Bear Down Wildcats

The Sean Miller haters drive me mad. There is always the one on a forum, in sports comment sections, or on social media who look for any little thing to get across a "Lute did it better" comment. I have a friend who always has to post one during every loss on my facebook, and if it wasn't for giving me the platform to make him look like an ass I would block him. 99 percent of the time they are wrong too.

Miller is solidly among the top 5 to 10 coaches in the nation over the past several years. His numbers speak for themselves. While he hasn't yet reached the FF, he's won conference titles, gotten deep in the tourney, produced several NBA players, and carried the AZ torch with dignity and class. I like Sean. Wouldn't trade him for any other coach. Except maybe Izzo.

Beachcat97 wrote:Miller is solidly among the top 5 to 10 coaches in the nation over the past several years. His numbers speak for themselves. While he hasn't yet reached the FF, he's won conference titles, gotten deep in the tourney, produced several NBA players, and carried the AZ torch with dignity and class. I like Sean. Wouldn't trade him for any other coach. Except maybe Izzo.

Not Izzo. Miller and only Miller at Arizona. As frustrating as the LA trip was, we have had 2 starters lose some or all of the season, a rotation guy out for a month plus, we are integrating 4 new starters and we are 13-3. 13-3.

Spaceman Spiff wrote:

Beachcat97 wrote:Miller is solidly among the top 5 to 10 coaches in the nation over the past several years. His numbers speak for themselves. While he hasn't yet reached the FF, he's won conference titles, gotten deep in the tourney, produced several NBA players, and carried the AZ torch with dignity and class. I like Sean. Wouldn't trade him for any other coach. Except maybe Izzo.

Not Izzo. Miller and only Miller at Arizona. As frustrating as the LA trip was, we have had 2 starters lose some or all of the season, a rotation guy out for a month plus, we are integrating 4 new starters and we are 13-3. 13-3.

Totally, SS. He deserves a ton of credit. I hope this fan base stays behind him in the coming weeks because I do expect things to get rockier, especially on the road with a shorter bench. And keeping the home winning streak intact just got much harder.

rgdeuce wrote:The Sean Miller haters drive me mad. There is always the one on a forum, in sports comment sections, or on social media who look for any little thing to get across a "Lute did it better" comment. I have a friend who always has to post one during every loss on my facebook, and if it wasn't for giving me the platform to make him look like an ass I would block him. 99 percent of the time they are wrong too.

Would love to hear who Rise&Firesock would prefer. I'm sure the list is as I'll-informed and hilarious as his posts.

Chicat wrote:

rgdeuce wrote:The Sean Miller haters drive me mad. There is always the one on a forum, in sports comment sections, or on social media who look for any little thing to get across a "Lute did it better" comment. I have a friend who always has to post one during every loss on my facebook, and if it wasn't for giving me the platform to make him look like an ass I would block him. 99 percent of the time they are wrong too.

Would love to hear who Rise&Firesock would prefer. I'm sure the list is as I'll-informed and hilarious as his posts.

The only coaches I'd even consider over Miller are guys who would never leave their current job (Izzo, Calipari, Donovan). There's not a single coach in the Pac I'd take over Miller, not even close.

Chicat wrote:

rgdeuce wrote:The Sean Miller haters drive me mad. There is always the one on a forum, in sports comment sections, or on social media who look for any little thing to get across a "Lute did it better" comment. I have a friend who always has to post one during every loss on my facebook, and if it wasn't for giving me the platform to make him look like an ass I would block him. 99 percent of the time they are wrong too.

Would love to hear who Rise&Firesock would prefer. I'm sure the list is as I'll-informed and hilarious as his posts.

Tim Floyd, Reggie Theus, Rocky Long, Lute Olson, Phil Jackson, Archie Miller or Dr. Dre would be top candidates if Miller leaves.

So who is rise and fire? Rocky raccoon?

Reading with thread is more painful than dealing my with mother visiting for weekend...

And I didn't even get to see a cats game. Ugh shiity weekend for all parties...

CalStateTempe wrote:So who is rise and fire? Rocky raccoon?

Reading with thread is more painful than dealing my with mother visiting for weekend...

And I didn't even get to see a cats game. Ugh shiity weekend for all parties...

Actually, if you missed the games in LA, it may have improved your weekend. I'm a Steelers fan, so it was only Vontaze "The Gift That Keeps Giving" Burfict that made Saturday remotely tolerable for my wife.

Edit: R&F's a troll. The rest is details.

I wouldn't take a single coach over Sean Miller. I've said it before, and I'm not just saying it because he is our current guy either. Based on the totality of everything, he is a top 5 coach in NCAA easily in my opinion, completely aside from who he is as a person. The latter firmly cements him as #1 to me.

I wouldn't trade Miller for any coach. He's a great fit at Arizona. We're so damn lucky to have him. That doesn't mean as a fan you can't question some of his moves with personnel. We're not at practice everyday. And most often times we're reactionary to events (crap, there are still people who think Angelo Chol was deserving of more playing time). I look around the conference (and the rest of the country) and think, damn, Miller is really a great representative of my alma mater. I just love how he's gracious in defeat. He'll criticize his own team's performance but never crap on the opponent. Jack Nicklaus was like that. Total class from Miller. Even when every Arizona fan would've loved to hear Miller's true thoughts on the Bobby Hurley meltdown, Miller was wise enough to pass on the question. You know damn well he enjoyed it, but he's not stupid enough to reveal his feelings to the media because it doesn't do him any good. Did I say I love Miller as our coach?

This thread has taken a wrong turn. I don't think anyone can credibly question whether Miller is fit to be AZ's coach. He's a fantastic coach and we're lucky to have him.

Seems what we *should* be discussing is how Miller is going to adjust his rotation with Zo out.

Wait waht?

What happend to trier?

Yes I have been under a rock.

CalStateTempe wrote:Wait waht?

What happend to trier?

Yes I have been under a rock.

Broke a bone in his shooting hand, out 4-6 weeks.

Ah...for fucks sake. What game? Ucla?

Beachcat97 wrote:This thread has taken a wrong turn. I don't think anyone can credibly question whether Miller is fit to be AZ's coach. He's a fantastic coach and we're lucky to have him.

Seems what we *should* be discussing is how Miller is going to adjust his rotation with Zo out.

If Pitts is still out, more Simon and backcourts involving both PJC and Allen. Even though it is Lilliputian, PJC/Allen/York as a 3 guard rotation could be seen.

Then, run Trier hard so he is in game shape when he returns bc he will not have a ton of time to get ready.

CalStateTempe wrote:Ah...for fucks sake. What game? Ucla?

In 4th OT vs USC

CalStateTempe wrote:Ah...for fucks sake. What game? Ucla?

It's like I said in the other thread. If you missed this weekend, you missed some unpleasant stuff. Maybe your inlaws are looking out for you.

Was it the 4th OT when Trier clanked those 2 FTs? That's when he was shaking his wrist.

Spaceman Spiff wrote:

CalStateTempe wrote:Ah...for fucks sake. What game? Ucla?

It's like I said in the other thread. If you missed this weekend, you missed some unpleasant stuff.

Although Miller was much less livid after the USC loss than he was after UCLA. "Worst defensive team as long as he has been at Arizona", although he said pretty much the same regarding the first half of the USC game when they shot 64%.

You can't let a team shoot 64% and put up 45 points in a half and expect to win. You just can't. The D is still wired for NAU, but we're playing good teams now.

Thanks spiff. My inlaws rule, my mother on the other hand...nice lady but there are reasons why I don't live in Phoenix.

CalStateTempe wrote:Thanks spiff. My inlaws rule, my mother on the other hand...nice lady but there are reasons why I don't live in Phoenix.

Oops, I forgot what thread it was in and got the wrong family relation.

Important point, this weekend sucked.

Alieberman wrote:

CalStateTempe wrote:Ah...for fucks sake. What game? Ucla?

In 4th OT vs USC

Nope! At the end of regulation. He played all 4 OTs with a broken hand and would not leave the game. What a warrior! Now do you forgive him for missing those 2 FTs?

DiehardDave37 wrote:

Alieberman wrote:

CalStateTempe wrote:Ah...for fucks sake. What game? Ucla?

In 4th OT vs USC

Nope! At the end of regulation. He played all 4 OTs with a broken hand and would not leave the game. What a warrior! Now do you forgive him for missing those 2 FTs?

Dude is a warrior and I love his passion.....hoping he's around next year as well!

Back to the topic of this thread: CSM. We are so damned lucky to have him as Coach! God forbid a UK, Duke, Kansas comes after him at some point......we'd better appreciate what we have while we still have it.

P.S. Lute spoiled the crap out of us for sure!

I think we are fine as long as GB is still around. He takes care of his coaches and he fully understands Sean Miller's value. 97Cats has only expressed worry about two schools, one of which is being looked at by NCAA. Who knows if anything will ever come of that. The other, has a coach who isn't even close to being retirement age and I doubt he would be at the top of the list for a Kentucky, Duke, UNC, Kansas, when any of those positions come up. Besides, Miller is already stamped on this program. No disrespect to Lute and what he built and accomplished, but this feels like Sean Miller's program. Redone arena, new facilities, new identity. It doesn't feel like Lute's and Sean Miller is his follow up (absent a few people here and there, who probably complained about Lute when he was here anyhow). Miller has been classy throughout his time here and Lute is always acknowledged, honored and present when he wants to be, but they have BOTH done a great job in this regard.

And we were spoiled with Lute, but sometimes people seem to forget there were struggles and bad times then as well. I mentioned that friend above, after we lost to Wisky last year he said something along the lines of, "Miller is nothing like lute, who always had his team ready for the tournament and big games and was able to make the right in game adjustments." I reminded him of the numerous first round losses and underachieving teams through the years, and the 2005 Illinois collapse. Based on a small sample size, Miller has a better track record for that even taking into account not getting over that elite 8 hump three times. Sean Miller teams get in and win at least two games and compete to the end in the elite 8 against two outstanding and red hot wisky teams and the eventual national champ Uconn.

rgdeuce wrote:I think we are fine as long as GB is still around. He takes care of his coaches and he fully understands Sean Miller's value. 97Cats has only expressed worry about two schools, one of which is being looked at by NCAA. Who knows if anything will ever come of that. The other, has a coach who isn't even close to being retirement age and I doubt he would be at the top of the list for a Kentucky, Duke, UNC, Kansas, when any of those positions come up. Besides, Miller is already stamped on this program. No disrespect to Lute and what he built and accomplished, but this feels like Sean Miller's program. Redone arena, new facilities, new identity. It doesn't feel like Lute's and Sean Miller is his follow up (absent a few people here and there, who probably complained about Lute when he was here anyhow). Miller has been classy throughout his time here and Lute is always acknowledged, honored and present when he wants to be, but they have BOTH done a great job in this regard.

And we were spoiled with Lute, but sometimes people seem to forget there were struggles and bad times then as well. I mentioned that friend above, after we lost to Wisky last year he said something along the lines of, "Miller is nothing like lute, who always had his team ready for the tournament and big games and was able to make the right in game adjustments." I reminded him of the numerous first round losses and underachieving teams through the years, and the 2005 Illinois collapse. Based on a small sample size, Miller has a better track record for that even taking into account not getting over that elite 8 hump three times. Sean Miller teams get in and win at least two games and compete to the end in the elite 8 against two outstanding and red hot wisky teams and the eventual national champ Uconn.

Excellent post rgdeuce! Especially about CSM's Tourney history.....I'll be shocked if he doesn't get us to the FF very soon.

I'd be proud of a resume saying that I lost only one NCAA tourney game to a lower seed and that was to # 2 Wisconsin Kaminsky.

DiehardDave37 wrote:I'd be proud of a resume saying that I lost only one NCAA tourney game to a lower seed and that was to # 2 Wisconsin Kaminsky.

AND we got royally screwed on that BS charge call on Nick at the end of the game.....seriously, what a crappy call....I can't get that one out of my head.....similar to Jay Williams trying to butt-rape Jason Gardener in the 2001 Championship and the refs swallowing their whistles .

That whole 2001 game was bad, but at least that J Will tackle wasn't on a game-deciding play. Not only was the NJ foul it a no call situation, it was the wrong call in a no call situation. I know there was no conspiracy, but you see something like that, in that situation and at that time, and you question if it was.

This is Sean Miller's best coaching job ever, maybe aside from his first year where he managed to have a winning record.

Two wins coming up for Miller this week. Bear Down.

Bangkok Wildcat wrote:

DiehardDave37 wrote:I'd be proud of a resume saying that I lost only one NCAA tourney game to a lower seed and that was to # 2 Wisconsin Kaminsky.

AND we got royally screwed on that BS charge call on Nick at the end of the game.....seriously, what a crappy call....I can't get that one out of my head.....similar to Jay Williams trying to butt-rape Jason Gardener in the 2001 Championship and the refs swallowing their whistles .

Williams was in serious foul trouble at the time of the "no call." The complexion of the game would've changed significantly if the proper call had been made. As it was, Williams stayed in the game, continued to be a factor for Duke until the second half when Dunleavy got hot and that was that.

Great quote from coach, did everyone see this?

Sean Miller on playing zone: 'It's a necessity for us. It's smart for us to show it every game and for it to get better

Sounds like CSM is adapting and really embracing the idea of playing zone here! Love the growth - this is the evolution of Miller!! imagine our opponents having to prepare for more than just the same pack-line man-D that they've faced the last 100 times

Smart smart smart smart SMART!

Go away.

Yes & no. I would guess he means it's the lesser of two evils when he says it's a necessity. This is his worst defensive team in years & that's what Coach believes comes first.

If they start doing more of what he's asking I'll bet he goes back.

Not bad to have it as an option but I'll take the hard nosed discipline over the easy way for our squad any day.

Bear Down Vegas wrote:Yes & no. I would guess he means it's the lesser of two evils when he says it's a necessity. This is his worst defensive team in years & that's what Coach believes comes first.

If they start doing more of what he's asking I'll bet he goes back.

Not bad to have it as an option but I'll take the hard nosed discipline over the easy way for our squad any day.

Exactly. When he says it's necessary, it's necessary because our man isn't that good right now. If we were a better man team, none of the gimmicks would be necessary.

RiseAndFire wrote:Great quote from coach, did everyone see this?

Sean Miller on playing zone: 'It's a necessity for us. It's smart for us to show it every game and for it to get better

Sounds like CSM is adapting and really embracing the idea of playing zone here! Love the growth - this is the evolution of Miller!! imagine our opponents having to prepare for more than just the same pack-line man-D that they've faced the last 100 times

Smart smart smart smart SMART!

I hate that I agree with this fruitcake, but this is a tactic I've suggested from the start. I just hope the zone never becomes more than a curiosity or something to be pulled out due to injury or foul trouble.

Spaceman Spiff wrote:

Bear Down Vegas wrote:Yes & no. I would guess he means it's the lesser of two evils when he says it's a necessity. This is his worst defensive team in years & that's what Coach believes comes first.

If they start doing more of what he's asking I'll bet he goes back.

Not bad to have it as an option but I'll take the hard nosed discipline over the easy way for our squad any day.

Exactly. When he says it's necessary, it's necessary because our man isn't that good right now. If we were a better man team, none of the gimmicks would be necessary.

We are playing zone because we have zero depth. Rise&Firesock taking that quote out of context is not surprising. Him posting after a Cats win though is....

Miller mentions zone in his presser. Talked about how he vowed years ago "never to play zone" again. Might have been after a game with LaSalle. (not sure, see press conference) Funny. But he says they've been practicing zone for the last few weeks. Sounds like he's trying to
get certain guys on the floor at the same time (bigger guys).

I find it interesting that he's gone away from preaching the necessity of playing only man for sake of the team and program culture. I take that to imply that his culture is firmly embedded at Arizona now, which frees him up to be a little more creative in a time of need.

I like Sean Miller. A lot.

HiCat wrote:Miller mentions zone in his presser. Talked about how he vowed years ago "never to play zone" again. Might have been after a game with LaSalle. (not sure, see press conference) Funny. But he says they've been practicing zone for the last few weeks. Sounds like he's trying to
get certain guys on the floor at the same time (bigger guys).

Yes, it was LaSalle. And yes, several reasons: makes it easier to have both Zeus and Dusan on the floor. Huge. Our depth has taken a hit with Trier out, Allen is foul prone, fouls in general are up. AND...

Puerco wrote:I find it interesting that he's gone away from preaching the necessity of playing only man for sake of the team and program culture. I take that to imply that his culture is firmly embedded at Arizona now, which frees him up to be a little more creative in a time of need.
.

Yes. I honestly believe this is a case of Miller being stubborn and firmly believing in what we do on defense. Guys will struggle early, but man to man is better in the long run, and if you force man to man, force them to learn the system and how to defend, without cheating or taking the easy way out, they will get better and be where you need them to be come February and March. I think in this instance, he looked at the above factors, and then took a long hard look at this team and told himself, this is a group that just isn't going to get it by February and March like all my past teams. I still want to do what Arizona basketball does, but I'm keeping this in my back pocket because this team needs a little handicap and the crap luck isn't helping at all and isn't going away. I could be totally wrong here, but it's how I see it.

Practicing against the zone in practice is good for the offense too, that way they don't get so confused in a game when they see a zone which has happened quite a bit in the CSM era.

Very good point Merk

Merkin wrote:Practicing against the zone in practice is good for the offense too, that way they don't get so confused in a game when they see a zone which has happened quite a bit in the CSM era.

Exactly, plus having to play the zone yourself in practice helps you to understand what the guy guarding you is apt to do. Many times I have said to myself in LIFE, I know what he is doing and likely to do because I've done the same thing myself.

Merkin wrote:Practicing against the zone in practice is good for the offense too, that way they don't get so confused in a game when they see a zone which has happened quite a bit in the CSM era.

Post of the week. I hadn't thought of that angle, Merk.

Miller on recruiting -


Miller is working tirelessly to piece together the 2016 class, and based on his previous track record, it was a situation where it was a matter of 'when' Arizona would land a commitment, not 'if'.

"We're very active in our recruiting efforts," Miller said after the team's win against Washington State. "I have said it, and I'll say it again... we're just getting started. I believe that this class is going to be a good one, but we're going to point towards the spring, when all of the chips will fall."



Josh Jackson will likely eventually pick between Arizona and Michigan State, and Simmons is trying to get ESPN's No. 18 2016 recruit Rawle Alkens to join him in Tucson.

But whether Jackson or Alkens choose Arizona or not, one thing is for sure; Miller is still working to add more pieces and the 2016 recruiting class will ultimately be even more expansive than it is now.

Miller mentioned he envisions the team adding "four or five" recruits (not including Markkanen) before all is said and done.

If his projection is true, Arizona will finish with one of the top recruiting classes in the nation yet again. That's something that, not too long ago, seemed out of the picture. And, once the 2016 class is a finished product, all the concerns about the program's direction and Miller's recruiting ability that surfaced in the past few months will prove to be misguided.

"Those that have given up on our ability to strike in the class of 2016 are really going down the wrong path," Miller warned.

http://www.azdesertswarm.com/recruiting ... ed-simmons" target="_blank


Paging 97..

Yeah, would really like 97 to chime in. Would help us measure expectations.

Why do we need 97 to chime in again? He already said he thinks it's more than likely JJ chooses us. There would be nothing that has changed in the few weeks since he said that

dcZONAfan wrote:Why do we need 97 to chime in again? He already said he thinks it's more than likely JJ chooses us. There would be nothing that has changed in the few weeks since he said that

If anything, our chances have gotten better recently.