Mick Cronin

[brownlavender]

What a sour grapes bozo this guy is!! Watching the news today they did a preview of their game tonight and all Mick had to say at how great the big east is and how their bottom dwellers can beat anybody anywhere. He then went on to say look at seton hall and how good they are. Just imagine where they would be if they were in the A 10. I dunno Mick maybe bottom third to middle of the pack. If it isn't the league's toughness and all his losses it's the refs. What a D bag, get a real gameplan and coach your team instead of always crying!!

[XU 87]

Just imagine where they would be if they were in the A 10.

Is that a Cronin quote? He really said that?

[Espe]

Mick Cronin slobbering all over the Big East's balls? I find that hard to believe. Show me the video or it didnt happen

[xumuskies08]

Link??? I can't find the article you mentioned.

[waggy]

Cronin has an A10 obsession worse than some posters GG obsession.

[brownlavender]

it was on channel 9 news cincinnati around 6:20 today I don't know if they'll have a recap on their website or not haven't looked.

[Xman95]

Just imagine where they would be if they were in the A 10.

Well, I know where UC would be...behind XU just like any other year.

Hey, Mick, kiss XU's ass. That should be easy being that you're always lagging about a step behind.

[AdamtheFlyer]

Ha ha, Seton Hall is the new Syracuse.

"Are you telling me Seton Hall wouldn't win the A10?"

[An X Fan]

Well done tonight Mick - well done. Turd.

[gladdenguy]

A loss to St. Johns......I guess the Bearcats are THE bottom feeder.

[boozehound]

A loss to St. Johns......I guess the Bearcats are THE bottom feeder.

Mick Cronin has to be the worst ****ing coach in NCAA basketball. I really mean that. He can't get his kids to play for shit. They freaking laugh to each other as soon as he turns his back after yelling at them during games. None of his players have one iota of respect for him.

He is a tiny, pathetic little charicature of a 'man' who is not good at his job. My favorite thing is when people talk about how good of a recruiter he is. Really? He has gotten some good recruits but not consistantly enough, and THEY NEVER DEVELOP. Does it matter if he can recruit? I'm surprised that he can still get anyone to commit to play in his talent black hole.

I hope he stays at UC for another 20 years, but honestly, how this 'man' is a D1 coach I do not understand. The true mark of someone failing at their job is when they try to rationalize why they can't do their job. It is never their fault, but always someone else's. That kind of excuse making feeds on itself and makes you an even bigger loser.

The funny thing is that I'll bet there isn't a school in the A-10 who would hire his sorry ass as a coach right now. Shit, Right now, if I was High Point, I wouldn't want Cronin. I can't imagine he is at UC much longer. He'll probably be coaching LaSalle High School pretty soon. Loser.

[An X Fan]

They freaking laugh to each other as soon as he turns his back after yelling at them during games. None of his players have one iota of respect for him.

Can't blame them - just look at the little troll. But UC only gets 4,000 to their basketball games, so do they even notice?

[muskiefan82]

The sad thing here is that this was supposed to be THE year for them.

It doesn't seem to be materializing that way AND if Gates and Stephenson leave early with Vaughn gone after this year, who scores at all on that team next year?

Ouch.

[GuyFawkes38]

I'm as sick of Mick complaining about the toughness of the Big East as anyone.

But I do sort of wonder if he's right. Conference affiliation basically locks your schedule into playing certain teams. You don't want a schedule that locks you into playing all top 25 teams (lose nearly every game and your out of the tourney). On the other hand, you don't want a schedule that has you compete against teams in the bottom 25 (win every game, but still can't get an at large bid).

You need a balance between the two. Although not every team in the Big East is top 25, I wonder if Big East affiliation locks you into a schedule that prohibits a school from reaching a good balance.

Anyways, I'm glad X isn't in the Big East. It gives us more flexibility to create a schedule which suits us.

[D-West & PO-Z]

I love that UC is tanking. I hate them. I hate Mick. Go Red Storm.

[danaandvictory]

Nothing in the world would be more hilarious than Notre Dame smoking them on Saturday with all the hillbillies screaming bloody murder about Brian Kelly.

[Jesuit4Life]

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/recap?gid=201001130534

...Stephenson struggled all game but it did seem he and the Bearcats were going to be on the right end of the final score but they couldn’t get the ball inbounds in the final 10 seconds and Hardy turned the two turnovers into the deciding free throws.

“Our guys really stayed tough at the end of the game and made some huge plays,” St. John’s coach Norm Roberts said. “Hardy stepped in there and made some plays.”

Hardy stole a long inbounds pass by Rashad Bishop, was fouled with 8.5 seconds left and made both free throws to tie the game at 50.

He then stole another inbounds pass by Bishop—this one at the free throw line—and was fouled as he went to shoot with 7.6 seconds left. Hardy made both free throws and Deonta Vaughn’s 3 for the win with a second left bounced off the rim.

Hardy finished 6 of 6 at the free throw line, while the Red Storm (11-5, 1-3 Big East) were 11 of 20. Hardy came into the game shooting 71 percent at the line.

“What we have to do, in the last 10 seconds, is not blow the game,” Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin said. “They are a good team, they have good players and are in a must-win situation. We met the challenge and had the game won. I am not going to act like the sky is falling. We had the game won. There are a lot of positives except the last 10 seconds.”...

[Xman95]

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/recap?gid=201001130534

In 1983, I wonder if Guy Lewis told his Houston team that the National Championship game was actually positive. They basically had earned at least a tie. You know, except for that last shot that NC State made to win the tournament. But if you overlook that, Houston was the co-champ. AWESOME!!

(Even worse for Cronin is that losing to St. John's is a long, long way off from losing in a championship game.)

[Xman95]

http://hotdogandfriends.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/douchebag.jpg

[Xaveriana]

Way to impact our RPI...Loser/Troll. To a man all of my UC friends agree--Mick is not the answer. He reminds me of the guy that needs to knock others down to feel better about himself. What a tool. Go back to LaSalle High School you f'in Troll. :mad:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2698/4255064211_0b7836e2e6_o.jpg

[PattyMac1021]

As much as I hate UC, I hate to see them lose because then one of our "good" wins stops looking good. If UC wants to have any level of success in this new decade, they'd be wise to fire Cronin at the end of this season. I think we already know that the 2010-2011 season will be a bust for them as well.

[chico]

Mick's doing a great job and is ahead of schedule this year. Usually his teams don't implode until mid-February.

[UC observer]

ha, X message board has 3 pages on our coach? X cares more about UC losing than X winning and I honestly believe that. UC isnt playing well. Need to finish. That is on team leaders and quality coaching.

Funny thing is, UC still has a lot better wins than X. None of UC loses are that bad. Only 1 loss at home to a very good Pitt team. Still no excuse for a team with this much talent to be in the position they are in.

[_LH]

Mick Cronin has to be the worst ****ing coach in NCAA basketball. I really mean that. He can't get his kids to play for shit. They freaking laugh to each other as soon as he turns his back after yelling at them during games. None of his players have one iota of respect for him.

He is a tiny, pathetic little charicature of a 'man' who is not good at his job. My favorite thing is when people talk about how good of a recruiter he is. Really? He has gotten some good recruits but not consistantly enough, and THEY NEVER DEVELOP. Does it matter if he can recruit? I'm surprised that he can still get anyone to commit to play in his talent black hole.

I hope he stays at UC for another 20 years, but honestly, how this 'man' is a D1 coach I do not understand. The true mark of someone failing at their job is when they try to rationalize why they can't do their job. It is never their fault, but always someone else's. That kind of excuse making feeds on itself and makes you an even bigger loser.

The funny thing is that I'll bet there isn't a school in the A-10 who would hire his sorry ass as a coach right now. Shit, Right now, if I was High Point, I wouldn't want Cronin. I can't imagine he is at UC much longer. He'll probably be coaching LaSalle High School pretty soon. Loser.

When Huggins was finally fired for the reputation he brought to the University, the Men's Basketball Head Coaching position was one that I think was very disireable.

Granted, any replacement was going to have huge shoes and pants to fill but, UC was coming off dominating CUSA for 10 years and entering into the Big East.

For whatever reason, UC chose not to shoot higher than Mick Cronin. UC "fans" went on and on about how Cronin recruiting such great players under Huggins and Patino, forgetting of course that a monkey can recruit for Patino and winning programs. Recruits wanted to play from Huggins and Patino, they couldn't care less what assistant came with the offer.

Excuses started immediately on why Cronin would struggle for 3 years and everyone pointed to year 4 as the make or break year. Now, it is obvious that Cronin was a bad hire but the once desireable UC job is no longer. For that, Mick Cronin, I thank you.

I want UC to lose every game they play every year. I hope Cronin stays another 4 years but eventually, UC will fire him. I just hope his replacement is just as bad.

[UC observer]

I disagree. This job was not very attractive when Huggs left. The program was in shambles about to go to the Big East without a fighting chance for at least 2 full seasons.

Also, UC could not and still can not come up with the money to hire a big time coach. It is not easy running a championship football program.

Mick can recruit. Look at the rankings of his players. He has a couple of 5 stars and a few 4 stars. Problem is he hasnt developed them. Not one! He can recruit though without a doubt. Jury is still out but he needs to make the tournament this year and really should

[_LH]

It was a pretty attractive job when Huggins was fired and it was not like Huggins was making peanuts at UC. UC dropped the ball with the hiring of Cronin. His recruiting prowess was overrated but I an thankful he is at UC.

[Snipe]

Mick's doing a great job and is ahead of schedule this year. Usually his teams don't implode until mid-February.

Amen brother. I was rooting for UC to win because I knew the late season slide was coming. Now it looks like it will be a season long slide.

We need to root for Mick to win some because it is in our interests that they keep him. Think of him as our man on the ground in Clifton.

[chico]

Funny thing is, UC still has a lot better wins than X.

Not better grammar.

[Mark 3 Pointer]

ha, X message board has 3 pages on our coach? X cares more about UC losing than X winning and I honestly believe that. UC isnt playing well. Need to finish. That is on team leaders and quality coaching.

Funny thing is, UC still has a lot better wins than X. None of UC loses are that bad. Only 1 loss at home to a very good Pitt team. Still no excuse for a team with this much talent to be in the position they are in.


This X message board also has:

30 pages on Chris Smitherman
21 pages on Miss California
20 pages on Week #7 of College Football

That should put Cronin's relevance here into perspective.

[kyxu]

ha, X message board has 3 pages on our coach? X cares more about UC losing than X winning and I honestly believe that. UC isnt playing well. Need to finish. That is on team leaders and quality coaching.

Funny thing is, UC still has a lot better wins than X. None of UC loses are that bad. Only 1 loss at home to a very good Pitt team. Still no excuse for a team with this much talent to be in the position they are in.

-said the UC fan on a Xavier message board

[JimCoker]

SINCE I HATE UC AND MICK CRONIN, I WANT TO SHARE MO EGGER'S BLOG FROM TODAY. While Mo is a UC fan, he is not the jerk that Lance McAllister is. This made for some enjoyable reading.....


No chicks on this post. I'm blogging angry today. And frankly, if not for this company's restrictions on the type of language I can use on this site, you'd get a true idea of my immediate reaction to the biggest debacle since I've been rooting for UC basketball, which goes back quite a while.

I didn't listen to the postgame show last night because I didn't care. I don't care what the reasons are. I don't care to hear the excuses. I don't want to hear how hard they played, or who's fault it was. I don't want to hear how I have to "give St. John's credit." I simply don't care about anything other than the fact that I saw a team choke away a lead with less than a minute ago not because the opponent made key plays down the stretch, not because a team made a fluke shot, but because the Bearcats couldn't complete an inbounds pass...because the Bearcats could not execute out of a timeout...because the Bearcats made 20 field goals and committed 21 turnovers...because the Bearcats are poorly coached and because the Bearcats have bad players who have no business wearing the black and red.

I'm tired. I'm tired of waiting for the wins, tired of waiting for bad players to develop into decent players, tired of waiting for last year's excuse turning into this year's star, tired of waiting for this team to learn how to close, to learn how to pull out games on the road, to learn how to execute in tough situations.

I'm tired of this team losing.

I'm tired of losses to schools like Seton Hall and St. John's. Maybe those teams have nice records, but really, do you see those names being called on Selection Sunday? I'm tired of losses where the Cats have the lead late, only to choke it away, like the Gonzaga and Xavier losses, and last night's game against St. John's. I'm sick of watching efforts less inspiring than a Katherine Nero newscast like we saw against UAB and Seton Hall. I'm tired of watching this team fail to execute such simple basketball fundamentals as a basic pass, I'm tired of watching them miss open shots, I'm tired of watching them jog back in transition.

I'm tired of losing.

I'm tired of watching an offense that features one man dribbling while everyone else watches him. Bob Bratkowski laughs at UC's offense. I'm tired of five players looking like they're running five different plays. I'm tired of bad defense. I'm tired of bad free throw shooting. I'm tired of watching a lousy three point shooting team that continues to shoot them.

I'm tired of losing.

I'm tired of hearing about how things will be ok when Cashmere Wright is ready. I'm tired of hearing about what's going to happen when Ibrahima Thomas is eligible. I'm tired of hearing about how things would be so much better if Mike Williams wasn't hurt, or if Adam the layup-missing Polish kid was eligible.

I'm tired of losing.

I'm tired of waiting for Larry Davis to get it. Or Darnell Wilks. Or Anthony McClain. Those players are juniors. The lights haven't come on in two and a half years, you start to wonder if it's the bulb or the guy flipping the switch.

I'm tired of losing.

I'm tired of games where more turnovers are committed than free throws made. That was one of the more appalling stats from last night's game.

I'm tired of making jokes with my friends about this team, like the constant Madison Square Garden comparisons between Willis Reed, Patrick Ewing, Bernard King, and Ibrahima Thomas that were flowing free last night.

I'm tired of anticipating the worst rather than expecting the best.

But mainly, I'm tired of losing.

We all have the one team among all the ones we root for that means more to us than the others. The UC basketball squad is that team for me. I've lived and died with them since I was nine. This program has given me some of the best moments of my life, and I've accepted over the last few years that it'd be a while before I consistently felt about it they way I used to. I've stayed with them, loyal to the core. You likely have no idea how much I want this team to win.

But nothing, not an NCAA Tournament loss, not the ouster of a coach, not the losses of the last three years, nothing that this team has done has had me feeling the way I do now about rooting for the Bearcats...pure, unadulterated anger.

I'm tired of losing.

Maybe they rally. Maybe they figure things out over the course of the next 13 games, some against college basketball's beasts, others against teams just as crappy as the one the Bearcats lost to tonight. Maybe Thomas stops shooting threes, and maybe Deonta Vaughn can finally dribble past someone. Maybe Yancy Gates learns how to play defense, perhaps Lance Stephenson goes from "not yet" to "Born Ready." Maybe Steve Toyloy catches a pass, hell there's a chance Matt Belisle passes Anthony McClain as the most useless athlete in the history of Cincinnati sports at some point. This year's goal, hands-down, was to get to the NCAA Tournament. Anything less is a failure, and reason to reassess the program. Maybe they get there, but you'd have an easier time selling me on Amy Winehouse as a sex symbol than you would of selling me on the idea of the Bearcats playing in anything meaningful in March.

This is not an NCAA Tournament team. These are not NCAA Tournament players. And this is not an NCAA Tournament coach.

I'm so tired of losing.

-Meanwhile, while the Bearcats were scoring 50 against a team that wouldn't make the top half of the Atlantic 10, the Xavier Musketeers, a team that consistently beats teams it should, did so against Charlotte last night. They Muskies are starting to look like an NCAA Tournament team, while my favorite squad goes back to trying to figure out on to inbound

[Masterofreality]

Funny thing is, UC still has a lot better wins than X. None of UC loses are that bad. Only 1 loss at home to a very good Pitt team. Still no excuse for a team with this much talent to be in the position they are in.

You can't be serious, right?

What "better wins?" Better than 83-79 over, uh, ummm, some school that loves bad black uniforms- except when they play in a BCS Bowl game and wear all white and get boatraced? Keep drinking that Big Greased Kool Aid about how tough top to bottom that league is. Pitt was lucky to beat Dookcane in OT- only because the Dooks suck worse. U-Con is now being exposed. But forget that.....

Dude, you're team just lost to Sodden Hell and St. Johns Utopia of Central Queens. You're big player Stepehnson went off for a big 7 points last night in his home town and with all of your offensive weapons, you torched the nets in the temple of basketball for all of 50. Nancy Gates takes 2 out of every 3 plays off. Thomas is horrible and Toyloy is a hack machine. Vaughan is your only consistent quality guy and he's gone after this year. You would think after blowing the Sodden Hell game your guys would come out with fire. All you came out with was a loss by not running simple out of bounds plays. I hope you can at least beat DePuke.

Look, now I'm really pissed because SucKS and it's yellow toothed gnome coach are trying to stick it to Xavier again- by losing. Whatever, enjoy your post season romp in either some alphabet soup tournament or, more probably, in oblivion.

[xuwin]

Mo Egger is a UD grad and a UC fan, but, he always seems to be able to give credit when it was due. He does not let his biases cloud his judgement of teams that he does not root for.

[coasterville95]

Step over to JimmyTwo Times thread about Cronin for the link to Lance's show after their last run in with DePuke. Oh and don't be drinking while you listen lest you want beer shooting out your nose.

[wkrq59]

I disagree. This job was not very attractive when Huggs left. The program was in shambles about to go to the Big East without a fighting chance for at least 2 full seasons.
Also, UC could not and still can not come up with the money to hire a big time coach. It is not easy running a championship football program.
Mick can recruit. Look at the rankings of his players. He has a couple of 5 stars and a few 4 stars. Problem is he hasn't developed them. Not one! He can recruit though without a doubt. Jury is still out but he needs to make the tournament this year and really should

Observer,
Having reported on both XU and UC for years, I can understand your frustration, but not share your pain..
In some ways you are right but in one way terribly wrong. UC could have afforded to hire a good coach had they:
1) Fired Huggins for cause after that DUI. That's on Nancy and her advisers.
2)Probably got rid of Huggins when the school was put on probation after Huggins recruited players of less than desirable contuct and behavior. They forked out $500,000 of tax-payers' money in legal fees to avoid having to give back some $300,000 to the NCAA.
3)Told Huggins to take a hike and not paid him the $3,000,000 to go away. Huggins really did initiate his own demise in far more ways than you can ever imagine.
4)Have been more realistic in their planning and construction of University Village.
5)Realized that if Mick can recruit, he would have cut his umbilical cord to both Huggins and Pitino and started very low and worked his way up through the ranks.
Finally, Mick lost whatever respect he had earned from his players for his lack of discipline. He could have gone after a different kind of player than he ultimately did and by this time had better results. See Mo Egger's blog for real reaction of a UC fan.:rolleyes::rolleyes:

[Xpectations]

Wow, Mo Egger's rant is strong. And you know what, it's friggin' accurate too. Damn. I wonder how the Cronin show plays out? Isn't Mo usually there for that along with Chuck and Dan?

[NoDaker84]

Also, UC could not and still can not come up with the money to hire a big time coach. It is not easy running a championship football program.


Don't think you will need to worry about that anytime soon...or ever!

[Xman95]

Funny thing is, UC still has a lot better wins than X. None of UC loses are that bad. Only 1 loss at home to a very good Pitt team. Still no excuse for a team with this much talent to be in the position they are in.

We don't have any bad losses either. Sure, wins over scrub teams like UC look less and less impressive with each passing game (sorry, maybe I should have used "passing" being that the ability to execute an inbounds pass cost you the game).

UC observer, hopefully you enjoy observing X's backside...because that's all you're going to see for a long while. Now go back to your hillbilly shack and make yourself happy while looking at your pics of Chuggins. No wonder 95% of the country hates UC. The other 5% is left for those with ties to UC and douchebags. I'm assuming you're in the latter.

[Xman95]

Mick can recruit. Look at the rankings of his players. He has a couple of 5 stars and a few 4 stars. Problem is he hasnt developed them. Not one! He can recruit though without a doubt. Jury is still out but he needs to make the tournament this year and really should

Correction...the boosters can recruit. Mick just waits to see what falls to the end of the rainbow.

[Xman95]

Hey, observer...

http://musketeerblogosphere.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/bilde.jpeg

SHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

[chico]

I think Cronin's pissed all the time because everyone keeps stealing his Lucky Charms.

[JimmyTwoTimes37]

I think Cronin's pissed all the time because everyone keeps stealing his Lucky Charms.

Just listened to that Cronin show out of curiosity...You could definitely sense some tension in the air...At least in the 1st segment where he cuts off the caller

http://www.700wlw.com/cc-common/mediaplayer/player.html?redir=yes&mps=LanceMcAlister.php&mid=http://media.ccomrcdn.com/media/station_content/1209/100114_1_mick_1263522090_13513.mp3?CPROG=PCAST?CCO MRRMID&CPROG=RICHMEDIA&MARKET=CINCINNATI-OH&NG_FORMAT=newstalk&NG_ID=wlw700am&OR_NEWSFORMAT=&OWNER=&SERVER_NAME=www.700wlw.com&SITE_ID=1209&STATION_ID=WLW-AM&TRACK=

[D-West & PO-Z]

-said the UC fan on a Xavier message board

God no kidding. He doesnt get it does he?

[danaandvictory]

Just listened to that Cronin show out of curiosity...You could definitely sense some tension in the air...At least in the 1st segment where he cuts off the caller

In fairness to Cronin, the first thing that moron said when he called in was "I fell asleep before the game and didn't see any of it" and then commences to bitch. I'd be disinclined to accept criticism from someone who can't stay awake long enough to catch a 7 PM tipoff.

With that said, the Weasel was on point last night, ripping the A-10, pretending that St. John's isn't a terrible Big East team, and (yet again) bitching about the referees in the XU game, even going so far as to claim without proof that people "apologized" to him for the foul call on Parker.

What a turd.

[joebba]

He should change his name to Croakin.

[wkrq59]

Yeah, but get really used to him. He has a multi-year contract left and it will cost UC more millions to get rid of him. I've heard that a U board member said "He'd be gone now but we can't afford to pay him off. We're $20-million in debt." Ouch. More of my tax money.
But every year he's there is some kind of plus for Xavier.:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

[X-band '01]

He should change his name to Chokin.

Fixed your post.

[joebba]

Fixed your post.

Yeah I like that better.

[THRILLHOUSE]

Apparently the Big O is not a fan of Cronin and yells at him during the game

@joshkatzowitz: Oscar is gold. Mick is yelling at/instructing his players when they're on offense, and Oscar yells, "Shut up!"

@joshkatzowitz: Mick gets in Stephenson's face after a mistake, and Oscar yells at him to sit down.

[Masterofreality]

I'll say this,

At least the yellow toothed gnome called a decent end of game play today. Nancy gates almost screwed it up but got his own point blank rebound and scored.

I was actually wanting for the Borecats to win today in "another Big Greased slugfest" Neither team could make 60 points.


Those bums need to win a few games against decent teams to prop up Xavier's RPI.

[pineapplexpress]

Oh yeah lowly St. Johns beat Temple who is the only ranked team in the A-10. St. Johns is 3-0 against the A-10, I guess they are tied for 1st in the A-10. Plus the Big East is 18-5 against the mighty A-10.

[danaandvictory]

Oh yeah lowly St. Johns beat Temple who is the only ranked team in the A-10. St. Johns is 3-0 against the A-10, I guess they are tied for 1st in the A-10. Plus the Big East is 18-5 against the mighty A-10.

Your program is a joke. Everyone is laughing at you.

[xavierj]

Oh yeah lowly St. Johns beat Temple who is the only ranked team in the A-10. St. Johns is 3-0 against the A-10, I guess they are tied for 1st in the A-10. Plus the Big East is 18-5 against the mighty A-10.

Temple is 2-1 with wins at Seton Hall and Nova. UC sucks and so does the Big East. UC is NIT at best. Keep Cronin the guy is awful.

My two favorite coaches are the midgets in Clifton and Dayton.

[xavierj]

I'll say this,

At least the yellow toothed gnome called a decent end of game play today. Nancy gates almost screwed it up but got his own point blank rebound and scored.

I was actually wanting for the Borecats to win today in "another Big Greased slugfest" Neither team could make 60 points.


Those bums need to win a few games against decent teams to prop up Xavier's RPI.

The most overrated player in college had a nice game. The goat was 5-20 from the field and 2-6 from the line. Seriously how can a guy who is a power forward, go on average 7 for 18 from the field, be a 1st team all-american? He may be the most overrated player of all time.

[danaandvictory]

My two favorite coaches are the midgets in Clifton and Dayton.

The Dayton Dwarf can at least recruit. Cronin gets good players once every other program in America backs off.

[pineapplexpress]

Temple is 2-2 they lost to Georgetown also. The Big East has won 28 NCAA Tournament games the last 2 years, thats more wins than the A-10 has had in the last 10 years. The Big East is head and shoulders above the A-10.

[D-West & PO-Z]

Temple is 2-2 they lost to Georgetown also. The Big East has won 28 NCAA Tournament games the last 2 years, thats more wins than the A-10 has had in the last 10 years. The Big East is head and shoulders above the A-10.

Well no shit the Big East is better than the A10 but what does that have to do with how bad UC is, has been the last few years, and will be?

[boozehound]

Temple is 2-2 they lost to Georgetown also. The Big East has won 28 NCAA Tournament games the last 2 years, thats more wins than the A-10 has had in the last 10 years. The Big East is head and shoulders above the A-10.

The Big East is better than the A-10? Way to go out on a limb with that bold statement. UC blows goats, loses to X, and would NOT win the A-10. Mick Cronin may be the worst coach in D1 basketball.

The funny thing is, while this is a 'rebuilding year' for X, this is your year. Next year you aren't going to have Stephenson, Vaughn, and possibly Gates. How big of a freaking trainwreck is that team going to be????

[Xpectations]

The Big East has won 28 NCAA Tournament games the last 2 years, thats more wins than the A-10 has had in the last 10 years. The Big East is head and shoulders above the A-10.

And Xavier has won 6 NCAA games over the past 3 years. That's as many wins as UC has had in the past 10 years.

[DC Muskie]

Do you think Jamie Dixon talks about what teams from the BE would win the A-10.

Do you think he whines about how hard the BE is? Nope, brother just goes out and wins.

What exactly is the point to talk about how tough the conference is when you never win it and never will? You're basically admitting that you suck, but you might not suck as bad as other teams who can't win their conference either.

[JimCoker]

This was on Lance McAllisters Blog today. How cool is this?!?! Besides X winning, is there anything more cool than the Criminals in disarray?

According to Josh Katzowitz, on Twitter, Oscar Robertson was yelling at Mick Cronin to "shut
up" Saturday when Mick was shouting instructions to his players on the court. UC basketball has enough issues to work through without Oscar yapping from his courtside seat and undercutting the head coach. If Oscar doesn't like Mick and his coaching he should stay home and find someone to listen to his rantings about the state of the NBA. There is a reason he's know as B.O.M. (Bitter Old Man) around UC. So sad. Would it be too much to ask for Oscar to show a little bit of class?

[XU 87]

The more Cronin keeps talking about 1) how tough it is to win in the Big East and 2) how Big East teams would dominate the A-10, the more he keeps coming across as a whiny immature child.

He makes these statements to 1) make excuses for losing and at the same time 2) to denigrate Xavier. As for the excuse making, does he think UC fans will give him a free pass because UC plays in a tough league? I have to think that his constant whining about the "tough teams UC has to play" would makes UC fans like Cronin even less. I doubt they want to hear that "So and so team that just beat us would win the A-10". Beside being pure speculation, WHO CARES!? Fans don't want to hear a bunch of silly excuses and whining when your team is losing. And the "fact" that the team that just beat you may do well in some other league doesn't somehow make the loss acceptable.

As for the backhanded insults to Xavier, I can only say that these statements reflect on Cronin's character, or the lack thereof. But one thing is for sure, his attempts to denigrate Xavier certainly don't make his program any better. And since Xavier has beaten UC three straight times, and clearly has had the better program during Cronin's tenure, he also comes across as both foolish and jealous.

[XU 87]

Oh yeah lowly St. Johns beat Temple who is the only ranked team in the A-10. St. Johns is 3-0 against the A-10, I guess they are tied for 1st in the A-10. Plus the Big East is 18-5 against the mighty A-10.

So after Xavier beat UC for the third straight time, did you think, "No big deal. The Big East is a better league than the A-10"? After UC lost to Seton Hall and St. John, did you take solace by thinking, "Man, those teams could win the A-10"?

But we'll just keep winning our league and going to sweet sixteens and elite 8's. And while your team is once again not playing in the NCAA this year, you can at least watch us on tv in March and think about what a great league the Big East is.

[wkrq59]

This was on Lance McAllisters Blog today. How cool is this?!?! Besides X winning, is there anything more cool than the Criminals in disarray?
According to Josh Katzowitz, on Twitter, Oscar Robertson was yelling at Mick Cronin to "shut up" Saturday when Mick was shouting instructions to his players on the court. UC basketball has enough issues to work through without Oscar yapping from his courtside seat and undercutting the head coach. If Oscar doesn't like Mick and his coaching he should stay home and find someone to listen to his rantings about the state of the NBA. There is a reason he's know as B.O.M. (Bitter Old Man) around UC. So sad. Would it be too much to ask for Oscar to show a little bit of class?

That comment on Lance's blog shows how pro UC he is, how pro- Huggins he always was and how lacking in class he continues to be. Calling arguably the "greatest basketball player the game has ever seen" a bitter old man shows how low Lance can sink. Hey, there is a statue to Robertson outside the 5th-Third Arena. Face it, UC would have rid itself of Mick before Saturday if it could have afforded to make the move. UC is also not out of the woods. They're do for several more bad losses before this regular season is over.:D:D:D

[XU 87]

While I have no comment on the B.O.M. comment, if what is reported is true, then the Big "O" should keep his mouth shut. He's identified as part of the program. And screaming at Cronin during the game is ridiculous.

[chico]

Temple is 2-2 they lost to Georgetown also. The Big East has won 28 NCAA Tournament games the last 2 years, thats more wins than the A-10 has had in the last 10 years. The Big East is head and shoulders above the A-10.

I wonder if Fordham fans talk about how good the A-10 is to teams they've lost to. Try to glom on your league when you're clearly outclassed by it.

UC has done nothing to improve the stature of Big East basketball, so instead of admitting it, they have to resort to saying how tough a conference they're in.

[joebba]

I can remember the minor amount of trepidation I felt when I learned X was joining the A-10 and worried about whether we could compete. What does Xavier do but step up our game and become a dominant force in the league. We lose good coaches and what do we do but just get better and continue to raise the program.

What does UC do? The lose (uh fire) the one coach that has brought their program a level of success in the past 20-25 year and they just become stuck.

[bjf123]

While I have no comment on the B.O.M. comment, if what is reported is true, then the Big "O" should keep his mouth shut. He's identified as part of the program. And screaming at Cronin during the game is ridiculous.Agreed. If the Big O has problems with Cronin, he should address them one on one. Of course, that assumes Cronin would be interested in listening.

[Jesuit4Life]

I wonder if Fordham fans talk about how good the A-10 is to teams they've lost to. Try to glom on your league when you're clearly outclassed by it.
Are you telling me Fordham wouldn't win the America East, MEAC, or Atlantic Sun?

Well, actually, they wouldn't since they lost to Hartford, Hampton, and Kennesaw St.

[UC observer]

This was on Lance McAllisters Blog today. How cool is this?!?! Besides X winning, is there anything more cool than the Criminals in disarray?

According to Josh Katzowitz, on Twitter, Oscar Robertson was yelling at Mick Cronin to "shut
up" Saturday when Mick was shouting instructions to his players on the court. UC basketball has enough issues to work through without Oscar yapping from his courtside seat and undercutting the head coach. If Oscar doesn't like Mick and his coaching he should stay home and find someone to listen to his rantings about the state of the NBA. There is a reason he's know as B.O.M. (Bitter Old Man) around UC. So sad. Would it be too much to ask for Oscar to show a little bit of class?

This was Oscar yelling at Mick to shut up before he got a technical foul. Dont read too much into that. I think Katz and others were looking for a story that wasnt there.

[bearcat65]

The Dayton Dwarf can at least recruit. Cronin gets good players once every other program in America backs off.

That's the one thing that he has looked like a genius for doing given that Stephenson apparently didn't have nearly the baggage that was being reported and that he wasn't the program killer that some thought he was. Either Cronin did a better job looking into the facts or he got really lucky.
Coaches are responsible for putting a disciplined team on the floor and are also responsible to put them in the best position to win a game. I have not seen that this season and the end of the St Johns game was a prime example.
I'll also agree on the A-10 stuff. Until he establishes that his team can consistently beat the top teams in the A-10 then he should keep his mouth shut and quit trying to make himself look better by riding the success of the conference rather than his own teams. Contribute to the success or shut up.
One more thing, Harangody probably is over rated but a good part of why he was firing from the perimeter and had a sub par game was the defense played by Yancy Gates.

[boozehound]

That's the one thing that he has looked like a genius for doing given that Stephenson apparently didn't have nearly the baggage that was being reported and that he wasn't the program killer that some thought he was. Either Cronin did a better job looking into the facts or he got really lucky.
Coaches are responsible for putting a disciplined team on the floor and are also responsible to put them in the best position to win a game. I have not seen that this season and the end of the St Johns game was a prime example.I'll also agree on the A-10 stuff. Until he establishes that his team can consistently beat the top teams in the A-10 then he should keep his mouth shut and quit trying to make himself look better by riding the success of the conference rather than his own teams. Contribute to the success or shut up.
One more thing, Harangody probably is over rated but a good part of why he was firing from the perimeter and had a sub par game was the defense played by Yancy Gates.

I agree. You can go back and say the same thing last year down the stretch. For a while last year it was looking like Mick had UC in a position to possibly make the tournament, until the late season collapse which featured (I think) not one, but 2 loses to St Johns and a loss to Providence. To the outside observer it looked like Mick's team quit on him last year. I don't think he has, or has ever had, control of this team.

I also don't think that he recruits all that well, with the exception of Stephenson. I don't really count Gates in there because I think that he really wanted to play for UC, not Mick. If Gates and Stephenson both leave, what does the team look like next year? How bad would the team be this year without Stephenson? How bad will they be next year without Stephenson?

[JimmyTwoTimes37]

I agree. You can go back and say the same thing last year down the stretch. For a while last year it was looking like Mick had UC in a position to possibly make the tournament, until the late season collapse which featured (I think) not one, but 2 loses to St Johns and a loss to Providence. To the outside observer it looked like Mick's team quit on him last year. I don't think he has, or has ever had, control of this team.

I also don't think that he recruits all that well, with the exception of Stephenson. I don't really count Gates in there because I think that he really wanted to play for UC, not Mick. If Gates and Stephenson both leave, what does the team look like next year? How bad would the team be this year without Stephenson? How bad will they be next year without Stephenson?

Another question you have to ask... "Has the addition of Stephenson cut into Vaughn's production and confidence in himself?" Last year with roughly the same team, Vaughn was an absolute stud. Money from 3, aggressive, and a 1st team all big east player. This year, he's still good, but nowhere near where he was last year

[bearcat65]

I agree. You can go back and say the same thing last year down the stretch. For a while last year it was looking like Mick had UC in a position to possibly make the tournament, until the late season collapse which featured (I think) not one, but 2 loses to St Johns and a loss to Providence. To the outside observer it looked like Mick's team quit on him last year. I don't think he has, or has ever had, control of this team.

I also don't think that he recruits all that well, with the exception of Stephenson. I don't really count Gates in there because I think that he really wanted to play for UC, not Mick. If Gates and Stephenson both leave, what does the team look like next year? How bad would the team be this year without Stephenson? How bad will they be next year without Stephenson?

I don't know if it's a matter of not recruiting well or rather a matter of not developing recruits once they arrive. He's landed some top 100 players but I haven't seen the improvement I would like. I just can't figure out if it's a matter of overhyping or underdeveloping.

[bearcat65]

Another question you have to ask... "Has the addition of Stephenson cut into Vaughn's production and confidence in himself?" Last year with roughly the same team, Vaughn was an absolute stud. Money from 3, aggressive, and a 1st team all big east player. This year, he's still good, but nowhere near where he was last year

One would think the addition of Stephenson would have helped Vaughns production by taking some of the opponents attention away from Vaughn. That and the fact that Stephenson has proven to be UC's best passer. I heard all off season how much more effective Vaughn would be at the 2 guard. That has not proven to be the case and his production has went up since he was moved back to the 1. Makes sense given he is only around 6 ft tall but it also points to yet another player not developing in Cash Wright.
I have defended Cronin in the past however the St Johns game pretty much ended it for me. If UC recovers and makes the NCAA then I would say Cronin deserves another year but if they continue to play undisciplined and run an offense that, according to Mo Eggar, "Bob Bratkowski laughs at" ( line of the year in my opinion) then UC needs to look for another coach.

[Masterofreality]

I give bearcat65 reps for solid and non trolling commentary.

The observer could learn something about how to enter another school's board.

[MuskieCinci]

Did anyone else see the sign during the UC-ND game on Saturday? It read something like, "Dear Notre Dame, Please Take Mick Too!" I laughed pretty hard at that one.

[chico]

I give bearcat65 reps for solid and non trolling commentary.

The observer could learn something about how to enter another school's board.

I concur. Nice to have opposing fans who talk basketball and are knowledgeable.

[coasterville95]

I missed the sign, though I was suprised at the number of Xavier shirts I saw over at Fifth Third on Saturday. Point of advice: It's fine to smack talk and needle their fans and program here, but I saw some of the Muskie faithful giving the business to UC fans at the game. Think about that for a moment, how happy would you have been for a UC fan to come up to you when we were down to Dayton at home and start rubbing your nose in it?

Of course now that I have left 5/3rd and am back on a Xavier message board, it is open season to smack talk and the like. I must say Fifth Third looked to have a decent crowd this weekend, 11,500 I think per the box score. So let's see thats 6,000 UC fans, 4,000 Notre Dame fans, and 1,500 Xavier fans just going to watch a basketball game, right?

It was a great doubleheader of basketball to be watched with two great games.

[pineapplexpress]

I agree. You can go back and say the same thing last year down the stretch. For a while last year it was looking like Mick had UC in a position to possibly make the tournament, until the late season collapse which featured (I think) not one, but 2 loses to St Johns and a loss to Providence. To the outside observer it looked like Mick's team quit on him last year. I don't think he has, or has ever had, control of this team.

I also don't think that he recruits all that well, with the exception of Stephenson. I don't really count Gates in there because I think that he really wanted to play for UC, not Mick. If Gates and Stephenson both leave, what does the team look like next year? How bad would the team be this year without Stephenson? How bad will they be next year without Stephenson?

Actually Cronin has recruited well, most of his players are Rivals top 150. He has not developed his players and thats what frustrates us UC fans so much. Plus his offense is basically just having Vaughn or Stephenson trying to break down the defense while everybody else just stands around. I would like to see Mick go and we bring in Stevens the coach from Butler. That young guy can coach, Mick is actually just a recruiter and not a good coach. Mick was an ace recruiter for Huggins and Pitino and a good mid major coach at Murray St. however it is obvious he cannot coach in the big time.

Oh a side not, I believe that Chris Mack will do fine even though some of my Xavier friends do not believe in him. Remember it took Sean Miller a couple of seasons to get going and I think that Mack will do fine. Xaviers tough nonconference schedule has prepared them for A-10 play, plus Derrick Brown was a huge loss for this team. Xavier always hires the right guy for their program and I think that Mack will do fine.

[Juice]

Actually Cronin has recruited well, most of his players are Rivals top 150. He has not developed his players and thats what frustrates us UC fans so much. Plus his offense is basically just having Vaughn or Stephenson trying to break down the defense while everybody else just stands around. I would like to see Mick go and we bring in Stevens the coach from Butler. That young guy can coach, Mick is actually just a recruiter and not a good coach. Mick was an ace recruiter for Huggins and Pitino and a good mid major coach at Murray St. however it is obvious he cannot coach in the big time.


Mick did lose Terrell Vinson to UMass. Looks like he can't out recruit the A10, let alone beat any team in it.

[stophorseabuse]

UC can't afford to fire Cronin, let alone hire someone else.

Stevens prob. wouldn't take that job. I think he has a top 5ish team next year. I see him primed for a Big 10 job, or ND if Brey's act wears out.

[XUglow]

UC can't afford to fire Cronin, let alone hire someone else.


They could if they would get tough with him and make him take them to his pot of gold.

[boozehound]

UC can't afford to fire Cronin, let alone hire someone else.

Stevens prob. wouldn't take that job. I think he has a top 5ish team next year. I see him primed for a Big 10 job, or ND if Brey's act wears out.

Can they afford NOT to fire Cronin though? How much value do you place on your basketball program that he is running into the ground right now?

[bearcat65]

Can they afford NOT to fire Cronin though? How much value do you place on your basketball program that he is running into the ground right now?

Exactly. Not very long ago basketball funded most of the athletic program at UC. Attendance has been down and UC cannot afford to let that continue. The football program has fairly well maxed out what it can generate revenue wise with the existing facilities and faces the unknown of a coaching change. Even though I think Jones can continue the success they still are in need of additional facility upgrades to Nippert in order to generate additional revenue needed to keep up with other schools in the Big East. They need every dime they can get out of the basketball program and they cannot afford to continue to have low attendance.

[boozehound]

Exactly. Not very long ago basketball funded most of the athletic program at UC. Attendance has been down and UC cannot afford to let that continue. The football program has fairly well maxed out what it can generate revenue wise with the existing facilities and faces the unknown of a coaching change. Even though I think Jones can continue the success they still are in need of additional facility upgrades to Nippert in order to generate additional revenue needed to keep up with other schools in the Big East. They need every dime they can get out of the basketball program and they cannot afford to continue to have low attendance.

Good points, here. Just because football has been a big money maker for the past few years doesn't mean that it will always be so. It also doesn't mean that you don't need to make money on basketball.

I really don't understand the "they can't afford to fire Mick" argument. If they are bringing in all this money from football now why can't they afford to get rid of him? They got rid of Huggins and brought Mick in when the football program was making less money than it is now, so I don't get the whole "football is expensive and they can't afford to fire Mick" argument. Maybe there is something there I am not seeing.

For a school with a small football arena, in a mediocore football conference, I would think that basketball should be very important. It is much easier to make money off of a good basketball program than a good football program. I'm not trying to belittle UC's football accomplishments, but it will be difficult for them to turn into a perennial powerhouse 'football school'. Getting the basketball program up and running again at all costs should be UC's #1 athletic objective right now, and I think that starts with getting rid of Cronin.

Just think about this: How bad would UC be this year if they didn't have Stephenson? He kind of fell into UC's lap late, and very easily could have gone elsewhere, or possibly could have been declared ineligable. Who would score? What happens next year? UC probably isn't going to get another Lance Stephenson next year and Vaughn is gone. I think that next year is probably going to suck for UC anyways, so this is a good of a time as any to start over with a new coach.

[JimmyTwoTimes37]

One would think the addition of Stephenson would have helped Vaughns production by taking some of the opponents attention away from Vaughn. That and the fact that Stephenson has proven to be UC's best passer. I heard all off season how much more effective Vaughn would be at the 2 guard. That has not proven to be the case and his production has went up since he was moved back to the 1. Makes sense given he is only around 6 ft tall but it also points to yet another player not developing in Cash Wright.
I have defended Cronin in the past however the St Johns game pretty much ended it for me. If UC recovers and makes the NCAA then I would say Cronin deserves another year but if they continue to play undisciplined and run an offense that, according to Mo Eggar, "Bob Bratkowski laughs at" ( line of the year in my opinion) then UC needs to look for another coach.

Good point...On paper, it looks like Vaughn should have directly benefit from Stephenson being signed...Maybe Vaughn is just used to the 1?

You and boozehound and pineapple hit the nail on the head. The players aren't developing like they should. Bishop, Vaughn, Dixon, Wilks, McClain. These aren't terrible recruits by any means. Gates and Vaughn have been solid but inconsistent this year. I'm not including Wright or Stephenson or any of the freshmen because they are freshmen and are expected to be inconsistent. To be honest, I don't know what UC should do. If they fire Mick, its back to square 1. If they don't fire him, things could get a lot worse next year and they may just be delaying the inevitable