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Cronins are family, friends and teammates, too
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ctipton Offline
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Cronins are family, friends and teammates, too
Cronins are family, friends and teammates, too

[Image: bilde?Site=AB&Date=20110618&...p;Border=0]
The Enquirer/Gary Landers
UC coach Mick Cronin and his father, Hep, spend a lot of time together during the basketball season. Hep sits behind the Bearcats' bench at home games, attends most practices and stays with Mick on the road.

Written by
Bill Koch

CINCINNATI University of Cincinnati basketball coach Mick Cronin's best friend sits just behind the UC bench during home games and is never far from his side on the road. He attends almost every practice and travels with the Bearcats, sharing living quarters with Cronin at the team hotel.

He has a wealth of coaching experience and a relationship with Cronin that no one can rival.

His name is Hep Cronin. He's Mick's dad and a big reason why the Bearcats coach's oft-stated goal is to spend the rest of his career at UC.

"I know how lucky I am," Mick said.

Few head coaches in major college sports have the luxury of working at not only their alma mater but their father's alma mater as well. Fewer still are blessed to have as their best friend a father who understands what coaching is all about because he spent 45 years as a high school coach.

Just as Hep now spends much of his time during basketball season at Mick's side, watching him run the UC program, Mick and his older brother, Dan, grew up tagging along with their father while Hep was coaching at Roger Bacon and Oak Hills high schools. Both Mick and Dan also played for their dad at La Salle High School.

"I grew up in a gym, sitting on a bench," Mick said. "My dad was a coach. His friends were coaches. The fact that I'm a coach would be directly a result of my dad being a coach."

But Mick didn't set out to follow in his father's footsteps. As a kid, he had a close-up view of how hard his dad worked.

Hep held four jobs to support his family. He was a basketball coach, a teacher, a baseball scout for the Atlanta Braves and an employee at River Downs during the summer.

That wasn't a life Mick wanted to emulate. His plan was to go to business school or perhaps law school. When his high school playing career ended and a knee injury prevented him from competing in college, Mick thought he was finished with basketball. But then, while accompanying his dad to scout a Woodward game, Mick was offered a job coaching the freshman team and assisting with the varsity by then-Bulldogs coach Jim Leon.

Mick, then a freshman at UC, accepted the offer and began a career path that would lead him into college coaching, making more money than his father ever could dream of, having recently agreed to a six-year contract worth $1.25 million per year.

After beginning his college career as the video coordinator at UC in 1996, he moved up to become an assistant under Bob Huggins. Mick left to work for Rick Pitino at Louisville in 2001 and secured his first head coaching job, at Murray State, in 2003.

He landed his dream job in 2006 when he was hired to take over UC's decimated program. Hep remembers exactly where he was when he learned that Mick had gotten the job.

"I was riding down the Florida turnpike about 80 miles an hour to see a (baseball) game in Miami," Hep said. "He called and said, 'You need to turn around and come back.' I had only been gone for two days. Usually I'd be gone for 10 or 12. I thought, 'Oh no, somebody's sick.' He said, 'No, I'll be named the UC coach tomorrow. I want you at the press conference.' I had to pinch myself."

[Image: bilde?Site=AB&Date=20110618&...p;Border=0]
The Enquirer/Gary Landers
Hep Cronin spend 45 years as a high school coach. "The fact that I'm a coach would be directly a result of my dad being a coach," said Mick, who played for Hep at La Salle.

Neither Hep nor Mick is prone to emotional gushing, but when Mick walked onto the court at Fifth Third Arena on Nov. 10, 2006, to preside over his first game as UC's head coach, Hep was beaming with pride.

"When he walked out as the assistant (in 1996), it gave me goosebumps," Hep said. "When he came out as the head coach, it was, wow, this is hard to believe."

The Cronin family members always have been diehard UC fans. Hep, 69, went to Hughes High School just across the street from UC. He played baseball and one year of basketball for the Bearcats on the same freshman team as Tom Thacker and Tony Yates, serving as a practice player for two of the major cogs on UC teams that won the national championship in 1961 and 1962 and lost in the title game in 1963.

"I always kidded those guys," Hep said. "I said, 'I gave you so much confidence you almost won three straight national titles. You thought you were really good because I was guarding you.' "

Hep met his wife, Peggy, while he was playing on UC's baseball team. Peggy lived on what now is part of UC's campus, and a foul ball off Hep's bat hit her grandfather in the arm while he was watching the game. Hep found out where the grandfather lived and stopped by to see if he was OK. Peggy opened the door, her parents invited Hep to dinner and the courtship began.

"If that line drive had been three inches to the left or the right, there might not be any Mick," Hep said.

Peggy Cronin, who died of cancer in June 2005, never had the chance to see her son become UC's head coach, but she was on hand for Mick's debut as an NCAA Division I head coach at Murray State.

"She was in bad shape when he got to Murray State," Hep said. "We'd sit her in the back seat with pillows and drive her to Murray State. She said, 'I'm not missing when he walks out on that floor as a head coach in Division I.' I said, 'We'll get you there.' She was there."

Mick, 39, played for his dad at La Salle from 1988-90 and says he wouldn't trade the experience for anything.

"I saw a guy that was a great coach," Mick said. "My father was not just a good coach. He was a great coach. He's also the best person I know."

Mick has had other coaching influences along the way, beginning with Leon at Woodward and continuing with Huggins and Pitino. But he has retained some of the traits his father exhibited as a coach, the most important of which is being honest with his players, even if the truth hurts.

In the eighth grade, Mick was on the receiving end of his dad's sometimes brutal honesty when, after a particularly strong performance, he asked his dad how good he could be as a basketball player.

To Mick's surprise, Hep told him he'd be better off playing baseball because he would not grow tall enough to compete in basketball at the highest level. Rather than follow his dad's advice, Mick decided to try to prove him wrong.

In the end, he discovered that his dad was right.

"He talked to me like I was an adult," Mick said. "He told me the truth. Since then, I've gained about four pounds and I haven't grown a centimeter."

Hep gave up the head coaching job at La Salle after Mick graduated in 1990, but he remained as an assistant under Dan Fleming until three years ago, when Mick convinced him the time had come to take it easy.

When Mick raised the money to allow the Bearcats to travel by charter, he told Hep there was no reason why he shouldn't travel with the Bearcats.

It was a difficult decision for Hep, but ultimately he agreed with Mick. The chance to spend quality time with his youngest son in such a stimulating basketball environment was too good to pass up.

Gradually, Hep weaned himself from La Salle and took advantage of the chance to share his Mick's coaching dream.

Hep can be found at practice sitting on the UC bench, observing his son at work, careful not to get in the way. He understands that this is Mick's team, not his.

"I just like to see what's going on," he said.

And Mick likes having him there. The two hang out during the offseason, making occasional trips to Churchill Downs or to Saratoga. Hep also spends time with Dan, 41, and lives with his daughter, Kelly, 43.

But his time at UC's practices and games is a gift that few fathers get to enjoy, as he watches Mick face off against Hall of Fame coaches such as Syracuse's Jim Boeheim and Connecticut's Jim Calhoun.

"I know how much he enjoys it, so it makes me happy," Mick said. "If you can be in a position in life where you can help other people, it's great. And if you can be in a position where you can help your dad enjoy his time, it's even better. Every day is Father's Day for me."

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20110.../106190341
 
06-19-2011 02:19 AM
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Bearcatbdub Offline
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Post: #2
RE: Cronins are family, friends and teammates, too
That's a neat story. And whether you like him or not, and I know Mick has taken his knocks on here, it's pretty sweet that he was able to land his dream job, and relatively quickly. You just can't say the guy is a slacker. I really do hope it works out for him at UC longterm.
 
06-19-2011 07:52 AM
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subflea Offline
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Post: #3
RE: Cronins are family, friends and teammates, too
Great story from Koch. That guy still surprises every now and then.
 
06-19-2011 09:43 AM
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Bearhawkeye Offline
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Post: #4
RE: Cronins are family, friends and teammates, too
(06-19-2011 09:43 AM)subflea Wrote:  Great story from Koch. That guy still surprises every now and then.

X2
 
06-19-2011 06:02 PM
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BearcatShane09 Offline
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Post: #5
RE: Cronins are family, friends and teammates, too
I feel like after every Koch article we just critique him on how good or bad it was rather than discussing what was written. This was an excellent piece, no matter the author.
 
06-19-2011 11:27 PM
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BearChatter v2.0 Offline
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Post: #6
RE: Cronins are family, friends and teammates, too
How come you never hear anything about Mick's wife and kid anymore?
 
06-20-2011 07:36 AM
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Post: #7
RE: Cronins are family, friends and teammates, too
Mick is divorced but he talks about his kid all the time.
 
06-20-2011 09:17 AM
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Bearcats#1 Offline
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Post: #8
RE: Cronins are family, friends and teammates, too
Great story....Koch surprises every now and then. And also shows he CAN produce good work when he wants to
 
06-20-2011 09:24 AM
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Crewdogz Offline
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Post: #9
RE: Cronins are family, friends and teammates, too
Hopefully this doesnt start an argument but I like the parallel between Cronin and Huggins having a close relationship with their Fathers that were both excellent coaches. It's nice to have that unofficial mentorship.
 
06-20-2011 09:41 AM
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Post: #10
RE: Cronins are family, friends and teammates, too
(06-20-2011 09:17 AM)Overrated Wrote:  Mick is divorced but he talks about his kid all the time.

Yeah, I tried to break the story that he was getting a divorce, before anyone knew it, and I got ripped to shreds about it.

Many said it wasn't true and I was starting a lie.

Hmmm.
 
06-20-2011 01:58 PM
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ctipton Offline
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Post: #11
RE: Cronins are family, friends and teammates, too
(06-20-2011 01:58 PM)Vottomatic Wrote:  
(06-20-2011 09:17 AM)Overrated Wrote:  Mick is divorced but he talks about his kid all the time.

Yeah, I tried to break the story that he was getting a divorce, before anyone knew it, and I got ripped to shreds about it.

Many said it wasn't true and I was starting a lie.

Hmmm.

Poooor Chatter. Is everyone picking on you?
 
06-20-2011 02:08 PM
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Post: #12
RE: Cronins are family, friends and teammates, too
No... but they do seem to be PERSECUTING him 03-lmfao 03-nerner
 
06-20-2011 02:25 PM
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subflea Offline
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Post: #13
RE: Cronins are family, friends and teammates, too
(06-20-2011 01:58 PM)Vottomatic Wrote:  
(06-20-2011 09:17 AM)Overrated Wrote:  Mick is divorced but he talks about his kid all the time.

Yeah, I tried to break the story that he was getting a divorce, before anyone knew it, and I got ripped to shreds about it.

Many said it wasn't true and I was starting a lie.

Hmmm.

No one said it was a lie. The reasoning was that it was a private matter that did not need to be on the board. And, like always, if you have a problem with moderation of the board you need to handle that through PM's, not on the main board.
 
(This post was last modified: 06-20-2011 04:47 PM by subflea.)
06-20-2011 04:44 PM
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Post: #14
RE: Cronins are family, friends and teammates, too
(06-20-2011 01:58 PM)Vottomatic Wrote:  
(06-20-2011 09:17 AM)Overrated Wrote:  Mick is divorced but he talks about his kid all the time.

Yeah, I tried to break the story that he was getting a divorce, before anyone knew it, and I got ripped to shreds about it.

Many said it wasn't true and I was starting a lie.

Hmmm.
Most didn't think you were starting a lie. It was out there for a long time before you thought you had a
scoop. Most just didn't think it was really anyone's business.

Besides, lots of us were just really concerned that all the talk of divorce would send you back to the bad old days of middle of the night depressive episode drunk posting about your own failed marriage.
 
(This post was last modified: 06-20-2011 06:44 PM by rath v2.0.)
06-20-2011 06:42 PM
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Tymanh99 Offline
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RE: Cronins are family, friends and teammates, too
zinggggggg
 
06-20-2011 06:50 PM
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subflea Offline
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Post: #16
RE: Cronins are family, friends and teammates, too
I forget about that, but you are right Rath, his "scoop" was about a year after many already knew about the split.
 
(This post was last modified: 06-20-2011 07:17 PM by subflea.)
06-20-2011 07:17 PM
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Post: #17
RE: Cronins are family, friends and teammates, too
(06-20-2011 06:42 PM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  
(06-20-2011 01:58 PM)Vottomatic Wrote:  
(06-20-2011 09:17 AM)Overrated Wrote:  Mick is divorced but he talks about his kid all the time.

Yeah, I tried to break the story that he was getting a divorce, before anyone knew it, and I got ripped to shreds about it.

Many said it wasn't true and I was starting a lie.

Hmmm.
Most didn't think you were starting a lie. It was out there for a long time before you thought you had a
scoop. Most just didn't think it was really anyone's business.

Besides, lots of us were just really concerned that all the talk of divorce would send you back to the bad old days of middle of the night depressive episode drunk posting about your own failed marriage.

Stay "classy", Rath. And you need some new insults.

I got divorced 6 years ago and I'm long over that. I also gave up drinking awhile back. I've had a girlfriend for about 2 years, my 16 year old daughter moved in with me because I'm cool 03-nerner, and I'm taking care of both of my parents who have health problems. Still working 2 jobs because of Obamanijead's idiocy, though.

You need some new stuff, Rath. But stay "classy". 04-cheers

Edit: I just re-read the part where you said "lots of us were just really concerned". That's funny stuff.
 
(This post was last modified: 06-20-2011 08:42 PM by BearChatter v2.0.)
06-20-2011 08:38 PM
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b Away
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Post: #18
RE: Cronins are family, friends and teammates, too
I have to admit I was actually scared to bring up micks divorce when I heard about it due to what seems to be some cult like loyalty a few have toward him. I've learned a long time ago stories not praising mick don't get posted here.

In past post I referred to it as the ultimate excuse. If mick got fired I figured the divorce card would then be played and how bad it effected his coaching.

Of course we don't need some long thread about micks marriage and it's probably not none of our business. But unless you take that stand with everyone else's private life, Then I have to call BS on it. I mean, huggs roving eye's were never silenced or frowned upon when brought up.
 
06-21-2011 11:14 AM
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bearcatmill Offline
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Post: #19
RE: Cronins are family, friends and teammates, too
Jeez B - any chance you get to start a Huggs v Mick bash session you jump all over it. Your man crush isn't coming back. Time to move onnnnnn.
 
06-21-2011 12:20 PM
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Post: #20
RE: Cronins are family, friends and teammates, too
(06-21-2011 12:20 PM)bearcatmill Wrote:  Jeez B - any chance you get to start a Huggs v Mick bash session you jump all over it. Your man crush isn't coming back. Time to move onnnnnn.

b always takes the same angle. Always. He will complain about all of the posters with an "agenda" to defend Mick while always taking the slant against him. Very hypocritical if you ask me.
 
06-21-2011 12:56 PM
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