That's why they trust him when he tells them he's more interested in their quality of life than their ability to help him win games. But sometimes, Cronin has learned, you gotta stay. The low pay. Their father was always on the move, schlepping from his job as a high school teacher to basketball practices as a coach to baseball games as a major league scout to the racetrack in the summers as a ticket-puncher. Hep Cronin understood. And he wants to build a perennial powerhouse, too. The offers could come again. He took up residence in a sprawling mansion alongside doctors and entrepreneurs. Cronin worked under legends in his 20s and 30s. Cronin can't control that conversation. The TBS cameras repeatedly captured Heps reactions during UCLAs 86-80 victory over the Spartans. Dan knew that UCLA was his brothers top choice should he ever leave home. For the 200910 season, Cronin was able to successfully recruit Lance Stephenson, the all-time leading scorer in New York state high school basketball history who later had NBA stints with multiple teams. He led the city in assists and was second in 3-point shooting percentage during the 198990 season. This is a city where his mother would whip up soft, deviled eggs for her youngest son whenever he was sick. "I still remember Rod Foster against Ohio State in 1980," said Cronin. He would say our success big-picture and then game to game is going to be determined by what happens when the ball is in the air and on the ground, Shumate said. It was pretty brutal at times.". Since he couldnt prevail in the games on a sloped court with a wooden backboard, he would make Dan beat him up just to expend the energy. Hep, a retired high school basketball coach who has served as Mick's lifelong mentor, speaks with his son four or five times a week, sometimes twice in a day and sometimes none. He graduated and went on to play professionally overseas. Bolch is also the author of the recently released book 100 Things UCLA Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die. He previously covered UCLA basketball from 2010-11 before going on to cover the NBA and the Clippers for five years. . He then moved on to East Coast Supervisor then Midwest Supervisor before becoming a National Supervisor in 2004. But Cronin was busy tobogganing with Sammi, not dwelling on the loss to Louisville. "[21], On April 9, 2019, Cronin was named the fourteenth head coach of the UCLA Bruins, replacing the fired Steve Alford. He once snuck into Louisville's Freedom Hall with his friends to watch John Wooden lead Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and UCLA to a win over Houston in the 1967 Final Four. He starred in a local Catholic youth league that allowed teams to play zone only because they couldn't stop the young, shifty Cronin with man-to-man matchups. I mess with him every day.. Hep Cronin was a high school coach with more than 400 career wins in Cincinnati. My TV show has officially been hijacked by Sammi!! "You gotta move on.". When he returned to Cincinnati late last month for the first time since switching from Bearcat to Bruin, Cronin arrived bearing gifts a pile of UCLA shirts individually wrapped in plastic to give to family and friends. His family of five (Cronin has a brother, too) attended St. Ann Church of Groesbeck, just eight miles from campus, and would gather for Sunday afternoon dinners at the home of Cronin's grandparents. Stepping into the gymnasium at La Salle High, where Hep had coached his sons, he gazed at a picture of Mick above the bleachers. They had not been together since the Bruins defeated Arizona State in late February 2020 at Pauley Pavilion, only two weeks before the COVID-19 crisis led to a premature ending to the season. Cronin then led the Bruins to an overtime victory over No. Advertisement In fact, Hep Cronin played a major role in the Braves drafting Chipper Jones with the first overall pick of the 1990 MLB Draft. He's someone I actually look up to.". Plus, the 5-foot-7 Cronin likes the idea of extending a grand legacy that began with Oscar Robertson and grew under Bob Huggins, who led the program to the Final Four in 1992 and hired Cronin as a video coordinator in 1996. Thats success.. It's reasonable to question how a Division I coach manages his duties as a single parent -- Cronin is a bachelor -- and leader of a nationally ranked program. But the Rick Pitino and Bob Huggins disciple continues to say no -- a simple word with a layered explanation. Cronin, Pitino's associate head coach from 2001-03, would ask his mentor for advice about his career -- and, judging by his tailored suits, fashion as well -- while the two smoked Cuban cigars on hotel balconies during memorable recruiting trips. In 1988 he became a full-time Scout in charge of four states. . Cronin has long held great pride in the Queen City, the University of Cincinnati and the sport of basketball. But Cronin is not the occasional father. The circumstances of the split, however, taught Cronin to value every second he now has with Sammi. That was my whole life.". In the spring of 1996, Cronin coached the East team in the Magic Johnson Roundball Classic. He had to walk out of the room because he was getting choked up and he didn't want to cry in front of her.". They were selected to open in the First Four of the NCAA tournament. Im house hunting out here and its, oh my gosh, Cronin said. In 2017, he was paid $2.2 million as an annual salary and was the 21st highest-paid NCAA basketball coach. [32] UCLA was a 14-point underdog, the largest Final Four point spread since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985. None of it appealed to Cronin, who also wanted to experience living in another city. The Bearcats lost a crucial home game on a last-second shot by Russ Smith on Saturday. Watch out TG!!! I was like, I cant believe this guy doesnt know what to do. He'll quit before that happens. [9] He was married to Darlene Taylor until they divorced in 2009. Mick Cronin Postgame Media Availability: Chico State, Nov. 4. A few minutes into a Cincinnati practice, as the Bearcats prepared for a midweek trip to UCF, everything seemed fluid and sleek. The thanklessness. Several bystanders escorted the man from the game. 1 in the 2023-24 men's Way-Too-Early Top 25, Graduate of Minnesota State University, Mankato. Sammi goes home with him even after tough losses. Postseason invitational champion While he was completing his undergraduate work at the University of Cincinnati, he served as an assistant varsity coach and . They lost their last three regular-season games in a row and lost their game against Oregon State in the Pac-12 tournament. Cronin worked under legends in his 20s and 30s. He's met too many coaches who ruined bonds with their children because they were so obsessed with the game as they sought the next promotion. — -- CINCINNATI -- Preparations for UCF must wait while Mick Cronin's 7-year-old princess twirls around the suite on the University of Cincinnati's campus. As Hep celebrated the overtime victory in a First Four game with a handful of family members late Thursday night, somebody told him that Mick was headed his way. [14] Cronin had to pick up the pieces from a depleted program after Huggins was asked to resign with no warning three months before the 2005 season, and a temporary coach was used for a season. He can only highlight his desires and continue to win, something the Bearcats didn't do against Louisville last weekend. Rick Barnes, Tennessee Billy. "I think that's good for him, instead of sitting there and sulking about it," Hep Cronin said. He went to LA for 12 practices . Youre going to play hard and youre going to play defense, or you wont play. Quit taking them notes. And he would just start laughing and he would say, Ill be ready.. 16. The reunion wasnt planned, Hep Cronin milling about inside Mackey Arena after his son Micks UCLA team had rallied to win its NCAA tournament opener against Michigan State. And when it's not feasible to keep her next to him, he calls on his father or sister for some assistance. It doesn't. Without the foul ball, there would be no Mick. Ben Bolch has been a Los Angeles Times staff writer since 1999. 2 seed and a first-round bye in the Pac-12 tournament. She's draped in glittery black pants and multicolored bracelets. But Cronin clearly has every reason to stay. Written below the image were the words Head coach, University of Cincinnati.. He graduated from college here. He attends practice. [30] They defeated No. "That was his only sport," said Hep Cronin, who coached his son at La Salle and was inducted into the Greater Cincinnati Hall of Fame last year. He'll quit before that happens. Consequently, Cronin won't let the Bruins, who reached the Final Four a year ago, take the Zips for granted. It is.. His father, Harold "Hep" Cronin, is a legend on the high school circuit here. Harold Cronin Leagues Statistics & History | Baseball-Reference.com Sports Reference Baseball Football (college) Basketball (college) Hockey Soccer Blog Stathead Questions or Comments? His father comes to practices here. Her bouncy, brown curls -- "I did that," the redheaded Cronin says about his daughter's hairstyle -- complements her piercing smile. He is serving his second stint as the UCLA beat writer, which seems fitting since he has covered almost every sports beat except hockey and horse racing. He graduated from AUTONOMOUS NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF MEXICO / FACULTY OF MEDICINE in 1975. Hep remembers his son sitting on the living room sofa, a phone pressed to each ear, trying to recruit. Mick Cronin followed around his dad, Harold "Hep" Cronin, a high school coach who posted over 400 career victories. It's the same place where he returned the favor and temporarily left his post at Murray State in 2005 to come home and care for her as she wrestled with multiple myeloma, a rare blood cancer, in the final days of her life. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, The actor, the hairstylist and the eye surgeon: Drugs and death in a Malibu beach house, Have guests in town? His father, Harold "Hep" Cronin won more than 400 games as a high school basketball coach in Cincinnati. And when it's not feasible to keep her next to him, he calls on his father or sister for some assistance. It was a devastating verdict. He can only highlight his desires and continue to win, something the Bearcats didn't do against Louisville last weekend. "He cares about your future and really cares about what happens with your future besides basketball. Cronin became a part-time Scout for three state areas in 1980 and scouted and signed several Major League players including Rookie of the Year David Justice in 1988. Being a multi-year starter and 1,000-point scorer to coming off the bench, Shumate said, that hits you pretty hard.. Ellis had struggled with anger management after watching his mother be fatally stabbed. Cronin isn't just the Bearcats' coach. If you look at the beginning to where he is today, Vaccaro said, hes the Cinderella story of my life on the events I did watching kids growing up in the coaching element.. He was Cincinnati through and through, having grown up in the city playing basketball for his father, Harold "Hep" Cronin, and going to the University of Cincinnati. [9], Cronin became the associate head coach and recruiting coordinator at Louisville under Rick Pitino, beginning with the 200102 season. "He only played basketball. Some of the first shots showed him with his head in his hands as UCLA fell into a 14-point hole, before the mood shifted dramatically in the second half. [3] Hep Cronin was a high school coach with more than 400 career wins in Cincinnati. On Sunday, Cronin's father called to check on him. Mick Cronin also spent two years under Pitino at Louisville before taking the top job at Murray State. But the Rick Pitino and Bob Huggins disciple continues to say no -- a simple word with a layered explanation. Two years later, he was the head coach at Murray State. Evans eventually fulfilled his coachs prediction. Professional Baseball Scouts Hall of Fame at Midway Stadium, Mick Cronins Dad is a Famous Baseball Scout & His Sons Biggest Fan, St. Paul Saints to Induct Harold Cronin into Scout Hall of Fame (May 12, 2008). Conference regular season champion The fan experience in a region that features the Bengals, Reds and an assortment of Division I football and basketball programs is significant. That's all you can really ask for from a coach. [33] The Bruins lost 9390 in overtime after the Bulldogs' Jalen Suggs banked in a 40-foot (12m) shot as time expired in the game,[34] a match that featured 19 lead changes and 15 ties. The hours spent teaching classes. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. Hep said his son went into seclusion for a week. His brother, Dan, starred at Bethel College in basketball and baseball, and was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in 1988. He treated the gig as though he was leading North Carolina or Kansas. So Mick's health scare hit him hard. Cronin is not convinced that upgrading his team's nonconference schedule is the sole ticket to drawing more fans each night. It doesn't. Cronin joined Pitino's staff in 2001. Only 19 at the time, Cronin readily agreed. Players are repeatedly told their effort will determine their rate of improvement. Cronin joked that he inherited a golf team when he essentially succeeded Bob Huggins at Cincinnati in 2006 after the Bearcats spent one season under interim coach Andy Kennedy. [24] In his first year in 201920, the Bruins starting slowly at 89 before going 113 and finishing second in the Pac-12 at 126. He gets her to school on time. My daughter's never going to have to write a letter; I'm never going to sign a contract that says, 'I'm going to be there for you.'". He wants a salary for both him and his assistants that matches some of the nation's other Top 25 programs. Then hes asked what it will be like to see Mick leave Cincinnati. [3] Cronin's mother, Peggy, died of cancer in 2005. Sports Illustrated noted that he wrote the first scouting report on Chipper. "The problem is only three or four [thousand] of them have good seats," Cronin said. Some things, you just dont want to contemplate. Doctors told him that he'd face knee replacement surgery by the time he turned 30 if he tried. She has a segment on his weekly TV show, so he has to make sure those curls are prim. That was it. Don't make the mistake I did. He'd take trips to basketball camps in his old Cadillac. Equipped with the knowledge about the game he'd gleaned from his father, however, Cronin climbed at an uncanny pace. And Id say something like, Mick, youre not even playing Friday; Im not hurt. Bolch was once selected by NBA TVs The Starters as the Worst of the Week after questioning their celebrity journalism-style questions at an NBA All-Star game and considers it one of his finer moments. Mick was so sure of his destiny that he wrote it inside his notebook: head college basketball coach. That success has intrigued other programs in recent years. He starred in a local Catholic youth league that allowed teams to play zone only because they couldn't stop the young, shifty Cronin with man-to-man matchups. A knee injury to his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) near the end of his junior season ended his playing career.[2][8][9]. Mick Cronin played guard for his father at La . [9] Cronin built a reputation for his ability to evaluate and recruit top talent; at UC as an assistant for Huggins from 1997 to 2001, Cronin recruits included NBA draft selections Steve Logan (Golden State Warriors), DerMarr Johnson (Atlanta Hawks), Pete Mickeal and Kenny Satterfield (both drafted by the Dallas Mavericks), and Jason Maxiell (Detroit Pistons). "She called it the 'J.O.B.' The Bearcats harass teams with a defensive furor that few can equal. By Russ Smith on Saturday, however, Cronin 's father called to check on him legends! 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