Podcast with Coach Steele

Talks about team culture, style of play, etc. For those expecting multiple centers, he mentions the offense is a lot of 5 out.

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“5 out? What the hell is that?” Well glad you asked!! Here is a nice primer!!

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And this one has a nice discussion of how to use the post in 5 out!

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Those are great primers, @Bluesman! I’m not sure it’s any different than what was run last season.

And I should probably adjust my wording: we most likely won’t see an offense with 2 poor 3 pt shooters on the court together (Mirambeaux/Morris). A big advantage it creates is open spacing, and allowing 2 defenders to sag and help destroys that advantage. I also worry about the lateral movement of some of our centers against forwards/wings.

IIRC, Potter was a 33% 3pt shooter in HS, so I’m not sure how that’ll translate to college with the slightly deeper arc. Kotecki is a solid shooter and should be able to add height with any of the others. Something a bit odd, Ipsaro has his HS FT% record at over 90%, but from what I could find, he struggled from behind the 3pt line. Unsure if that was an off year or just a limitation for now.

Something else that was interesting: Steele mentioned during COVID while on a coaching zoom, he learned that the least efficient fast break offense was still more efficient than the most efficient half court offense in the NBA. Last season, with injuries and open scholarships, there wasn’t the talent or bodies to run a ton. It sounds like the brakes are off this year.

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I listened to the whole thing and I’m feeling the same thing every time he speaks: glad he’s at MU. I fully expect that he will have a deep run in the tourney at some point and then be onto somewhere else but I’m ok with that. He’s gonna be fantastic here while he is.

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I’ll be honset…he’ll be here for a bit IMO…I think - he has young kids, his wife from here…I could see a NKU, UC move if opened and interest (if NKU keeps rising higher than Miami)…but if Miami does what they can, he’ll stay here, especially if he can have some success.

If too much success, obviously the call to something much higher, may happen and then he’ll leave, but if moderate success (he likes to win, duh…)…he will be here for ~4 years because it’s not the worst situation.

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I agree with this, except I don’t believe he would leave for an NKU. I think he truly loves Miami and is able to use the campus and school as strong recruiting tools. I think he really likes the coaching staff he’s been able to assemble here. From social media posts, they seem to enjoy their work as much as any coaching staff I can remember. I think he knows he’s been successful thus far in recruiting at a high level for a MAC school. And he’s been able to recruit kids that fit his system and cultural values. I think he believes he can re-engage the student body and significantly elevate interest/excitement in the program. All things considered, he believes he’s building the Miami program back to what it was in the 90s and I think he’ll see that through for 4-5 years minimum before he leaves for a P4 school.

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By the time he leaves we will be a very highly thought of mid major. Staff is great. We get a new arena and some other funds going, this thing will be a true destination opportunity. It’s come far in less than a year.

Well said Jive… it is not unique to Miami or mid-majors. In todays game, you simply cannot put two players on the floor who are non-threats to shoot and make a 3. I love some of the transfers that Steele brought in to help space the floor.

Hoping to see a big jump from Mabrey

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This is my hope! And getting way too ahead of myself, the big question then becomes can ICA maintain the momentum??

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Why is the bigger conversation around where he might end up rather than the upcoming season or anything he said? He’s been here one season.

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One, because we’re not accustomed to having nice things, so we always see bad news around the corner. But two, I think it’s a sign a lot of people hope and expect success from Steele and his staff, and we all know how college sports works…

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I get it. And I think yellow made a pretty innocuous comment. But it’s not about acknowledging it’s a risk, it’s about turning an entire thread into evaluating what schools are potential landing spots. Is talking about the merits of NKU basketball really more fun than discussing which sophomore will take a leap, which freshman will make the biggest impact, or why Mirambeaux should be working on his fadeaway jumper?

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Not more fun at all, imo. And I can’t wait to have those discussions!

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Certainly didn’t mean to derail us. I listened to the podcast and it’s so inspiring the level of detail this coach thinks about. He can fly at 30,000 feet and also land the plane. That’s so rare and something we’ve been missing. He talked a bit about his defensive strategies but some of the nuance is lost on me. Would be interesting to get a follow up post tourney as the podcast was made pre trip.

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I don’t think you derailed it. I hope you’re right and one day it’s going to be tough to retain Steele. That would be a heck of an improvement! As for the defense, same. I found an article on the pack line defense and it makes a bit more sense. Does seem pretty conservative and if you want to force turnovers, you have to find the right opportunities.

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Hey that website looks familiar Jive!! :rofl:

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Definitely…he likes the school very much, need to get some crowds back (he’s the guy to do it)…his brother has spent years in the MAC and currently at Akron. 1 year in, and I think another 4 more at minimum, hope there’s a Dance in that span.

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Would love to discuss or read discussion on those topics, but not having seen the team practice or play makes it difficult to guess.

But here goes: I think Dean, Bultman and Elmer may be the 3 starters with Safford and Mirambeaux. I think the other 4 true freshmen will all have roles off the bench as the season progresses. Which means…some of the vets battling for playing time later in the season will include Lewis, Hunter and Morris. In other words, even if it costs us at times this season, I think this coaching staff will decide to go young.

I’d say you can pencil in Mabrey, Safford, Hunter and Mirambeaux. My guess is that Dean or Bultman get the 5th spot.