In basketball, the center chair in the front row of the team photo is a highly coveted seat. It's usually reserved for the team's best, most prominent or leading player.
For the 2022-23 University of Cincinnati men's basketball team, that spot is reserved for fourth-year guard Jeremiah Davenport.
The Bearcats took their team photos on Wednesday. The team posed for two series of pictures. One featured the players in suits. Cincinnati coach Wes Miller said it's important the community sees the students as more than just basketball players. Those photos will be used for the players' headshots and for potential name, image and likeness opportunities and other outlets outside of basketball.
After the "business" photos, the Bearcats changed into their other business attire: their basketball gear. The Cincinnati players posed for photos with Miller, while Miller occupied the front-and-center chair with a basketball in his hands.
Then Miller got up, handed the ball and the most prominent seat to Davenport.
'His purpose seems to be a little different'
Miller, who opens his second season at the helm of the Bearcats program Nov. 7 against Chaminade, said Davenport has taken the biggest jump in maturity and mental approach of any player he's coached. Because of that, Miller is ready for the former Moeller High School standout to take the lead.
"I mean, Jeremiah has always worked hard. Anybody who's watched him play (sees) he plays hard," Miller said. "He plays with passion and energy. That's still there. But his purpose seems to be a little different. His focus seems to be a little different. When the upperclassmen in your program – that have had success and that have a resume – when they elevate in those areas, I think it forces others around them to elevate as well. I hope that continues as we go through the preseason."
Davenport said that purpose-drive, contagious focus will continue because that's the only option.
"First of all, it's my fourth year being here," he said. "Going into my senior year, I've got to take on that role. I've got no choice but to keep going, keep maturing and keep being a leader for the young guys coming in and for the guys that are still here. It's just maturity and growing up and wanting to be in this position, thanking God for this position and changing my life for God."
Davenport said God has been his driving force and his saving grace. The 6-foot-7 forward said he leaned on God heavily last offseason when he went through a coaching change, a program overhaul, and the sudden death of his father, Darren.
"That's pretty much it," he said. "Just God and maturity."
As a sophomore under then-Cincinnati coach John Brannen, Davenport started 14 of 23 games, averaging 11.7 points, five rebounds, 1.7 assists and 0.8 steals in 28.5 minutes per outing. He then increased his averages in the postseason to 12.7 points and six rebounds and knocked down nine 3-pointers in a three-game stretch to lead the Bearcats to the 2021 American Athletic Conference tournament championship game.
Davenport was the only Bearcats player named to 2021 AAC All-Tournament team.
Jeremiah Davenport finds new motivations
After earning preseason second-team All-AAC honors before the 2021-22 campaign, Davenport averaged career-highs in points (13.4) and rebounds (5.5) last season. But he also saw a dip in his shooting percentages from two-point range, three-point range and from the free-throw line.
After ousting Cincinnati on the second day of the AAC tournament in March, Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said his team knew Davenport was limited offensively and wasn't "going to create a shot for himself."
Davenport heard Sampson's words.
"I've been working," he said. "I've just been improving on what I'm already good at. I'm mastering that first. And then I'm working on the things I need to get better at, which is ball-handling. I'm consistently getting better at that and adding on things.
"I'm the first in the gym. I'm trying to be the first in sprints. I'm not the fastest guy on the team, but I'm trying my hardest, believe that. I'm just leading by example, doing the small things like getting in the gym, staying in the gym, getting up shots, having the mindset to get better, be better, stay disciplined, listen, stay active, stay in it. All those things."
Another motivation for Davenport has been the arrival of senior Memphis transfer Landers Nolley II. Davenport admitted the addition of the versatile, 6-foot-7 offensive playmaker has lit a fire under him.
"We knew each other," Davenport said. "We played against each other. We knew what it was. Him coming here is only making me better. It's making all of us better. We're both going to play a lot of minutes here at Cincinnati. We don't pay attention to that. It's all about what we can do to get better together in this one year. That's what our focus is on.
"It's honestly like having another me out there. He's someone that can take the pressure off me and Dave (2021-22 third-team All-AAC guard David DeJulius). We've added an extra 6-7 guard that can do anything, anything, literally anything."
Miller is trusting Davenport with the reins. He's trusting that Davenport will take that next step in his development and bring his teammates with him. Davenport is also trusting Miller. The two are looking to lead the Bearcats back to prominence this season.
"It's definitely been a fun journey knowing him, building together, growing together in these 15 months," Davenport said of his head coach. "It's definitely been a good ride so far. We're not done yet."
Cincinnati Bearcats basketball staff changes
Miller did some rearranging to his staff during the offseason. Miller announced Wednesday that longtime Bradley assistant Drew Adams has joined him as the associate athletics director for the Cincinnati men's basketball program.
"Drew is one of the brightest young minds in college basketball," Miller said. "His experience in operations, recruiting and coaching at the highest level – including multiple NCAA Tournament bids and conference championships at several different elite programs – has given him an impressive resume and the skills to come into Cincinnati and immediately make us better in every facet of our program."
Miller also promoted assistant Chad Dollar to associate head coach. Dollar, who left the University of Georgia to join Miller at Cincinnati prior to the start of last season, was integral in landing the commitment of highly touted 2023 recruit Edgerrin "Jizzle" James Jr.
James committed to the Bearcats on Tuesday.
"When coach called me into the office a few weeks ago and told me that he was going to make me associate head coach, I was humbled and thankful for the opportunity," Dollar said. "But I immediately thought about our staff. I thought about (assistant coach) Mike Roberts that has been with him for so long and played with him. I just thought about our staff and the team concept of us still being together. Those guys being happy for me was an unbelievable feeling."
While former Bearcats forward Kyle Washington left Miller's staff to take on the video coordinator role for the Loyola University Chicago men's basketball team, Miller added former Cincinnati big man Abdul Ado to his staff as a graduate assistant.
"It's been really neat," Miller said. "I've got three graduate assistants. Jaylen Stowe is in his third year with me as a grad assistant. He spent a year with me at UNC Greensboro and I coached against him in the Southern Conference. He played at Mercer. ... He has a really good understanding of what goes on in our program and what's expected. ... But what's been really special is I have two GAs that have played for me.
"One of the neatest things in coaching is when you can hire former players," he continued. "So now, Malik Massey, who played four years for me at UNC Greensboro, is a first-year grad assistant, and Abdul played for us here last year. So I have guys now on the floor that have actually played through me and been through what these guys are going through. That adds a lot to our program and it's also really special for me personally."
Honoring Bearcats basketball royalty
It's homecoming week for Cincinnati, as the Bearcats football team will host South Florida on Saturday. To commemorate the occasion, Miller is bringing back members of Cincinnati's 1992 Final Four and 1993 Elite Eight teams this weekend for a 30-year reunion.
"We said this since we got here: One of the greatest parts about coaching and playing at Cincinnati is you're a part of one of the greatest programs in the history of our game, and you can't argue that," Miller said. "It's a fact. So we're going to embrace that and we're going to celebrate that. You have a 1992 team that goes to the Final Four and a 1993 team that goes to the Elite Eight. It's a 30-year reunion. So we tried to combine them together because it hadn't been done. That's important. It's important for them. I tell teams all the time, if you do something really special, you'll come back together every five years and celebrate. I know that from being a part of the 2005 national championship team (at North Carolina). That's something that you'll do for the rest of your life."
The players will have a private reunion Friday night that will be hosted by former longtime local sports broadcaster John Popovich, followed by a moment of recognition during Saturday's football game.