Cincinnati coaching search: Will the Bearcats go with a coach just down the road?

9:03 am | April 11, 2019 | Go to Source | Author:

Apr 10, 2019

After being linked to a number of jobs over the last few years, Mick Cronin finally made the leap. He left Cincinnati to become the next head coach at UCLA. Cronin had been mentioned as a potential replacement for Steve Alford for a few weeks, but only after the Bruins missed on some bigger targets did they make a move on Cronin.

And now, after nine straight NCAA tournaments and 13 seasons with Cronin, Cincinnati has to hire just its third permanent head coach in 30 years.

So what’s next for the Bearcats?

Job description

Despite its propensity to shuffle conferences too often, Cincinnati has plenty of tradition in its program. The Bearcats won a pair of national championships in the early 1960s, and have been to six Final Fours — with the last one coming in 1992. They also have done a great job hiring coaches in the last three decades, going from Bob Huggins to Andy Kennedy to Mick Cronin. Athletic director Mike Bohn didn’t make any of those decisions, but did hire Tad Boyle for the Colorado Buffaloes.

Going from the Big East to the American Athletic Conference in 2013 was a prestige hit, but the AAC received four NCAA tournament bids this season and has been steadily boosting its coaching and talent level. It won’t dissuade coaches from going to Cincinnati.

So who will Bohn pursue?