Ten Coaches on the Hot Seat

[Bearcat_NTS]

9. Mick Cronin, Cincinnati
Buzz: Cronin is a Cincinnati guy with long ties to the program, but even the most ardent Bearcats fans has to be a little disappointed with how things have gone recently. Cincinnati football has become a dominant program in the Big East since the Bearcats joined the league in time for the 2005-06 academic year. But not so for Bearcats basketball. Cronin is entering his fifth season and hasn't taken the Bearcats to the NCAA tourney. Cincy had a losing record in each of his first two seasons and is a combined 36-29 over the past two seasons, and 2010-11 looks as if it will be another .500-type season.

http://collegebasketball.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1100007

so much for UC fans being the only ones concerned.

 

[westsidecat]

9. Mick Cronin, Cincinnati
Buzz: Cronin is a Cincinnati guy with long ties to the program, but even the most ardent Bearcats fans has to be a little disappointed with how things have gone recently. Cincinnati football has become a dominant program in the Big East since the Bearcats joined the league in time for the 2005-06 academic year. But not so for Bearcats basketball. Cronin is entering his fifth season and hasn't taken the Bearcats to the NCAA tourney. Cincy had a losing record in each of his first two seasons and is a combined 36-29 over the past two seasons, and 2010-11 looks as if it will be another .500-type season.

http://collegebasketball.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1100007

so much for UC fans being the only ones concerned.

Somewhat surprised to see Weber on this list. He has a great class coming in and has a nice one shaping up for 2011 as well. I guess it all comes down to what have you done for me lately.

 

[bearcat jeff]

I said last season if Mick didn't make the NCAA it was time for a change. Would have liked to have done it prior to the BEast Tourney. Since he is still the head coach of the program I love, I will support him and the team. To me this season is simple, NCAA or hire a new coach. My hope is Mick is successful and the team has a great season. From everything I am hearing the players are really working hard to make that happen.

 

[JasonS]

Does anyone else see this season as the tipping point for a snow ball? If Mick and the team is successful this year (NCAA Tourney), I could see the recruiting starting to take off and the success we all love, miss, and crave could be back. I mean, we are so close on so many top prospects and I think a good season could put Mick and the Bearcats over the top. If it is another poor end to the season, I could see things snowballing the other way too.

 

[nparker1]

I understand peoples' arguments against Mick, and at times it looks like Mick may not be the man for the job. However, my question to those calling for his head (mainly a rival forum) is who should UC bring in as a replacement? What coach is available that will come to UC and turn things around drastically? If such a coach exists, what are the chances that this coach will not always be looking for the next big opportunity? Not only is Mick a hometown guy, he at one-time would seen as a young coach with lots of potential nationally. I truly believe Mick when he says that UC is his dream job, unlike a coach Kelly or Thad Motta. Like I said, I understand peoples' opinions, but I question if there is a better option out there for this school. All doubts will be answered this year when the 'Cats make the tourney!
Go Bearcats!

 

[JasonS]

I understand peoples' arguments against Mick, and at times it looks like Mick may not be the man for the job. However, my question to those calling for his head (mainly a rival forum) is who should UC bring in as a replacement? What coach is available that will come to UC and turn things around drastically? If such a coach exists, what are the chances that this coach will not always be looking for the next big opportunity? Not only is Mick a hometown guy, he at one-time would seen as a young coach with lots of potential nationally. I truly believe Mick when he says that UC is his dream job, unlike a coach Kelly or Thad Motta. Like I said, I understand peoples' opinions, but I question if there is a better option out there for this school. All doubts will be answered this year when the 'Cats make the tourney!
Go Bearcats!

Your concern about who is the next man in and how long would he stay if successful is my biggest concern too. I also think Mick is the right man for the job but how long can you wait? I hope the team is successful this year so we can all stop wondering about it.

 

[Little Danny]

If UC basketball tanks it again this season Mike Thomas will have no choice but to fire Mick. If not for any reason it has to be for attendance. The attendance is getting to the point of embarrassment. Pretty soon they will have to move the games over to Hughes' Kruek Gym or somewhere to keep costs down. Doubt we could fill their gym either.

 

[bearcat jeff]

Does anyone else see this season as the tipping point for a snow ball? If Mick and the team is successful this year (NCAA Tourney), I could see the recruiting starting to take off and the success we all love, miss, and crave could be back. I mean, we are so close on so many top prospects and I think a good season could put Mick and the Bearcats over the top. If it is another poor end to the season, I could see things snowballing the other way too.

Very well stated. I thought last season was huge but not critical. I see this season as absolutely critical. In my opinion a trip to the NCAA last season would have given a tremendous boost to the 2011 recruiting class and we may have received some commitments already from some of these top recruits Mick has been close on. Mick DOES get in with top recruits and they like him. The missing ingredient is winning. The other intangible is can he bring a team together? Can he make the sum greater than the parts? So far I haven't seen that from him.

As far as who would UC land if Mick were gone? The answer is simple. Because of the positive work He has done, there will be a better crop of candidates. No major coach wanted the job before because of the obstacles that were there. It was a damaged program that was depleted and you would have followed arguably the most popular coach in the history of the program. Somebody would inherit a much better situation now.

Again, my hope is Mick is successful. Continuity is the best thing for a program. That continuity has to include winning.

 

[swg]

Him being on the list should surprise no one, least of all the man himself. UC needs to win next year.

 

[psax889906]

Him being on the list should surprise no one, least of all the man himself. UC needs to win next year.

I think when you put aside all the politics, rhetoric and coach speak Cronin will be the first to tell you there are no longer any excuses... he has to win this year, plain and simple.

And we're not saying win the NCAA Championship, simply making the tournament would be enough for most people I think.

 

[cincycpaw]

I thought last season was huge but not critical. I see this season as absolutely critical.

I thought last season WAS critical. Best chance to make the tourney and turn things around. Failing to do so has put the program in a very difficult situation where the team we have must overachieve (that's my opinion anyhow) in order to make the NCAA tourney and help Mick keep his job. In reality though, I think Mick has this year and next year regardless. When Mike Thomas decided not to fire Mick after last season's disappointment, he was basically giving him the 2011 recruiting class and year to fix it in my opinion.

 

[david aka the TYZ]

Does anyone else see this season as the tipping point for a snow ball? If Mick and the team is successful this year (NCAA Tourney), I could see the recruiting starting to take off and the success we all love, miss, and crave could be back. I mean, we are so close on so many top prospects and I think a good season could put Mick and the Bearcats over the top. If it is another poor end to the season, I could see things snowballing the other way too.

Well stated. I completely agree. I think there are enough fans around that saw that last year wasn't completely Mick's fault and are waiting to see what happens this year. Another year of underacheiving and a lot of these fans will be calling for Mick's head. Let's be realistic, last year was really the first team out of Mick that we thought going in they were going to be good and would make the tourney. It was the first year the Bearcats really disappointed. Years before that we didn't have the talent to realistically be at the top of the Big East and we saw the progress that was to be expected given the situation the program was in.

You don't fire a coach after one bad season. Two years of underachieveing is a different story. I still think last year was just a bad dynamic that kind of stifled Mick's ability to run the type of gameplan he wants to run. This year that shouldn't be a problem as long as Cash stays healthy.

And success this year is so crucial to his ability to recruit big time and Big East caliber players. There's only so much rebuilding you can preach and he is at the end of the rope. We already saw it affect his ability to get these late recruits for 2010. There will be some names around late for 2011 and we need to make the tourney to land any of them. Guys don't wait to sign to go to a losing team. They wait to fully see what program is the right situation after the season.

 

[TheLivingLegend]

I think when you put aside all the politics, rhetoric and coach speak Cronin will be the first to tell you there are no longer any excuses...

Ya and Marvin Lewis will no longer hold one post game press conferance and replay it weekly

 

[psax889906]

Ya and Marvin Lewis will no longer hold one post game press conferance and replay it weekly

I said when you put all that stuff aside... which will never happen in public. Nothing about my statement was false.