Coaching Staff

[Bcatfollower]

A lot of people have been bringing up St. John's and Memphis lately. So, what we're saying about that is...They land Top 100 recruits, and don't have a winning culture. Therefore, if we landed Top 100 recruits, we wouldn't have a winning culture either? Is that the logic? Btw I'd take Mick over those 2 and it isn't close. To be clear, I don't think Mick should go anywhere. Not only is he not going to, but I don't think he should. And I'm not calling for LD to get fired, run off, etc. I just feel like it is a good and normal thing to have a coaching tree start to branch off once you really get established. It is supposed to be an exciting thing, and something to be proud of. So when I say I wish LD had moved on, I mean that. And I hope he moves on next year. Savino has been waiting in the wings, and I'd like to see him get a chance to ride shotgun with Mick for a handful of years, before he moves on to head up his own program in the northeast. Think about it, that's exactly what Mick did when he left Louisville for Murray State. It's something that makes the HC look good too. Much like players seeing that they can get to the next level somewhere, coaches see where they can cling onto to learn to run their own program.

It can also help with scheduling, although pitino didnt do cronin any favors by scheduling memphis and not us. But coaching trees not only look good they emphasis the quality of the program and assistants.

 

[JackBauer151]

A lot of people have been bringing up St. John's and Memphis lately. So, what we're saying about that is...They land Top 100 recruits, and don't have a winning culture. Therefore, if we landed Top 100 recruits, we wouldn't have a winning culture either? Is that the logic? Btw I'd take Mick over those 2 and it isn't close. To be clear, I don't think Mick should go anywhere. Not only is he not going to, but I don't think he should. And I'm not calling for LD to get fired, run off, etc. I just feel like it is a good and normal thing to have a coaching tree start to branch off once you really get established. It is supposed to be an exciting thing, and something to be proud of. So when I say I wish LD had moved on, I mean that. And I hope he moves on next year. Savino has been waiting in the wings, and I'd like to see him get a chance to ride shotgun with Mick for a handful of years, before he moves on to head up his own program in the northeast. Think about it, that's exactly what Mick did when he left Louisville for Murray State. It's something that makes the HC look good too. Much like players seeing that they can get to the next level somewhere, coaches see where they can cling onto to learn to run their own program.

No that is not the logic. Pastner and Lavin and their assistants would tell recruits anything they thought they wanted to hear to get them to come to their prospective schools. So when they come in they think the world is going to be handed to them. They get there and find out its nothing like they were promised. There is no culture, expectations have not been set, and the coaching was mediocre. That leads to under performing on the court, in the classroom, and general unhappiness. Mick tells players exactly what Cincinnati is going to be like. You better buy in or you wont make it. Not all recruits like to hear that. Most highly regarded prospects dont have the mindset of a Gary Clark or Jacob Evans. A lot of kids want to be pampered. Now we can debate that style. How can Mick get better recruits while still maintaining that recruiting philosophy? I dont know. I suspect the more you win the more willing certain guys will be to buying in. Im saying I dont want higher rated recruits at the cost of our culture. The key is to find a way to merge them.

 

[Bulldog01]

No that is not the logic. Pastner and Lavin and their assistants would tell recruits anything they thought they wanted to hear to get them to come to their prospective schools. So when they come in they think the world is going to be handed to them. They get there and find out its nothing like they were promised. There is no culture, expectations have not been set, and the coaching was mediocre. That leads to under performing on the court, in the classroom, and general unhappiness. Mick tells players exactly what Cincinnati is going to be like. You better buy in or you wont make it. Not all recruits like to hear that. Most highly regarded prospects dont have the mindset of a Gary Clark or Jacob Evans. A lot of kids want to be pampered. Now we can debate that style. How can Mick get better recruits while still maintaining that recruiting philosophy? I dont know. I suspect the more you win the more willing certain guys will be to buying in. Im saying I dont want higher rated recruits at the cost of our culture. The key is to find a way to merge them.

You don't know nothing one asst coach at st John's or Memphis. Who cares what they get told. Pretty sure uc has had more transfer than them with Mick having established culture for 10yrs. We all want Mick with st John's/Memphis recruits. If Mick landed 2/3 top 40-75 players every year we'll be in sweet 16 or better ever year. Were complaining about recruiting right along with Mick when he says to win he needs better blah blah blah. Why does he want better facilities and new gym? Lol, even Mick wants better recruiting classes. He's smart enough to know you can NEVER win without star power. Name one player with star power on our team?

 

[jacobkdoyle]

Yeah that's one thing I don't get...we say these Top 100 recruits are pampered, but we want a new arena to attract these exact guys we act like we're above.

 

[JackBauer151]

Yeah that's one thing I don't get...we say these Top 100 recruits are pampered, but we want a new arena to attract these exact guys we act like we're above.

Where did I say we were above? I said Mick is honest with the guys he is recruiting. I said other coaches arent. I never made a moral statement. If Mick thinks his program is better off with a 3 star guy that buys in over high 4 star pre-madonna that is his choice. If you dont like it so be it. What does wanting a new arena have to do with anything I said? I swear this site has become a brain drain. Back to 24/7.

 

[Bearcat_NTS]

No that is not the logic. Pastner and Lavin and their assistants would tell recruits anything they thought they wanted to hear to get them to come to their prospective schools. So when they come in they think the world is going to be handed to them. They get there and find out its nothing like they were promised. There is no culture, expectations have not been set, and the coaching was mediocre. That leads to under performing on the court, in the classroom, and general unhappiness. Mick tells players exactly what Cincinnati is going to be like. You better buy in or you wont make it. Not all recruits like to hear that. Most highly regarded prospects dont have the mindset of a Gary Clark or Jacob Evans. A lot of kids want to be pampered. Now we can debate that style. How can Mick get better recruits while still maintaining that recruiting philosophy? I dont know. I suspect the more you win the more willing certain guys will be to buying in. Im saying I dont want higher rated recruits at the cost of our culture. The key is to find a way to merge them.

If Mick tells the truth and only gets guys he wants to buy in then why have so many guys transferred? Since the class of 2011 : Ellis, Davis III, Strickland, Gaines, Morman and Lawrence. So is that strategy really even working?

 

[jacobkdoyle]

Where did I say we were above? I said Mick is honest with the guys he is recruiting. I said other coaches arent. I never made a moral statement. If Mick thinks his program is better off with a 3 star guy that buys in over high 4 star pre-madonna that is his choice. If you dont like it so be it. What does wanting a new arena have to do with anything I said? I swear this site has become a brain drain. Back to 24/7.

Memphis and St. John's have been mentioned on here 800 times in this past week. I was joking around when I asked about that logic. I thought that was obvious. But you (and others) only feel comfortable using them as the examples bc those just so happen to be the 2 schools that we typically finish ahead of, despite their recruiting efforts. So the fact that those schools are held to a such a low standard on here, does in fact give me the feeling that some think we're above their approach. No doubt. If that wasn't the case, then what's the point of so many people happening to mention those 2 particular schools?

Have you ever seen the movie Collateral? Fellow UC fans are starting to remind me of Jamie Foxx in that movie. He's a cab driver, but he has MUCH bigger plans. He's going to start a high-end limo company that has an island feel. Tom Cruise says "That's cool, how long have you been a cab driver then?" The answer is 14 years. You see, Jamie Foxx got exposed. He DOES plan on starting the company, but only when "everything works out". But he knows deep down that everything won't work out. There's never an exact right time. So he has accepted his fate. In his down time, he flips down his visor, where he has a picture of an island...and he "just goes there". That's how UC fans have become. We're in year 10 now. Oh how time flies (Mick has been the coach for 10% or more of all of our lives). Phase 1 was getting back to winning and getting in the tournament. And it is complete. It has been for a while. So when is Phase 2? It seems like the easy way to answer that for some of you guys, is to flip down the visor, and "just go there". Our "island" is this perfect world where Mick is the King of college basketball, we have a beautiful brand new arena, we're in the Big 12, and these 5-star guys are just lining up! It's fantasy land. I'm sorry, but it is. You say you can't just snap your fingers and get better recruits...well does a snap of the fingers take a decade? Mick's patched together class in 2006 ranked #59 on 247. Our class this year is #54. You have to admit, with Mick's reputation in recruiting, if someone would've told you back in 2006 where the 2015 class ranked, you'd be a little miffed. At the very least, you'd have some questions.

Look, Mick has checked off a lot of boxes on the "Healthy Program Checklist". But we're not even close to finished. If some of you want to set up base camp halfway up the mountain, and wait for the absolute perfect conditions to advance from there, that's fine. But that's not me. And I'm not sorry about that. Maybe stop being so oversensitive about Mick Cronin, and understand that not everyone has the exact same vision for the program? In fact, it'd be really weird if we all agreed on everything, like apparently some of you expect. We have a long way to go. And if Mick is here for the long haul, then we need to start setting new goals, and checking off those boxes for the goals that we haven't reached yet. And if people mentioning that is so uncomfortable for you that you need to leave the site, then ok. Have fun in Utopia.

 

[JackBauer151]

My discontent has nothing to do with someone disagreeing with me. This site used to be well informed people disagreeing about things all the time. With the success we have had and are about to have (Yes next years team is going to be awesome) you would think the conversation would be somewhat of a positive one. Jeff was right. The site is not the same. Every thread gets bogged down is some sort of negative bullshit. If you knew nothing about our program and read this site you would think we had been put through the damn ringer. That we just are awful. Think the recruiting is bad? Ok, then tell me how you would fix it? Think Mick sucks? Tell me who would replace him and why it would be a good idea? Ignore all the obstacles the program faces all you want. Doesnt change the reality. I know these are not all of your ideas but they dominate the site. It's fine with differing opinions. I just challenge people to support their opinions. I'm absolutely excited about where the program is and where is has the potential to go. Some of the people on here seriously are living in the past. We were blessed to have Bob. He is going to be in the hall of fame and in his 16 years here he went to ONE final four. ONE. One sweet 16 since '96. Bearcat basketball is not some juggernaut that has gone down hill. It's performing at a level commensurate with its placement within the landscape of college basketball. We are in the top 25 polls, we play on ESPN, we are talked about by national pundits, we've won a conference championship, we've had a first team all american, we've put players in the NBA, we annually go to the NCAA tournament, we have good kids who graduate, isnt this a program that we should be EXTREMELY proud of? Do you have any idea how many programs wish they could even sniff that kind of success. Dont you think this is a program that is on an upward trajectory with immense potential? So yes if you think I live in Utopia by all means think that. I choose to be appreciative of what we have. I choose to talk about the potential of the program. Nobody is above constructive criticism. Especially not the UC athletic department and the coaches they employ. I just want to talk about things within the scope of reality and have a reasonable perspective. Coming on here and saying "The recruiting sucks." is not only pointless but false. Talk about style of play. Talk about recruiting philosophy without going completely off the rails. Im obviously in the minority on this. So yes Jacob I'll leave but for the love of God cheer up man. A lot of cool shit is happening with this program. It's gonna be a lot of fun to watch when it gets to where it's going.

 

[TheLongHaul]

This site use fine with differing opinions. I just challenge people to support their opinions.

So can you support your position:

Where did I say we were above? I said Mick is honest with the guys he is recruiting. I said other coaches arent. I never made a moral statement. If Mick thinks his program is better off with a 3 star guy that buys in over high 4 star pre-madonna that is his choice. If you dont like it so be it. What does wanting a new arena have to do with anything I said? I swear this site has become a brain drain. Back to 24/7.

What's with all the threats on here? Go back to 24/7 where any non-peachy thought gets ripped apart. Think anyone really cares if you stop posting? This thread has actually been pretty good. Many here like the state of the program but want better. Others are perfectly happy where it's at. It's the offseason and it's giving people something to talk about. Don't let the door hit you on your way out.

 

[mdchick]

Jack Bauer absolutely hit the nail of the head with that long post. I agree with every single word of it!

 

[Bulldog01]

Jack Bauer absolutely hit the nail of the head with that long post. I agree with every single word of it!

So can u support your opinion??? Do you have any information on uc right now?

 

[Bulldog01]

Jack Bauer absolutely hit the nail of the head with that long post. I agree with every single word of it!

U think scoonie penn a be good coach? Should we give one of LeBron ex teammates that coach job for aau connection?

 

[Ryno99]

Ya know I have to agree with Jack, I used to spend a lot more time here and read every single basketball forum post, but don't anymore. I'm sure no one cares, if I'm here or not, that's not what I'm saying it's just gotten to the point that we have posts like the last two bulldog posted, not to call him out, but what value do those add to this forum? You have too many posters beating dead horses into smithereens, its just not the enjoyable site it once was and it really sucks because there are no good UC basketball outlets and this used to be it. The unfortunate part is you'll never change it. I've witnessed it and tried to change it on other sites, but once you get so many posters you aren't going to change people and short of banning people for their BS it's not going to change, and you can't really just ban people for BS.

 

[jacobkdoyle]

Ya know I have to agree with Jack, I used to spend a lot more time here and read every single basketball forum post, but don't anymore. I'm sure no one cares, if I'm here or not, that's not what I'm saying it's just gotten to the point that we have posts like the last two bulldog posted, not to call him out, but what value do those add to this forum? You have too many posters beating dead horses into smithereens, its just not the enjoyable site it once was and it really sucks because there are no good UC basketball outlets and this used to be it. The unfortunate part is you'll never change it. I've witnessed it and tried to change it on other sites, but once you get so many posters you aren't going to change people and short of banning people for their BS it's not going to change, and you can't really just ban people for BS.

I hear you Ryno. Offseason is always going to be a little slower, especially when we don't sign anyone. I'm sure I'm one of the dead horse beaters. So I will be more careful about that. And I think the tone has shifted for some bc we are going off of what the coaches were telling us going into this recruiting period. Hopefully we land a big man soon. AND hopefully the football team can give us something to cheer about as well, so the microscope isn't always on everything the basketball team is doing.

 

[mdchick]

U think scoonie penn a be good coach? Should we give one of LeBron ex teammates that coach job for aau connection?

I literally never know what you are talking about, how does this comment make any sense with a post of me saying I agree with someone about something. Every time I see you post something I usually just skip it. But I really wonder if you understand that no one on here takes you seriously nor do I think you have ever had an insightful post.