over a rebound and it goes out of bounds, I kind of felt like, that's what I want to see. I want to see both of those guys fighting, because if I'm Mustafa, I'm upset that Baba's jumping over my back and grabbing any rebound. So Baba's saying let go, Mustapha's like, no, this is my rebound, and ball goes out of bounds and they sort of hug each other afterwards, and I'm saying I want to see that. I want to see them fighting over rebounds.
Yeah, I'm okay with us being selfish with rebounding. I think being selfish with rebounding is good for our team.
And I want them all fighting for the ball absolutely.
All right, that's going to do it for tonight's show. Again, We've got stuff to give away to the Bearcat fans were with us here tonight at the original Montgomery And if you're listening on the radio, thanks for tuning in. This has been the West Miller Radio show. My News Radio seven hundred double WELW