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CINCINNATI – University of Cincinnati men's basketball head coach Mick Cronin has announced adjustments to his coaching and support staff.

// YOUNCOFSKI NAMED ASSISTANT COACH FOR 2018-19
Greg Youncofski has been promoted to assistant coach for the 2018-19 season. Entering his sixth season with the men's basketball program, Youncofski previously served as the team's video, analytics and recruiting coordinator.

Youncofski was named a 2017-18 Under Armour 30-under-30 honoree by the National Association of Coaches (NABC) in May 2018. The award recognizes up-and-coming young coaches in men's college basketball. He also serves as a member of the board of directors for Rising Coaches Elite, an organization that facilitates learning, growth and networking within the coaching profession.

"Greg has the best work ethic of any young coach I have ever seen," Cronin said. "Our players have tremendous respect for him and there's no question he will do a great job. Greg will work hard at recruiting, especially underclassmen, as 2020 will be a big class for us."

A 2013 graduate of the University of Kansas, Youncofski came to Cincinnati as a program assistant prior to the 2013-14 campaign. He was promoted to video coordinator during the 2016-17 season before taking on the additional analytics and recruiting coordinator responsibility prior to last season.

// BERGER ELEVATED TO ASSISTANT TO THE HEAD COACH
Mark Berger has been promoted permanently to assistant to the head coach. Berger, who has been on Cronin's staff for the last eight seasons, previously served as the team's director of basketball operations. A former Bearcats basketball manager, Berger rejoined the program as a project coordinator for the 2009-10 campaign.

"Mark has been a rock for our program and helps me in many ways," Cronin said. "He will be more involved in the basketball side of things and his experience will help me immensely. Mark knows me and how we win and I look forward to having him assist me in game preparation and self-scouting our team."

Berger's resume includes coaching experience with stops at Presbyterian College (assistant coach, 2008-09), Western Texas College (head coach, 2006-07), Wilmington College in Ohio (associate head coach, 2007-08) and Grayson County College in Texas (assistant coach, 2002-04). He was temporarily elevated to an assistant coach for practices and games during the 2014-15 season at Cincinnati when Cronin missed the last 25 games due to health reasons.

// WOLF AND PARKER GAIN ADDED DUTIES
A pair of Cronin's former players on staff will also take on added roles during the 2018-19 season.

Director of Student-Athlete Development T.J. Wolf and program assistant JaQuon Parker will assist more with video coordinator and analytics duties. Both are entering their sixth season on Cronin's staff in 2018-19.

"T.J. Wolf and JaQuon Parker will take on more of our video breakdown and analytics in their respective roles," Cronin said. "They are both loyal and vital to our success and we are fortunate to have such a great, cohesive staff."

Wolf, who played for Cronin at Murray State (2004-06), joined the Bearcats program as a video coordinator in August 2013 before the promotion to his current role three seasons later. He served as an assistant coach at Martinsville High School for six seasons prior to his arrival at UC.

Parker has served as an undergraduate assistant coach and assistant for student-athlete development along with his current role as program assistant with Cincinnati since December 2013. A guard for the Bearcats from 2010-13, Parker signed with a professional basketball team in Finland in June 2013 and later played briefly in the NBA Developmental League.

"We are all working extremely hard to prepare for the season and continuing our success on and off the court for Bearcats Basketball," Cronin said.

https://gobearcats.com/news/2018/10/22/m...ments.aspx

So, are we not going to have an announcement for assistant coach? I thought Mick said he would know by the end of the month?

(10-22-2018 03:52 PM)UCinNKY Wrote:  So, are we not going to have an announcement for assistant coach? I thought Mick said he would know by the end of the month?

This is it.

Cronin is the king. He does not want strong personalities advising him nor those with strong basketball pedigrees around him. If you watch the games, you know that Bearcat basketball is a dictatorship and it's Mick's way or the highway.

Mick is the master of underwhelming. Yawn

People are really disappointed by this? We knew with the timing that were going to have an interim assistant coach and find a permanent replacement after the year. Not sure what people thought was going to happen.

This whole thing still seems fishy. There’s no way LD purposely left the program behind the eight ball. Hope his health is okay.

(10-22-2018 06:36 PM)RealDeal Wrote:  People are really disappointed by this? We knew with the timing that were going to have an interim assistant coach and find a permanent replacement after the year. Not sure what people thought was going to happen.

Absolutely. I think LD has a better grasp on the game of BB than MC. We are in for a really disappointing year.

(10-22-2018 08:08 PM)gerhard911 Wrote:  

(10-22-2018 06:36 PM)RealDeal Wrote:  People are really disappointed by this? We knew with the timing that were going to have an interim assistant coach and find a permanent replacement after the year. Not sure what people thought was going to happen.

Absolutely. I think LD has a better grasp on the game of BB than MC. We are in for a really disappointing year.

I was a big Larry Davis fan but come on. Some of the anti-Mick takes are absurd. Larry Davis lost to ECU and Tulane when he took over.

Do you guys forget that UC won 31 games last year and two championship. I really want a Final Four too but I am not going dismiss what this program has done over the last two years or even the last 20 years due to the lack of post success.

(10-22-2018 08:21 PM)bearcatlawjd2 Wrote:  

(10-22-2018 08:08 PM)gerhard911 Wrote:  

(10-22-2018 06:36 PM)RealDeal Wrote:  People are really disappointed by this? We knew with the timing that were going to have an interim assistant coach and find a permanent replacement after the year. Not sure what people thought was going to happen.

Absolutely. I think LD has a better grasp on the game of BB than MC. We are in for a really disappointing year.

I was a big Larry Davis fan but come on. Some of the anti-Mick takes are absurd. Larry Davis lost to ECU and Tulane when he took over.

Do you guys forget that UC won 31 games last year and two championship. I really want a Final Four too but I am not going dismiss what this program has done over the last two years or even the last 20 years due to the lack of post success.

75-73

(10-22-2018 08:21 PM)bearcatlawjd2 Wrote:  

(10-22-2018 08:08 PM)gerhard911 Wrote:  

(10-22-2018 06:36 PM)RealDeal Wrote:  People are really disappointed by this? We knew with the timing that were going to have an interim assistant coach and find a permanent replacement after the year. Not sure what people thought was going to happen.

Absolutely. I think LD has a better grasp on the game of BB than MC. We are in for a really disappointing year.

I was a big Larry Davis fan but come on. Some of the anti-Mick takes are absurd. Larry Davis lost to ECU and Tulane when he took over.

Do you guys forget that UC won 31 games last year and two championship. I really want a Final Four too but I am not going dismiss what this program has done over the last two years or even the last 20 years due to the lack of post success.

We are about to find out just how important LD was to this program. I don't think this season will break your way.

I was following this thread until this last comment. If UC doesn't win the league, we can blame it on LD leaving? I am not in agreement.

I am a believer that despite LD's talents and abilities, Clark, Washington & Evans had a lot more to do with last year's success than LD's coaching.

I loved Larry Davis as an assistant. He and Mick (and the rest of the staff) seemed to work really well together. Larry was 124-136 as a HC. Mick is 268-139. I'm not worried about the UC program with Davis leaving. It was a shock to us but he and Mick have been together for years, not to mention they we're coaching friends prior. I don't think Mick was shocked. Timing sucks but UC had guys in place ready to step up. Next man in. I'm not worried about the sky falling because of the Assistant coach leaving (or he team losing a 20 point lead in the last 10 minutes of a tournament game). I will make my decisions based on how the team plays in the court. I was pretty happy with last season until the last game. We will see how the team performs without LD shortly.

(10-23-2018 06:14 AM)GoCats1994 Wrote:  I was following this thread until this last comment. If UC doesn't win the league, we can blame it on LD leaving? I am not in agreement.

I am a believer that despite LD's talents and abilities, Clark, Washington & Evans had a lot more to do with last year's success than LD's coaching.

Davis was more of a recruiter than an x’s and o’s guy. All three of the guys you mentioned where courted by Davis. The success of the new coaches is going to hinge on how well they can recruit

(10-22-2018 08:21 PM)bearcatlawjd2 Wrote:  

(10-22-2018 08:08 PM)gerhard911 Wrote:  

(10-22-2018 06:36 PM)RealDeal Wrote:  People are really disappointed by this? We knew with the timing that were going to have an interim assistant coach and find a permanent replacement after the year. Not sure what people thought was going to happen.

Absolutely. I think LD has a better grasp on the game of BB than MC. We are in for a really disappointing year.

I was a big Larry Davis fan but come on. Some of the anti-Mick takes are absurd. Larry Davis lost to ECU and Tulane when he took over.

Do you guys forget that UC won 31 games last year and two championship. I really want a Final Four too but I am not going dismiss what this program has done over the last two years or even the last 20 years due to the lack of post success.

The only measure of success in CBB is the tournament.

I guess "75-73" is the new "Sippin' Mick" around here.

This is the same message board that claimed that Larry Davis was a stiff of an assistant coach (ours can't recruit, develop bigs or guards, or get players to the NBA not named Gary Clark, SK, Jacob Evans, etc.) and how our team missed Mick on the bench when he was at the helm. Now he is gone and it's like our season is lost.

Gimme a break.

(10-23-2018 08:06 AM)crex043 Wrote:  I guess "75-73" is the new "Sippin' Mick" around here.

This is the same message board that claimed that Larry Davis was a stiff of an assistant coach (ours can't recruit, develop bigs or guards, or get players to the NBA not named Gary Clark, SK, Jacob Evans, etc.) and how our team missed Mick on the bench when he was at the helm. Now he is gone and it's like our season is lost.

Gimme a break.

Also, Greg is a highly heralded young coach. If we didn't promote him and lost him instead, you all would have been pissed about not keeping young talented coaches in the program.

(10-23-2018 07:12 AM)Dannyboy Wrote:  

(10-22-2018 08:21 PM)bearcatlawjd2 Wrote:  

(10-22-2018 08:08 PM)gerhard911 Wrote:  

(10-22-2018 06:36 PM)RealDeal Wrote:  People are really disappointed by this? We knew with the timing that were going to have an interim assistant coach and find a permanent replacement after the year. Not sure what people thought was going to happen.

Absolutely. I think LD has a better grasp on the game of BB than MC. We are in for a really disappointing year.

I was a big Larry Davis fan but come on. Some of the anti-Mick takes are absurd. Larry Davis lost to ECU and Tulane when he took over.

Do you guys forget that UC won 31 games last year and two championship. I really want a Final Four too but I am not going dismiss what this program has done over the last two years or even the last 20 years due to the lack of post success.

The only measure of success in CBB is the tournament.

Nope

(10-23-2018 08:08 AM)bearcatmark Wrote:  

(10-23-2018 07:12 AM)Dannyboy Wrote:  

(10-22-2018 08:21 PM)bearcatlawjd2 Wrote:  

(10-22-2018 08:08 PM)gerhard911 Wrote:  

(10-22-2018 06:36 PM)RealDeal Wrote:  People are really disappointed by this? We knew with the timing that were going to have an interim assistant coach and find a permanent replacement after the year. Not sure what people thought was going to happen.

Absolutely. I think LD has a better grasp on the game of BB than MC. We are in for a really disappointing year.

I was a big Larry Davis fan but come on. Some of the anti-Mick takes are absurd. Larry Davis lost to ECU and Tulane when he took over.

Do you guys forget that UC won 31 games last year and two championship. I really want a Final Four too but I am not going dismiss what this program has done over the last two years or even the last 20 years due to the lack of post success.

The only measure of success in CBB is the tournament.

Nope

Let's rephrase ... at other programs the tournament is the measure of success. Cincinnati has to always be the contrarian. Here it is tournament appearances and winning the conference once every 10 years.

Just win.

(10-23-2018 08:08 AM)bearcatmark Wrote:  

(10-23-2018 07:12 AM)Dannyboy Wrote:  

(10-22-2018 08:21 PM)bearcatlawjd2 Wrote:  

(10-22-2018 08:08 PM)gerhard911 Wrote:  

(10-22-2018 06:36 PM)RealDeal Wrote:  People are really disappointed by this? We knew with the timing that were going to have an interim assistant coach and find a permanent replacement after the year. Not sure what people thought was going to happen.

Absolutely. I think LD has a better grasp on the game of BB than MC. We are in for a really disappointing year.

I was a big Larry Davis fan but come on. Some of the anti-Mick takes are absurd. Larry Davis lost to ECU and Tulane when he took over.

Do you guys forget that UC won 31 games last year and two championship. I really want a Final Four too but I am not going dismiss what this program has done over the last two years or even the last 20 years due to the lack of post success.

The only measure of success in CBB is the tournament.

Nope

Tournament success is what defines programs, fair or not. No one outside of the conference remembers who won the conference championship. It's all about deep tournament runs. I'll take one of Xavier's Elite 8 runs as a 10 seed over a 2nd round upset as a 2 seed everyday of the week and twice on Sunday.