State of the team

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LeftyRose said:
Fifth-best recruiting class in conference, in a conference with two NCAA bids, is not acceptable.

I mentioned earlier, return to Nike. Cincinnati needs Nike, more than Nike needs Cincinnati. At least one coach agrees with me about their influence:
http://louisville.247sports.com/Article/Pitino-blasts-Nikes-recruiting-influence--31885983

You also need to take risks on guys. Believe in yourself and your program to help some of these kids, and they are kids, develop into men. Many of them have never had much in the way of constructive direction, and it's your chance to help them see the world from another perspective.
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Agree on all fronts. I do think Mick has been given restrictions on the type of kids be can bring in but that shouldn't exclude everyone.

Also I like the move away from Adidas but I wish it had been toward Nike.
 
bearcat jeff said:
Agree on all fronts. I do think Mick has been given restrictions on the type of kids be can bring in but that shouldn't exclude everyone.

Also I like the move away from Adidas but I wish it had been toward Nike.
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The only problem with Nike is that they would not have given us near the amount of money that Under Armor is giving us. UA is looking at us like an important investment piece for the future.
 
D

L-T said:
Well, our fanbase is so far behind the loyalty level and excitement level of Louiville's fanbase at this point, it will be a while before we can track them down....again!. But, I agree, there was a time, not long after they won national championships, where we tracked them down and had them breathing the fumes of our tailpipe. I keep repeating myself, but it's all about recruiting in my opinion. If there's not an upgrade in recruiting, we'll stay right where we are, probably making the tournament every year, but little more. I certainly think the program could use a significant event, or season, to occur in order to shake the cobwebs off our fanbase and get this thing moving again. These next two years are when it can happen. Let's hope it does.
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L-T there are a number of reasons we are behind Louisville. Comparing where we are now to where we were then is not exactly apples and oranges. The landscape of college athletics is changing daily. You made a very nice point a week ago about how far the Football Cats have come. Who would have thought they would be the flag ship of our athletic program? They are driving the budget. You couldn't say that 10-12 years ago.

Maybe you as a donor and someone who may have excess to the BOT the rest of us don't can shed some light on why Huggins was let go. I also don't believe Nancy Z came in here and said I'm making a change and firing Huggins. I have been in industry awhile and I can tell you with total certainty that isn't how it works. She was given a direction upon her arrival did the dirty work and was on her way. There is a much bigger picture connected to those events. They hired a virtual unknown, who came cheap with little experience too replace a legend. The town worshipped him. Anyone replacing him was almost certainly doomed to failure. We were entering the toughest Basketball conference in the country. Who had a very weak Football league. Had to be more then just a DUI that was in play. Bob fighting the process didn't help matters. It put us much farther behind. I don't think the BOT could have envisioned the kind of success Mick has had. It has been a bonus.Networks, power 5 conferences and other factors had to be on the horizon during that period. They didn't just spring up overnight. Could the BOT been that blind? Was it academics as well? Was their posturing going on to move to a different league?

Mick has battled his tail off to create some respectability for the program. Yes, his recruiting needs to improve, it is a daunting task. Small budget,relatively young unknown coach,limited Admin support and facilities. If he went to a school with more resources in a better conference following up with what he has accomplished here he would be on his way professionally. He has done very well under the circumstances. Does this school have the resources to sustain and develope two programs simultanously and get itself into a power 5 conference?

When we talk about our dissatisfaction with the Coach who would want to come here? Who could do a better job and want to stay long term?The point I'm making and the reason we seem to be at odds is because I see enough improvement in Mick and the team over the 9 years to believe he can get it done long term. I'm not ready to risk hiring another coach to try and get a bit more success now understanding the circumstances he has to deal with. Starting over is not appealing to me. My thought is if he could make us relevant in the big east under the circumstances he had to do it with he is the guy for the job. If we ever get to the point where we are in a power 5 conference,improve the facilities and even the playing field against the coaches he is recruiting against Mick can and will get it done. If I didn't believe that I would want a change. I want a big time program every bit as much as you do.
 
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The 11: Kansas (26), Duke (20), Mich. St. (18), Wisc. & Gonz. (17), Louisville (9), Ohio St (7), SDSU (6), and N.Car, VCU & UC (5). Not too shabby company...
 
LaxCat31 said:
The only problem with Nike is that they would not have given us near the amount of money that Under Armor is giving us. UA is looking at us like an important investment piece for the future.
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I think there'd be some more wiggle room in the budget if Cronin made what, say Santa Ono, makes. We need UA, because we need to pay Cronin, and he's not performing well-enough at the box office.

Now, you might counter that Cronin could make that much elsewhere, and you may be right. But, I harbor no sympathy for a program's lack of resources when the coaches are eating an absurd percentage of the basketball cost center with personal salaries and other perks. And, then you want to divert fundraising from legitimate medical research to finance an arena or a plane?

Cronin would win me over tomorrow if he came out and said, look, I want to get it done here. If that means taking a pay decrease for the time being, so that we can accomplish some things, okay. I'll still be safely in the top 1% of earners in our region, and I've already made a lot of money in my career, enough to ensure my family's future financial security.

Ono refuses to take salary increases. It's a gesture that really puts a positive light on him, in my opinion.

(BTW, Lax, not speaking to you directly, just in general.)
 
LeftyRose said:
I think there'd be some more wiggle room in the budget if Cronin made what, say Santa Ono, makes. We need UA, because we need to pay Cronin, and he's not performing well-enough at the box office.

Now, you might counter that Cronin could make that much elsewhere, and you may be right. But, I harbor no sympathy for a program's lack of resources when the coaches are eating an absurd percentage of the basketball cost center with personal salaries and other perks. And, then you want to divert fundraising from legitimate medical research to finance an arena or a plane?

Cronin would win me over tomorrow if he came out and said, look, I want to get it done here. If that means taking a pay decrease for the time being, so that we can accomplish some things, okay. I'll still be safely in the top 1% of earners in our region, and I've already made a lot of money in my career, enough to ensure my family's future financial security.

Ono refuses to take salary increases. It's a gesture that really puts a positive light on him, in my opinion.

(BTW, Lax, not speaking to you directly, just in general.)
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i respect Santa Ono's position and generous gesture. But I don't hold it against Mick if he negotiates a contract that pays him for his services. The BOT did not have to agree.
 
He makes the money he makes because he could make more elsewhere and the school doesn't want to lose him.

That is very good company UC finds itself in as far as consecutive trips to the NCAA. Please reference the statement above.
 
LeftyRose said:
I think there'd be some more wiggle room in the budget if Cronin made what, say Santa Ono, makes. We need UA, because we need to pay Cronin, and he's not performing well-enough at the box office.

Now, you might counter that Cronin could make that much elsewhere, and you may be right. But, I harbor no sympathy for a program's lack of resources when the coaches are eating an absurd percentage of the basketball cost center with personal salaries and other perks. And, then you want to divert fundraising from legitimate medical research to finance an arena or a plane?

Cronin would win me over tomorrow if he came out and said, look, I want to get it done here. If that means taking a pay decrease for the time being, so that we can accomplish some things, okay. I'll still be safely in the top 1% of earners in our region, and I've already made a lot of money in my career, enough to ensure my family's future financial security.

Ono refuses to take salary increases. It's a gesture that really puts a positive light on him, in my opinion.

(BTW, Lax, not speaking to you directly, just in general.)
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What high major coach takes a pay decrease to help out his program. This will never happen, ANYWHERE. Also what does that say about your program and the support of the administration and boosters? Our head coach has to take a pay cut so we can have Nike instead of UA. That is just flat out nuts. Want the resources to be better? Go to games, make donations, demand that the powers at be invest in the program at a high level. He is doing his job. The fans, alumni, boosters, and especially those in the administration need to start doing theirs. Want to be a top flight program? Keep up with the joneses of everybody else. Get his ass a plane, a new arena, an unlimited recruiting budget, a better conference, and new locker rooms. From where I sit he has 5 striaght NCAA tournament appearances, 5 of the last 6 years has been ranked in the top 25, the top 10 the last two before this year, a sweet 16, a conference championship, a coach of the year award, first team all american, and currently 3 players in NBA organizations. Can UC improve? Yes. Give him the tools and if the results remain the same then the criticism that he gets on this site and throughout certain circles of the fan base would match up. Until then its on the administration in my eyes.
 
Bulldog01 said:
Team more talented as a whole than last year. We only really lost SK, I'll rather have Clark/Ellis over JJ/rubles.
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I actually agree with this. I loved the toughness of those guys last year and they were the reason we climbed to number 7 in the polls. They turned playing hard into an actual skill as Jay Bilas said. However last year I thought was fools gold the whole season. I didnt think we were as talented as our ranking but willed ourself to that ranking. Which is something to be very proud of. However I think the duo of Ellis and Clark are more talented and their ceiling is much higher than Justin and Titus. Now we just have to have a guard step up with this group and next year its money time.
 
LeftyRose said:
I think Cincinnati is capable, as a program, of performing on the same level as, for example, Louisville. By this, I mean average SRS in the neighborhood of ~18. NCAA tournament bids are expected, and not used as the definitive measure of the program's success.

Historically, and I mean recent history, it's been proven by Huggins that this feat can be accomplished for a sustained period.

On the other hand, if we dive into the 80s, there is evidence that Cincinnati can completely drop off the map, like, for example, Houston.

I think the program is at a fragile state, being in this terrible conference (two bids), and a lot of people are scared to death that if Cronin left, the program would nosedive. It doesn't help that the regional competition has increased immensely in the past 15 years (compare Louisville, Xavier, Dayton, OSU, and Butler, 15 years ago to today).

It also doesn't help that Cronin appears to be a very ethical guy, when so many other programs are willing to tip toe the compliance foul line. I admire Mick on this issue. I wasn't a fan of why he got the Louisville job, but I understand: Working for Pitino is like the college basketball equivalent of being valedictorian from Harvard. His first loyalty is as provider for his family.

Also, we don't know to what extent the board is handcuffing Cronin. Is there an understanding that Cronin will not take risks on certain players with checkered pasts? He may be under certain pressures or influences we are not aware of.

A part of me was secretly hoping that Cronin would coach this weekend, because, if he was able to comeback and beat UK, it would be the story of the year, perhaps the last five years, in college basketball. He'd be an instant celebrity, and the program would be off-and-running. But, obviously, his long-term health is of much greater concern. Maybe, LD, who did a fantastic job with these guys, can pull off this miracle.
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ALL of uc top recruits under Mick had checkered past besides cash
 
UCalum08 said:
I missed the radio show tonight. Did anyone listen?
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I only heard bits and pieces but the two things that jumped out to me were:

1) Said that there isnt anything he can say about the UCONN game that wont get him fined or suspended.

2) Said he wants to add a big piece in recruiting to next year's team to go on a really deep run.
 
JackBauer151 said:
I only heard bits and pieces but the two things that jumped out to me were:

1) Said that there isnt anything he can say about the UCONN game that wont get him fined or suspended.

2) Said he wants to add a big piece in recruiting to next year's team to go on a really deep run.
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Because there are years he doesn't want to add a big piece in recruiting and not go on a run in the tourney? Typical coaching rhetoric.
 

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