One thing is clear, Mick Cronin is most certainly not a great coach. A great coach would be doing much more with the guys that we have. Could he end up being an okay coach that gets the Bearcats into the tourney every once in a while down the road, maybe.
But frankly I would be perfectly fine with a complete restart. Even with a couple transfers or something the new coach probably starts with more than Mick had.
I just have seen NOTHING to make me believe that we ended up with a good coach at this point based on performances against crappy teams to date this season and not the tougher games ahead.
I realize that this isn't likely to happen, although losing EVERY game left this season should result in a firing IMO. I guess that it just depresses me to think that at best we can hope for medicore in a couple years.
I do not agree with you...simple as that...
willy, is that really you? : )
bcatwilly Wrote:Fire Mick Cronin?
You forgot the ".com"
not a chance. He gets at least another 2-3 years before heat is on him.
I'm trying to be nice here and say give him time, but this team's lack of heart and toughness just has me ticked off beyond words.
I played basketball and have been watching it my entire life, literally have seen NOTHING to encourage me from a coaching standpoint. I would like to be proven wrong. But my current prediction is that Cronin doesn't last beyond 2 more years, maybe less if they lose every game left this season for instance.
bcatwilly Wrote:I played basketball and have been watching it my entire life, literally have seen NOTHING to encourage me from a coaching standpoint. I would like to be proven wrong. But my current prediction is that Cronin doesn't last beyond 2 more years, maybe less if they lose every game left this season for instance.
Willy, what would you like to wager that he lasts more than 2 years
Mick's Murray State teams did not play like this...something is going on that I can't figure out...
bcatwilly Wrote:I played basketball and have been watching it my entire life, literally have seen NOTHING to encourage me from a coaching standpoint. I would like to be proven wrong. But my current prediction is that Cronin doesn't last beyond 2 more years, maybe less if they lose every game left this season for instance.
I agree that the coaching is a problem right now. Ive stated it over and over. That said, he deserves a full recruiting class. 2009-2010 is the key year IMO.
illinois state isn't the best team in the country, but they are far from crappy.
that being said, i'm surprised at how bad uc is. i didn't think they'd be good this year, but i thought they'd be decent. i wasn't ruling out the possibility that they'd gel late in the year and possibly sneak into the ncaas. i was wrong. uc is bad. the majority of the teams in the horizon league would beat cincinnati most of the time. i don't mean that to sound like trash talk. i seriously think they are that bad. i never thought they'd struggle this much. they should be doing better than this on talent alone.
If they don't at least make the NIT in 2009, that is when something like this should be discussed. Not now, not even close.
xubrew Wrote:that being said, i'm surprised at how bad uc is. i didn't think they'd be good this year, but i thought they'd be decent. i wasn't ruling out the possibility that they'd gel late in the year and possibly sneak into the ncaas. i was wrong. uc is bad. i never thought they'd struggle this much. they should be doing better than this on talent alone.
It sure makes you wonder about Cronin's ability to coach and develop players.
NVExel Wrote:Mick's Murray State teams did not play like this...something is going on that I can't figure out...
That is the one thing that I said to my Dad, there does seem to be something additional going on with the team internally that we don't know about to have the wheels blow off this bad.
xubrew Wrote:illinois state isn't the best team in the country, but they are far from crappy.
that being said, i'm surprised at how bad uc is. i didn't think they'd be good this year, but i thought they'd be decent. i wasn't ruling out the possibility that they'd gel late in the year and possibly sneak into the ncaas. i was wrong. uc is bad. the majority of the teams in the horizon league would beat cincinnati most of the time. i don't mean that to sound like trash talk. i seriously think they are that bad. i never thought they'd struggle this much. they should be doing better than this on talent alone.
xu- well stated and I agree...I am mystified by this team and the lack of progress...
possibly when mick tells the guys who busted their butt for him last year that they are not talented enough to play in the league? Or calls them out in the media constantly?
He is not very mature as a coach - and it shows.
THE BearcatBrent Wrote:possibly when mick tells the guys who busted their butt for him last year that they are not talented enough to play in the league? Or calls them out in the media constantly?
He is not very mature as a coach - and it shows.
You're dead-on... It's fine to chew out a guy, and bluntly lay out his situation in private, but in public is taking it a step too far. I'm not even opposed to chewing the team out in public, IF you do it as a group.
And just in case someone asks, I didn't like it when Huggs did it either. But, I don't really remember too many (maybe Barker for not playing through a bad back?).
Personally I think this entire discussion is laughable but whatever. Could the coaching be better, probably, but until any of us watch a practice we really dont have anything to stand on. I like Mick a lot and am probably a homer here but the things they are doing wrong have very little to do with coaching. In this game he has been subbing very liberally more than likely b/c guys arent doing the right things. Things I have noticed:
NO ONE CAN SHOOT
Adam H. turns the ball over way too much and is the worst interior passer I have ever seen. His angles are terrible. His post defense sucks also.
Williamson has no lift (not really his fault) but is a terrible shooter.
The rotation on the zone is bad and the rebounding effort is poor.
Really we can go back and forth on this and really no one is right and no one is wrong. As a former player, coach and son of a coach I know how hard it is to pound some of this stuff into kids heads. He is playing everyone and everyone is playing as bad as the other guy. When you look at it we still only have 4 guys with ncaa experience and they only have 8 years combined. This sucks for everyone but I am not going to start blaiming the coach when I watch players make mental errors and just not play smart basketball
Huggins did it all the time. Thing is...he also had many opportunities to make positive comments on other players each game.