Brannen is out at UC

They are correct in having some skepticism, as many of you seem to have very easily forgotten that John Brannen was a very hot coaching candidate two years ago coming off of his two tournament appearances in three years at (recently transitioned to D1) NKU while averaging 24 wins a year. The one guy in that former player group that hasn't been an a--hat and that has acted with some grace the last couple days is the guy who seemingly didn't get the job at the last minute.

Wes Miller was only in the discussion at UNC due to having a Carolina connection, but IMO this is one of the best hires anyone's made this off-season. I'd have this on paper only behind Beard at Texas, Porter Moser at Oklahoma and probably on par with Tommy Lloyd at Arizona. UC did very well for themselves, especially considering how incompetent and stupid their AD has looked in recent weeks.
 
Pat Forde has been the only one who I can find that has anything about the so called text and stories like that take off all over. And even if it was a conversation...it actually is a lot worse for UC than it is Brannen.

When you have your two big name sports agreeing the Athletic Department is a joke....not great for the future. And right now is as important as ever for UC to align themselves for a possible spot in the P5. Now Miller starts his career with a portion of the alum rooting for him to fail. Sounds like things are great in Clifton
 
Mike Saunders JR has announced he will remove from transfer portal and remain at Cincinnati.
Also, Mason Madsen is considering a return to UC as a option.
 
Wonder if any Greensboro guys will follow Miller.? Or if there is anyone worth consider
ing??‍♂️
 
From 247sports....

Wes Miller has already convinced two Cincinnati players [Mike Saunders Jr. & Mason Madsen] who entered the transfer portal to remain at Cincinnati. And, he's angling for Tari Eason. The following quotes him as saying he really wants Tari and is scheduling a visit to meet with him personally.
 
I think Miller's ability to retain Saunders Jr. and Madsen is a good sign of things to come. I think his style of play on both sides of the ball will attract talented players.
 
They fired Brannen for making the players run laps for missing free throws in practice
The financial benefit was Brannen payed $135 for a player to see a mental health professional. While that may be illegal under NCAA rules; it would certainly fall under a minor violation for something that the university should pay for as part of the required student health insurance; something still doesn't add up.
 
With all of the recent info released, sounds like Brannen is just a highly unlikable person who created a toxic environment for not only the players but everyone involved in the program as well. There's a reason UC's S&C coach came back immediately after Brannen was canned. Also sounds like Cunningham did his due diligence and made UC's case for firing Brannen airtight. Only choice for Brannen is deciding whether he wants to coach again soon or be the next Kevin Ollie. In hindsight the entire process could not have gone smoother for UC. They got rid of a dud head coach and substantially upgraded, while the new support staff is infinitely better than anything Brannen was able to put together. The last two seasons will be a very forgettable "era" in UC history. I'm more excited now with what Wes Miller is doing than at any point with Brannen.

This article goes into pretty good detail about the type of environment he created.
andywittry.substack.com

Three UC players allegedly 'went to the ground' at practice

'Several athletes did not make the time and 2 more student athletes, went to the ground.'
andywittry.substack.com andywittry.substack.com
 
Last edited:
Termite2 said:
The financial benefit was Brannen payed $135 for a player to see a mental health professional.
Click to expand...

Why would Brannen pay for a player's mental health services when surely the university provides them free of charge to the players? You're right, something doesn't add up...
 
Cumberland speaks on his senior year under Brannen. Just confirms what is pretty clear at this point. Sad that many fans turned on Cumberland that final year and assumed he was the problem. More and more it seems Brannen is just an unaware, manipulative weirdo who was in way over his head at Cincinnati.

theathletic.com

Jarron Cumberland on his season under John Brannen and the future of Cincinnati basketball

Cumberland discusses the difficulties of his senior year at Cincinnati, his relationship with Brannen and Wes Miller's hiring.
theathletic.com theathletic.com
 
Brannen will never be a College Head Coach again if a few of the things Cumberland said are 100% accurate. It’s strange to me that Brannen supposedly had all these allegations against him but the AD couldn’t tell us what at least one of them was hen he suspended him.
 
SMARTY22 said:
It’s strange to me that Brannen supposedly had all these allegations against him but the AD couldn’t tell us what at least one of them was hen he suspended him.
Click to expand...
Not really strange when you realize Cunningham is a compliance guy. UC made sure all of their i's were dotted and t's were crossed, and it seems to have been the right move in the end.

Got to love Mars/Brannen's response to the Cumberland article. They didn't comment because they wanted to take the high road. I guess the high road to them is releasing personal texts with a coach who has nothing to do with the situation, all to try and sow division before getting the boot. Clowns.
 
More info : https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sp...uldve-been-ready-pay-john-brannen/5143637001/

Wow - "“I told him I didn’t like the offense, and really, I wasn’t running through it in practice,’’ Cumberland told Justin Williams."

"How it should work - The athletic director reminds the basketball coach who’s boss, suggests firmly that the coach be open to changing his methods and that he, the AD, really doesn’t want to have this conversation again."

"This didn’t happen, at least not that we’re aware of. Instead, we have an AD and coach who rarely spoke. We had players offer anonymous critiques of Brannen and enter the transfer portal. (Props to Cumberland for putting his name to his opinions.) We had a university soil a coach’s reputation without ever saying exactly why."
 
Daugherty lol

UC made the right decision. It was either get rid of Brannen now or get rid of him after next season when they inevitably go .500 again because half the team left due to John being an awful leader/coach.
 
ronnie mund said:
Daugherty lol

UC made the right decision. It was either get rid of Brannen now or get rid of him after next season when they inevitably go .500 again because half the team left due to John being an awful leader/coach.
Click to expand...
If Brannen stays on, I think you're looking at a team well under .500. Would've been tough to get kids to commit to a coach that almost everyone else was out on
 
Chris Vogt weighed in today via an interview he did with Justin Williams of The Athletic. This sentence from the article is all the reason in the world for dismissing Brannen:
[Vogt] had surgery this offseason and said he likely would have remained at UC if Brannen were still the coach.
Click to expand...
theathletic.com

Chris Vogt voices support for John Brannen as lawsuit, Cincinnati saga linger

Brannen and Cincinnati will continue to litigate the past, but Bearcats fans and the basketball program appear ready to move on.
theathletic.com theathletic.com
 
Eason's mom tweeted yesterday that Brannen made Tari take a lyft to a game in Georgia because he didn't know his gear was in another room. I'm not sure how anyone can think UC didn't dodge a bullet with Brannen. He was well on his way to annihilating the program.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top