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I wouldn't go so far as to call them that, but I suspect they will become that for some, especially if they were both to end up at X. Either way they are both shaping up to be big deals. In case you aren't familiar:

Quote:McMillan is coming off a brilliant freshman campaign at Hughes High School. McMillan was named first team all-district and second team all-state. The 6-foot-2 guard averaged 24.7 points, four assists, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.3 steals.

McMillan is ranked as a four-star prospect and the No. 2 recruit in Ohio's 2022 class by Future150.com. The same site also ranks McMillan as the No. 23 overall prospect in the country and the No. 10 point guard in his class.

XU just gave McMillan his first offer per the linked article, but it's not clear where he'll be playing next year beyond the fact that it won't be Hughes. Signs possibly point to Woodward. But don't cry for Hughes:

Quote:On Friday night, Ohio's top 2023 prospect, 6-4 standout, Rayvon Griffith, said he would attend Hughes. Griffith, who currently attends Oyler School in Lower Price Hill, is considered a top-10 prospect nationally by several recruiting outlets.

Any other locals that might be UC targets?

Fair? Probably not, considering we haven't hit on a guy like this in over a decade...but it's definitely worth keeping an eye on, because it'll show what sort of ceiling he has in recruiting circles.

It was reported on Twitter a few weeks ago that Brannen had been in to see McMillan. I guess he didn't offer the kid?

so when we hire Bryan Wyant or Paul III, know what it's about. when is the UA deal up? they play for an Adidas team right now

I think it's certainly fair to suggest that Brannen should be in the hunt for both of these players. If he continues the style of play he employed at NKU, it should be more attractive to blue chip players that want to run, shoot and press.

Should it be a litmus test? Probably not. There are plenty of local players all over the country that choose to leave home for various reasons. To me, the real test will be Brannen recruiting the players that fit his style and molding that group into a conference contender and NCAA participant.

Will X get both these guys in the recruiting wars? Highly unlikely. If it matters to recruits, Cintas is smaller, older and decidedly less impressive now as a home court than Fifth Third. The AAC outperformed the new Big East on the court last season and has a media deal with ESPN that affords a larger TV audience than Fox on a consistent basis. And the American now has the #1 recruiting class arriving in Memphis, something no member of the new Big East has achieved. Trite as the slogan seems to many of us, the American is clearly rising. Let's hope Brannen can ride that wave and build Cincinnati's genuine home team to dominance again.

(05-22-2019 07:47 AM)OKIcat Wrote:  Will X get both these guys in the recruiting wars? Highly unlikely. If it matters to recruits, Cintas is smaller, older and decidedly less impressive now as a home court than Fifth Third. The AAC outperformed the new Big East on the court last season and has a media deal with ESPN that affords a larger TV audience than Fox on a consistent basis. And the American now has the #1 recruiting class arriving in Memphis, something no member of the new Big East has achieved. Trite as the slogan seems to many of us, the American is clearly rising. Let's hope Brannen can ride that wave and build Cincinnati's genuine home team to dominance again.

I suspect that none of these things are reasons that recruits choose one school over another.

(05-22-2019 09:28 AM)levydl Wrote:  

(05-22-2019 07:47 AM)OKIcat Wrote:  Will X get both these guys in the recruiting wars? Highly unlikely. If it matters to recruits, Cintas is smaller, older and decidedly less impressive now as a home court than Fifth Third. The AAC outperformed the new Big East on the court last season and has a media deal with ESPN that affords a larger TV audience than Fox on a consistent basis. And the American now has the #1 recruiting class arriving in Memphis, something no member of the new Big East has achieved. Trite as the slogan seems to many of us, the American is clearly rising. Let's hope Brannen can ride that wave and build Cincinnati's genuine home team to dominance again.

I suspect that none of these things are reasons that recruits choose one school over another.

If so, that runs counter to what Cronin had publicly stated (at least with boosters) as reasons for some of his challenges in attracting elite talent.

(05-22-2019 09:28 AM)levydl Wrote:  

(05-22-2019 07:47 AM)OKIcat Wrote:  Will X get both these guys in the recruiting wars? Highly unlikely. If it matters to recruits, Cintas is smaller, older and decidedly less impressive now as a home court than Fifth Third. The AAC outperformed the new Big East on the court last season and has a media deal with ESPN that affords a larger TV audience than Fox on a consistent basis. And the American now has the #1 recruiting class arriving in Memphis, something no member of the new Big East has achieved. Trite as the slogan seems to many of us, the American is clearly rising. Let's hope Brannen can ride that wave and build Cincinnati's genuine home team to dominance again.

I suspect that none of these things are reasons that recruits choose one school over another.

I think TV exposure is important to them, but I wouldn't expect ESPN vs Fox to make a difference. Pretty much everybody with cable/satellite gets both networks.

(05-22-2019 10:10 AM)Former Lurker Wrote:  

(05-22-2019 09:28 AM)levydl Wrote:  

(05-22-2019 07:47 AM)OKIcat Wrote:  Will X get both these guys in the recruiting wars? Highly unlikely. If it matters to recruits, Cintas is smaller, older and decidedly less impressive now as a home court than Fifth Third. The AAC outperformed the new Big East on the court last season and has a media deal with ESPN that affords a larger TV audience than Fox on a consistent basis. And the American now has the #1 recruiting class arriving in Memphis, something no member of the new Big East has achieved. Trite as the slogan seems to many of us, the American is clearly rising. Let's hope Brannen can ride that wave and build Cincinnati's genuine home team to dominance again.

I suspect that none of these things are reasons that recruits choose one school over another.

I think TV exposure is important to them, but I wouldn't expect ESPN vs Fox to make a difference. Pretty much everybody with cable/satellite gets both networks.

They are both readily available, but ESPN still leads the sports viewing world by a country mile. If you compare ratings from Big East games on Fox Sports to AAC games on ESPN, the ratings aren't even close. No one is tuning into Fox Sports to watch college basketball except die hard fans of those teams playing.

(05-22-2019 09:28 AM)levydl Wrote:  

(05-22-2019 07:47 AM)OKIcat Wrote:  Will X get both these guys in the recruiting wars? Highly unlikely. If it matters to recruits, Cintas is smaller, older and decidedly less impressive now as a home court than Fifth Third. The AAC outperformed the new Big East on the court last season and has a media deal with ESPN that affords a larger TV audience than Fox on a consistent basis. And the American now has the #1 recruiting class arriving in Memphis, something no member of the new Big East has achieved. Trite as the slogan seems to many of us, the American is clearly rising. Let's hope Brannen can ride that wave and build Cincinnati's genuine home team to dominance again.

I suspect that none of these things are reasons that recruits choose one school over another.

Yup... That's why nobody wants to play ball in the ACC. /s

Ways to go...

(05-21-2019 07:20 PM)blackcattitude Wrote:  so when we hire Bryan Wyant or Paul III, know what it's about. when is the UA deal up? they play for an Adidas team right now

Thanks- very interesting!
Are those guys coaches at Hughes or Woodward?
Please elaborate.

Wyant is at Hughes and also works with Puerto Rico's U1_ teams. I remember him being the first to extol Markus Howard like five years ago. McMillan was at Woodward, but quit when IV started high school. if you went to the Deveroes league, he was the Old Man Strength guy

(06-01-2019 04:05 PM)blackcattitude Wrote:  Wyant is at Hughes and also works with Puerto Rico's U1_ teams. I remember him being the first to extol Markus Howard like five years ago. McMillan was at Woodward, but quit when IV started high school. if you went to the Deveroes league, he was the Old Man Strength guy

Thanks

(06-09-2019 09:07 PM)InspectorHound Wrote:  

Maybe there were quiet conversations with top local prospects under the former coaching staff and UC was politely told no. Maybe that was Mick's strategy. Or maybe such blue chip talent was passed over by UC for role players in Mick's system.

Regardless, I prefer seeing UC extend offers to the four or five star guys in our area. Make it known that the player is the top target to wear the red and black for this coaching staff. To me, it energizes Bearcat fans knowing we're not afraid to compete for the very best. And if McMillan or others go elsewhere? It happens all the time to high tradition programs in North Carolina, Kentucky, Indiana and elsewhere. We move on.

I know football and basketball recruiting are fundamentally different. Still, Fickell has shown the initiative and passion to compete with the very best P5 programs for elite Ohio talent. We should expect nothing less from our basketball coach.

(06-10-2019 07:15 AM)OKIcat Wrote:  

(06-09-2019 09:07 PM)InspectorHound Wrote:  

Maybe there were quiet conversations with top local prospects under the former coaching staff and UC was politely told no. Maybe that was Mick's strategy. Or maybe such blue chip talent was passed over by UC for roll players in Mick's system.

Regardless, I prefer seeing UC extend offers to the four or five star guys in our area. Make it known that the player is the top target to wear the red and black for this coaching staff. To me, it energizes Bearcat fans knowing we're not afraid to compete for the very best. And if McMillan or others go elsewhere? It happens all the time to high tradition programs in North Carolina, Kentucky, Indiana and elsewhere. We move on.

I know football and basketball recruiting are fundamentally different. Still, Fickell has shown the initiative and passion to compete with the very best P5 programs for elite Ohio talent. We should expect nothing less from our basketball coach.

They are and they aren't. To your point, Fickell has made a concerted effort to target and build interest for UC among players in and around the Cincinnati area. He's doing it a number of ways but in building that "Cincinnati comradery" among local recruits, he's almost putting peer pressure on those players who don't join other highly-touted kids on visits to UC.

Basketball might not be able to take full advantage of this due to far smaller class sizes but there's no reason Brannen can't open up the doors to local recruits to visit campus on unofficials whenever they want (within NCAA rules) and of course send staffers to see them as much as possible. It's far easier and cheaper for he himself or Gee/Morris/Dwyer to drive up to see a local four-/five-star prospect every week than take flights out to NYC, for example.

New article on Griffith (with a little on McMillan too):

Incoming Hughes freshman Rayvon Griffith snares 1st college basketball offer from Kent State

Here's a third to keep an eye on (and maybe a fourth and fifth for those that read the article):

Quote:The Colonels are also likely to add Chandler Starks, a 6-foot-5 incoming freshman who is expected to enroll at CovCath for the fall. His father Keith Starks, a UC standout from 1987-91, is currently the head girls basketball coach at Ursuline Academy.

Chandler Starks graduated eighth grade from Nagel Middle School in the Forest Hills School District. Starks is ranked as high as 73rd in national rankings for the Class of 2023. He is AAU teammates with incoming Hughes freshman Rayvon Griffith, who is ranked 10th by Coast2Coast Preps.

Lotta young talent on the way in Greater Cincinnati. Add Moeller's 6-9 Logan Duncomb (Class of 2021) to the list (although he grew up in Iowa):

Quote:As a sophomore, Duncomb averaged 7.7 points and 4.1 rebounds while leading his conference in blocks per game (1.1) and shooting percentage (64.8 percent), according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. He is unranked in the 247Sports.com composite database, but he is the No. 6 recruit in Ohio, the No. 14 center in the nation, the No. 112 overall prospect and a three-star recruit in 247Sports’ own rankings for the class of 2021.

He’s also among the top 10 kids in his class academically.

“He just has a great feel for the game,” Kremer said. “He’s naturally a tough kid. He has no back-down to him. He’s not afraid of many things. He’s a naturally physical kid. He may look skinny to some people, but he’s very strong and plays strong.”

It has helped bring most of the Big Ten calling. Ohio State, Iowa, Wisconsin, Xavier and Cincinnati have offered and multiple other Big Ten schools have shown interest. Duncomb landed his Ohio State scholarship offer while Moeller took part in the Buckeyes team camp in early June. Kremer said Duncomb’s wingspan measured at 7-3 while at Ohio State.

Ohio State basketball offers rising Cincinnati Moeller star Logan Duncomb