Last Year: 23-13; Fourth (11-7) in the American Athletic Conference, lost in the quarterfinals of the NIT
Head Coach: Wes Miller (Third Year; 41-28 at Cincinnati, with no NCAA Tournament appearances)
Projected Starting Lineup
| PG DaVeon ‘Day Day’ Thomas – 6’0″, 185 – Junior |
| SG CJ Fredrick – 6’3″, 190 – Senior (5th) |
| SF Simas Lukošius – 6’8″, 225 – Junior |
| PF Ody Oguama – 6’9″, 230 – Senior (5th) |
| F/C Viktor Lahkin – 6’11”, 240 – Junior |
Projected Starters’ 2022-23 Stats
Day Day Thomas: 19.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.4 spg – 42.9% FG @ Kilgore (TX) College
CJ Fredrick: 6.1 ppg, 0.8 rpg, 1.5 apg, 0.5 spg – 31.8% 3FG @ Kentucky
Simas Lukošius: 11.6 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.9 apg, 1.0 spg – 37.8% 3FG @ Butler
Ody Oguama: 5.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 0.5 apg, 0.4 spg – 57.6% FG
Viktor Lahkin: 11.6 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 1.4 bpg, 1.2 spg – 61.7% FG
Experienced Reserves
| W Daniel Skillings, Jr – 6’6″, 215 – Sophomore |
| G John Newman III – 6’5″, 215 – Senior (5th) |
| C Aziz Bandaogo – 7’0″, 235 – Senior |
| C Jamille Reynolds – 6’11”, 275 – Senior |
| W Josh Reed – 6’7″, 220 – Sophomore |
Experienced Reserves’ 2022-23 Stats
Daniel Skillings: 5.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 0.6 apg, 0.4 bpg – 38.0% FG
John Newman III: 6.9 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.0 spg – 40.5% FG @ Clemson in 2021-22
Aziz Bandaogo: 11.5 ppg, 10.4 rpg, 1.2 apg, 2.9 bpg – 60.0% FG @ Utah Valley
Jamille Reynolds: 10.1 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 0.7 apg, 1.1 bpg – 60.4% FG @ Temple
Josh Reed: 1.5 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 0.2 apg, 0.2 bpg – 34.1% FG
Freshmen
| G Edgerrin ‘Jizzle’ James, Jr – 6’1″, 195 – Freshman – Consensus Top 100 recruit |
| W Rayvon Griffith – 6’7″, 205 – Freshman – Consensus Top 100 recruit |
| C Sage Tolentino – 7’1″, 240 – Redshirt Freshman |
Sometimes, it’s nice to start fresh. At least, that’s how Cincinnati is hoping things turn out this year.
After losing four of the top five scorers from last season’s team, the Bearcats were always going to look different this year. And, given the opportunity brought about by necessity, head coach Wes Miller has decided to lean into the theme of change.
He’s reworked the Cincy lineup, with two new point guards, a versatile, rising wing and a sharpshooter – and, if the NCAA’s waiver approval committee is feeling generous, potentially lots more. This is a roster which has been made a bit sleeker, and which will focus more on pushing the tempo than, say, the first-to-60 days of yore when current UCLA coach Mick Cronin had the Bearcats playing lockdown defense and largely engaging in rock fights on the other end. The few returnees Miller is welcoming back will be vital, and regardless of how many of his transfers Miller gets to deploy immediately, the Bearcats will strongly feature their top scorer up front.
Viktor Lahkin is a talented young post player whose developing footwork and good hands will help him to keep growing as a scorer in and around the painted area. In just his second collegiate season, Lahkin finished second in the Bearcats’ old American Athletic Conference in player efficiency rating last winter. Lahkin scored buckets near the cup last season at an outstanding 79.1% rate, per Bart Torvik, asserting himself as a sophomore as a great option to finish on the pick-and-roll. With the ability to hit short jumpers and leaners already, Lahkin has shown that he is not limited only to dunks – though he threw down 36 of them. With a 40.8% mark on in-between attempts through his first two years, Lahkin can pump and turn to knock in short jumpers, and his length makes his hook shot virtually unblockable. Once he’s mastered his footwork, Lahkin should become a devastating go-to post scorer. As his overall game becomes more refined, his ability to face up should only become more valuable – and Lahkin has shown genuine range out to the arc in practices.
The humble young big continues to do and say all the right things as Miller – who did not recruit Lahkin, alone among all of his remaining Bearcats – seeks to tease out the Russian scorer’s remaining potential. “My shots are getting better because teammates are creating for myself,” Lahkin has made sure to praise his teammates for helping him to grow into an offensive force. “I have been in a better position sometimes so that I can score the ball in easy ways…and our team gets better on offense.” When he catches near the paint and makes an assertive first move towards the goal, Lahkin can almost always get off a clean attempt. With a wingspan that’s well over seven feet, Lahkin can get to rebounds – and block shots – both in his area and well beyond. Lahkin will always be a force on the offensive glass, corralling errant shots and putting them back. He did so 29 times last year, converting his putback stabs at a comforting 92.3% clip, per Hoop-Math. Despite his youth, Lahkin showed great awareness and surprisingly active hands in deflecting and stealing passes that got too near a season ago. Lahkin has even shown that he can rotate around, snag a steal at the three point arc and take it all the way for a flush at the other end. With further diversification of his skills and veteran confidence, Lahkin is going to be a load for his new Big 12 opponents to become acquainted with.
Butler transfer Simas Lukošius is a big wing player who can operate as a primary playmaker, and is creative both getting to his spots and finding the room to provide his team clean looks once he’s there. A smooth and increasingly confident ballhandler, Lukošius can initiate offense from virtually anywhere on the floor. He took roughly the same amount of shots both inside and from beyond the arc last year in what was a brilliantly complete statistical season. Lukošius shot 53% at the rim, 41% on other 2FG’s, and 38% from three, and though Miller would like to see him take more than the 60 trips to the foul line he’s taken in each of his seasons; Lukošius is an 84.7% career foul shooter. “He’s a mature player with great experience playing both internationally and in the Big East,” Miller remarked about Lukošius when the Lithuanian swingman pledged to the Bearcats. “He’s a very skilled offensive player who makes great decisions with the ball, makes the players around him better, and also shoots it well from deep. We love his toughness and tenacity.”
Lukošius didn’t just score for the Bulldogs; he was also the team’s leader in assists, and posted an 18.0% assist rate as a sophomore. His handing out 92 setups against 63 turnovers chimes with the significant improvements Lukošius made handling the ball all over the court and the confidence with which he led the Butler offense down the stretch, as injuries and frustrations piled up around him. Even though reliable veteran point guard David DeJulius has used up his eligibility and scoring wing Landers Nolley stayed in the NBA Draft, Lukošius brings a bit of what each player gave Cincinnati. “We got a lot of firepower out there, (but) we have to get more consistent offensively. We go through weird droughts,” Miller said late last season, as reported by The Athletic. With a player like Lukošius aboard now, Miller feels as though his team has a nice conduit between firepower and offense which runs efficiently. He should be a steadying influence in the halfcourt offensively, and by taking his turn facilitating for the Bearcats’ scoring guards, Lukošius should help everything on the scoring end flow a bit more smoothly.
While Lukošius is keeping Miller’s offensive river serene as it flows along, JuCo recruit DaVeon ‘Day Day’ Thomas will be the rapids which add some thrill to Cincy’s course. One of the fastest players in the country, Thomas is a blur with the ball in his hands, and he forces defenders to react and try to keep up. Great in transition and at pushing the tempo after his team gets a live ball or out of a stoppage, Thomas creates opportunities on both ends of the floor. “We’re thrilled about Day Day,” Miller said when Thomas joined up with ‘The Movement’ in February of this year. “I think I’ll bring leadership when I get to Cincinnati. I’m a very competitive person and I like to make plays on the court, and lock up on defense. I’m really big on defense,” Thomas told Bearcat Journal upon his pledge to join Miller’s squad.
One of the fastest players in the country, Thomas is a blur with the ball in his hands
Thomas was one of the most intense on-ball defenders in the junior college ranks last year, and he brings skills which should translate to the Big 12. With his terrific quickness and desire to pressure his man full-court, Thomas can be a tremendous irritant to the opposing team. He turns defense into offense, snapping off precise feeds upcourt or leading the break himself, and Thomas does some of his best three-point shooting when pulling up against a disordered defense. “He was unrecruited, virtually, out of high school…he’s worked and he’s proved himself.” Miller says of Thomas. “He fits Cincinnati, and he fits what a Cincinnati player should be all about.” Thomas was asked to score the ball much of the time at Kilgore (TX) College, and will have to settle in as Miller’s new point man. His range of talents has always included playmaking, though, and as Thomas probes defenses off the bounce, he maintains good vision of what his guys are doing.
CJ Fredrick has been transferring closer and closer to home ever since he graduated from Covington Catholic high school in Park Hills, Kentucky; just over the border from Cincinnati. Now on his third program, Fredrick is looking to cap his career with a breakthrough final season. As a freshman at Iowa, Fredrick averaged a career-high 10.2 points and 2.8 assists. Since then, there may be no college player in the country who has had more written about them on the internet relative to the number of points they’ve scored on a basketball court. Iowa fans who had enjoyed his big first year then became frustrated by allegations of tampering; Kentucky fans hoping to see a local product return home got their wish, but only for one healthy season, and now the Cincinnati faithful are getting a chance to see Fredrick’s talents up close again. Fredrick can really shoot the ball. Despite falling off to 32% last year, he had been a 47% shooter from downtown while at Iowa. A slick passer and with a great overall feel on offense, Fredrick is adept at running around screens and freeing himself up for clean looks on the outside, and his jump shot is finely crafted, quick out of the holster and fluid. When he’s healthy, Fredrick is everything a coach could hope for in a modern off-guard shooter. Unfortunately, injuries have hounded Fredrick’s career, as he redshirted prior to ever taking the floor for the Hawkeyes due to a rib injury, then had surgery to repair a stress fracture in his foot, which didn’t entirely heal through the following season. After arriving in Kentucky, Fredrick experienced a series of hamstring problems and eventually had another corrective surgery. Now, he’s finally hoping to turn in a healthy campaign and finish on a high note. Fredrick shares the ball and hunts open space to launch with tremendous savvy, and Miller is looking forward to having Fredrick’s slick passing and dangerous range on his side.
| Five Stats Which Tell The Tale (with national ranks) |
| 1.434 – Team Assists Per Turnover (17th) |
| 1.091 – Opponent Assists Per Turnover (229th) |
| 51.3% Team Effective FG Percentage (129th) |
| 47.7% – Opponent Effective FG Percentage (53rd) |
| 70.9% – Team Free Throw Percentage (216th) |
Daniel Skillings is one from among a talented group of young Bearcats looking to step into major roles this year. With great athleticism inside the arc and plenty of length out on the perimeter, Skillings can do quite a few things. A consensus 4-star prospect last fall, the Philly wing showed enough flashes last year to reasonably hope for a Lahkin-esque rise in his second season. Skillings played in all but one game as a rookie, and despite looking like a freshman sometimes, Skillings had some big performances. His first career double-double came in the non-conference against Bryant, but such a double-double it was: 14 and 13 with three made triples. He only scored in double figures three other times as a freshman, but the two-way potential Skillings offers is clear to see. He can block shots, gets at least a finger on plenty of other passes, and is a real deterrent to smaller players trying to get a good look; and Skillings uses his bounce and agility well around the lane to snag rebounds at each end of the floor. His outside shot is still coming together; Skillings made 19 deep balls at a 25.7% rate as freshman, and sank just 38.0% of his shots overall. With his skills and the confidence that comes with experience, it’s possible that Skillings is quite near to emerging as a terrific player.
He will be asked to step right into a prominent role this year, but all appearances indicate that Miller’s youngest point guard – ‘Jizzle’ James – is up to the challenge. The son of former NFL superstar Edgerrin James, Jizzle knows what the bright lights feel like and he has operated confidently under their glare for years now. One of the toughest-minded and physical guards in his class, James will drive the ball on anyone, and is both fearless and skilled enough to finish at the rim no matter the traffic level or intensity of defensive attention he sees. He loves to attack the basket and will throw down some powerful dunks for a guy who only stands 6’1″. James is also very much aware of setting up good looks for his teammates at all times, and he’s capable of making the highlights as much for his helpers as for the baskets he scores. “In terms of maturity, quickness and toughness, he’s ready to help out right away,” says Eric Bossi of 247 Sports. “He…communicates with his teammates and possesses the natural leadership skills that you love to see in a point guard.” While James does not yet have a finished product for a jump shot, he does enough from the perimeter to keep defenses honest. And he’ll have time to develop his outside shot on the job, because James has the explosive first step and shifty dribble-drive game to get his buckets and create lots of opportunities for his teammates from day one.
| Five Out-of-Conference Games to keep an Eye on |
| @ Xavier – December 9 |
| N – Dayton – December 16 |
| vs Georgia Tech – November 22 |
| vs Northern Kentucky – November 19 |
| vs Florida Gulf Coast – December 3 |
Cincinnati’s own Rayvon Griffith spent a year in Arizona at prestigious Compass Prep, but he’s back home now and, like Skillings, looking to earn a prime role on the wing. Griffith plays longer and faster than his 6’7 frame would seem to suggest, and he’s a skilled scorer. Despite a somewhat funky shot, Griffith consistently knocks down outside looks, and when he’s in drive-mode, Griffith can seemingly get through the paint for a good look at will. He does sometimes fall in love with the jumper, but Miller is happy to course-correct that over time. Defensively, Griffith can defend spots 1-3 already and when his motor is running at 100%, he can swat shots, snap up passes and pressure the ball very effectively. Griffith has all the physical tools to become a terrific two-way player. “He has NBA athleticism and size as a swingman,” Joe Yeager of 247 Sports says of Griffin, and the home fans can’t wait to see it on display at Fifth Third Arena this fall.
The center position is uncertain as of mid-October, because Cincinnati signed two potential high-impact centers this spring; and they still have no idea if either of them will be allowed to play this fall. Jamille Reynolds and Aziz Bandaogo, formerly of Temple and Utah Valley, respectively, combined to average almost 22 points, 15+ rebounds, and four blocked shots per game last season. Bandaogo, in particular, is one of the nation’s most fearsome shot-swatters. Thing is, both veteran big men are two-time undergraduate transfers, and as such, are at the mercy of an appeal to the NCAA to grant them waivers in order to play this year. Either or both of them in the middle would significantly change Cincy’s outlook for the better, but they remain question marks as the team nears the start of its campaign. Similarly, John Newman III is hoping to see his request for a medical redshirt approved. The veteran wing played part of just the Bearcats’ first game last season, and really ought to be granted a hardship waiver. Though Newman has never been a huge scorer, he started 70 games while averaging more than 25 minutes per game for Clemson over his final three seasons in South Carolina. He plays strong, physical defense, rebounds at a high rate, and makes smart passes. For a pair of new point guards, Newman would be a steady, calming presence playing off the ball.
Joining Lahkin and whichever of the centers are allowed to play is hard-working veteran Ody Oguama. A former Wake Forest transfer, Oguama is an active rebounder and defender who brings the energy level up whenever he’s on the floor. Oguama ranked seventh in the American Athletic Conference in offensive rebounds last year, and he converted 21 of them into putback tries. He’s a mobile and tenacious defender who didn’t mind taking on some tough challenges last year so that Lahkin could be his best self on the offensive end. Unfortunately, Oguama also ranked second out of all AAC players in total fouls as well. His aggressive defense has kept Oguama flirting with foul trouble throughout his career. If he could play the cleanest basketball of his career, it would help ensure that Oguama continues seeing 20+ minutes per game despite the talent upgrades around him. And if neither of the transfers are approved to play this year, Oguama will become an extremely important guy who soaks up a bunch of minutes when Miller isn’t using a smaller lineup.
Sage Tolentino is a Hawaiian pivot who redshirted as a freshman, but has unteachable physical gifts and, Miller hopes, is now ready to show them off. Despite standing more than seven feet tall, Tolentino has a good-looking stroke from the outside, and some touch around the hoop. Though he’s more of a stretch big than a bruiser, Tolentino has solid feet and continues working on adding the strength to hold his own. Ideally, he will get to develop for another year before being pressed into heavy service. Still, Tolentino held an offer from Kansas and was once committed to Auburn, so he’s got skills. Tolentino finished up his prep career in Ohio, and has clearly enjoyed it enough to stay awhile. Josh Reed didn’t play much as a freshman, but he got into 29 games. Miller likes Reed’s length and defensive versatility on the wing, and he’s a solid rebounder. Though not yet a highly-developed scorer, Reed can make an open triple and gives the Bearcats another skilled dude at about 6’7″ to throw at the other team.
With so much new, it’s going to be interesting to see the rotation which Miller settles into being comfortable with in the first month-plus of the season. Though Lahkin is a great piece up front and Lukošius should blend everything together well, it’s yet to be determined who Cincy’s go-to guy outside of the paint will be. Once conference play begins, the time for experimentation will largely be over.
If either or both of the transfer pivots are approved to play, Cincy would rise by a couple or even a handful of spots in the rankings. This group of Bearcats are going to look very different, whatever the situation up front; but the changes have netted Miller a more talented overall roster. That’s good, given the thunderdome league which Cincinnati is entering. It may take a bit for everything to come together, but if Cincinnati has their identity by the new year, they’re going to be capable of introducing themselves rudely but succesfully to the new neighbors.
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