The countdown to the 2022-23 season has begun for the University of Cincinnati men's basketball team, and that clock started with head coach Wes Miller's version of a strenuous boot camp.
The Bearcats opened preseason practice this week with three straight days of two-a-days. Miller and his Cincinnati squad hit the court once in the morning and again in the afternoon on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday to ramp up their preparation for their season opener Nov. 7 at home against Chaminade.
2022-23 UC basketball:First look at the Bearcats' full schedule
"We've been doing it this way for, gosh, five, six, seven years," Miller said Wednesday. "The first three days of practice, we just focus on defense. It doesn't mean we don't have a ball or rims or anything like that, but we just really focus on all our defensive principles, trying to install situational defensives. We don't even coach offense a whole lot other than just kind of the mentality. We call it defensive boot camp. It probably sounds a lot worse than it is."
Defense is a major ingredient in the foundation of the Cincinnati men's basketball program. It's what led to the successes of former Bearcats coaches Bob Huggins and Mick Cronin. It's also what led to Miller's successful 10-year run at UNC Greensboro (185-135 from 2011-21).
'There's a lot more guys you can dial up some offensive action to'
Miller led the Bearcats to an 18-15 (7-11 AAC) record last season and an eighth-place finish in the conference standings. Cincinnati fell to top-seeded Houston on the second day of the AAC tournament. Entering his second season at the helm of the Cincinnati program, Miller still has a defense-first approach, but he's making sure improved offensive playmaking is also at the top of his list.
"That was a huge priority," he said. "There's two ways we tried to attack that. We knew we had to get a lot more versatile offensively. We knew we had to really improve offensively. I think what will happen when you have new faces – and we have six new faces – is people will focus on those new faces. But you can't overshadow what happened before that, and that's that the seven returning guys have really improved. They've made a commitment not just to their game but to their body, to their mentality, their maturity. So the skill sets of our returning players, along with other aspects of their game, have really improved. That will make us better offensively in itself. And then you do add some new guys with some offensive ability. I do think there's a lot more playmaking on the floor. There's a lot more guys you can dial up some offensive action to."
In addition to 2021-22 third-team All-AAC guard David DeJulius (team-high 14.5 points per game last season), the Bearcats also return notable offensive options John Newman III, Mika Adams-Woods and Jeremiah Davenport.
John Newman III: 'I got a chance to get my body right this summer'
Newman, who battled injuries earlier in his career at Clemson and again last season at Cincinnati, said he's as healthy as he's been since becoming a college athlete. The 6-foot-5 wing, who averaged 6.9 points and 4.2 rebounds a season ago, said he's taken advantage of that good health by working with UC Associate Athletic Director for Sports Performance Mike Rehfeldt in the Monster Factory, the Bearcats' exclusive basketball weight room. Newman said he put on 18 pounds of muscle in a month.
"I got a chance to get my body right this summer, get a lot stronger, change my diet a little bit," he said. "I've really dedicated myself to eating right and living right every single day. I think it's made a huge difference and I think it's going to show this year. I know it will."
How Mika Adams-Woods can thrive in UC's offense
Miller said he's made some structural changes to the offense that he hopes will lead to more "easy" and "high-percentage" opportunities in transition and a more open floor. Miller said he's looking for Adams-Woods to be a beneficiary of those changes. The 6-foot-3, 180-pound junior finished 15th nationally in assist-turnover ratio (2.81) and third on the team in points per game (8.6) last season.
"I thought he did a terrific job at taking care of the ball last year," Miller said. "So obviously I hope that continues. I believe it will. I want him to create more offense for us at the point guard position. I think he can do that by making simpler plays and getting the ball out of his hands a little earlier. That's something we've been working on this summer. He's done well at that. I want him to shoot a better percentage from 3. He's worked hard on his jumper."
Adams-Woods shot a career-low 34% from the field and 26% from 3-point range last season.
The development of Jeremiah Davenport
Miller said he also wants to see more from Davenport. The former Moeller High School standout saw a decline in his shooting percentages from two-point range, three-point range and from the free-throw line in his junior campaign.
"The first thing with Jeremiah was evolving physically," Miller said. "His offseason with Mike Rehfeldt was really important. He's done his job there. He's leaner. He's moving better, which will allow him to defend at a higher level and guard different positions. So that was No. 1, and I thought he did that. I want him to continue to do that. Offensively, obviously we know about his shooting. But being a little bit more versatile offensively, making better decisions with the ball in his hands, because the ball is going to be in his hands and was in his hands a lot. Being stronger with the ball and having better balance with the ball around the basket. Those are some of the things we talked about. He's done his part up to now."
Miller said the biggest leap Davenport has made recently has led to him being a model for the rest of his teammates to follow.
"Just in terms of maturity and mental approach, Jeremiah Davenport, in the last couple months, may have made the biggest jump of anybody I've ever coached in that short of a time frame," Miller said. "I'm not saying he was immature, but in the last two months, he's been really, really consistent (and) really, really mature in terms of what he's about every day. Whether he's in the building or not in the building. I'm really proud of that. I think if that continues, usually that stuff trickles onto the court. We're seeing that already. I think it'll just continue."
What Memphis transfer Landers Nolley II will mean to UC
Arguably the most vital piece to the maturation of Miller's offense this season will be Landers Nolley II. The 6-foot-7, 220-pound senior transferred to Cincinnati after playing the last two seasons at Memphis under coach Penny Hardaway. Nolley comes to Cincinnati with career averages of 12.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 89 games (72 starts).
"When we scouted him, playing against him at Memphis last year, we were so concerned with his shooting," Miller said. "His shooting is as advertised. He can really shoot the basketball. The thing that really surprised us this summer as we got into practices is man, he's pretty good with the ball in his hands. We think he's a guy who can handle it in the open floor. You can put him in ball-screen action or on-ball action, and not just finish plays with his shooting, but we think he can create plays for our team too."
Nolley, who went 3-0 against the Bearcats while at Memphis, agreed.
"I feel like I've shown glimpses, but I just feel like I haven't been given the opportunity to show you the full package or show you what I really can do," said Nolley, who was named the Most Outstanding Player in Memphis' run to the NIT championship in 2021.
'You're just a lot further along at this stage'
Cincinnati has less than 40 days before it starts the season. That time will go by quickly. But the good news is Year 2 already feels better than Year 1 for Miller and the Bearcats.
"It's night and day," Miller said. "If you take where we are as a team today compared to where we were as a team on this day last year, it's not even close. Now, that doesn't mean anything if we don't continue to do the right things. And that's not knocking anybody in particular from last year. There's a lot more familiarity. There's continuity. At this point last year, some of the stuff that we were really having to spend a lot of time teaching or installing, it's kind of already established, right? So you're able to kind of get to that next level in terms of what we're teaching and what we're working on. So, Year 2, not just for me as the head coach but for everybody in the program, you're just a lot further along at this stage."